Cat Behavior Issues

While your cat has many endearing qualities, it also can suffer from a variety of behavioral issues. Solve many of these behaviors with simple changes to your cat's environment to reduce its stress by giving it appropriate outlets for its energy. Be aware of your cat's body language to anticipate any unwanted behavior and use positive reinforcement to encourage desirable behavior in your cat.

  1. Aggression

    • According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, aggression is the second most common feline behavior problem. Depending on the situation, cats react aggressively to a number of stimuli, including a new environment, new people or the presence of other cats. When a cat deals with a stressful situation or becomes excited during play, it can lash out suddenly by biting, hissing and growling at you or another cat. Watch for the signs of aggression in your cat, including flattened ears, twitching tail and a constant stare. Ignore aggressive behavior to discourage it and reward calm, good behavior with a treat. Punishing aggression only serves to make your cat fearful of you and increase its stress level.

    Inappropriate Elimination

    • The most common behavior issue among cat owners is inappropriate elimination, according to the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. Like aggression, stress in your household contributes to litter box issues. Certain cats avoid using their litter box because they prefer other textures or types of litter, dislike the scent of the litter or the location of the box itself, the litter box may be too dirty or you do not have enough litter boxes in your home for your cats. Provide your cat with at least two litter boxes or one litter box per cat plus an extra for homes with multiple cats. Use clumping litter and scoop litter boxes at least once per day to keep them clean and appealing to your cat. Spay or neuter cats who mark territory by spraying small amounts of urine all over your home, as this cures the problem in most cases.

    Destructive Behaviors

    • Cats naturally scratch to exercise and groom their claws or mark territory with the scent glands in their feet, according to the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. To discourage your cat from exhibiting its instinctive behavior on your furniture or curtains, provide it with scratching posts covered in materials your cat prefers to scratch. Sisal, cardboard, and carpeted scratching posts and pads give your cat appropriate outlets for its need to scratch. Cats love to jump onto high spaces in your home, but if you have breakable items on high shelves, provide your cat with a climbing tree or large cat condo to climb onto instead. Prevent your cat from playing with inappropriate items by giving it cat toys to keep it occupied during the day.

    Considerations

    • When dealing with any behavioral issues with your cat, always rule out a medical cause by taking your cat to a veterinarian for a check up and blood work. Aggression, inappropriate elimination and excessive vocalization all can indicate an underlying medical condition causing your cat's conduct. Spaying or neutering may curb most behavioral problems and make your cat less apt to engage in aggressive behavior. To treat inappropriate elimination and aggression, ask your veterinarian about putting your cat on an anti-anxiety medication to calm it and discourage this behavior once he rules out a medical cause. Natural flower essences, and synthetic pheromone diffusers and sprays also help reduce stress and behavioral issues naturally in your cat, according to the Maryland SPCA.