by: Keith Kingston .
The most important thing to remember in analyzing the behavior of your cat is
that your pet
is not a human. Cats are not rational beings and their actions are not based on
emotion. Changes in his behavior are not stemmed from any repressed anger with you; your
cat is not
trying to get revenge on you for being away from home too much or bringing a new
baby intothe house.
Negative changes in cat behavior are typically cause by stress or anxiety for
the cat. It is
easy to see why pet owners tend to conclude that the cat's feelings toward them
are causing
the behavioral differences; it is human nature to correlate two unrelated
events. In
reality, there is a missing link: your behavior may cause the cat physical
anxiety, thus the
cat's behavior alteration is based on physiological changes in his body.
One common complaint among cat owners is that their cat has suddenly chosen a
new favorite
place to deposit wastes instead of his litter box. This could be a result of a
few factors.
First, it may be a medical problem. Cats are prone to urinary track infections
that make it
extremely painful to urinate. Cats then associate the pain of urination with the
litter box,
so they do not like to visit their designated urination station. If your cat has stopped
using the litter box, your first step should be to take him to the vet and have
a thorough
check-up run on him. Cats also have natural preferences for certain textures and
smells, so
if you have recently changed the type of cat litter you use, the cat may be
showing that he
does not care for the new feeling or smell of his litter. In avoiding the litter
box, the
cat may have become attached to new textures and locations around your
household, perhaps
the soft living room rug or bedroom closet. The best strategy is not to punish
the cat; he
will not understand. Rather, have a medical check up, switch litters, and
continuously
reintroduce the cat to his litter box. Reward him for using it, just like he was
a kitten
again.
To relieve any anxiety your cat may be feeling, carefully analyze any changes
that have
occurred in his life as of late. If a new baby or roommate comes into the house,
your cat
may feel threatened, so be sure to give him extra attention. If you suddenly
have to spend
more time away from home than normal, consider getting a second cat so that your
cat does
not spend his days alone. Although the cat is not having emotional reactions,
his body feels
different due to changes around him.
Be in tune with what may be causing your cat to feel anxious, analyze the
situation, and do
the loyal owner duty of relieving his stress.
About The Author
Keith Kingston is a professional web publisher who offers advice on cat health,
cat
supplies, and kitten names.
http://cats.allspecialoffers.com/
Source: http://www.articlecity.com/articles/family/article_732.shtml
Tags: Analysis of Cat
Behavior - Cat
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