Why a Cat Behaves the Way She Does

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Everyone loves bringing a little kitten home, but understanding some of a cat's unusual behaviors can be challenging. Use this information on cat behavior facts to help you decode your feline's behavior.

Purring
Cats purr for several reasons; they purr when they are happy and when they are in pain as a way to calm themselves down. It's something they did when they were kittens to let their mothers know they were okay and nearby. They also purr when they are in labor.

Scent Rubbing And Spraying

This is territorial behavior. Unneutered males spray whereas females do not. Males, if they haven't been neutered early enough, will continue to spray. Spayed females may mimic male behavior, but they have minimal scent to spray with.

When your cat is rubbing up against your leg, she is saying hello.

Kneading

When a kitten is young, she will knead at her mother's nipple to stimulate milk. Cats don't seem to grow out of this behavior, so she may lay in your lap and knead and zone out in a pleasurable fashion. Your moggie is contented.

Courting Behavior

The first step in courting is the female cat goes into heat. Males smell her scent from miles away. She will meow and howl to get outside, and then squat and arch her back with her front low to the ground and her back end upward. Many males can mate with her, and she can even have kittens in the same litter by different fathers.

Eating Grass

Cats eat grass to make themselves vomit and expel the hairballs that build up in their stomachs from washing themselves and swallowing hair. If a cat doesn't have access to grass, give them sardine oil occasionally to help with hairballs.

Food Eating

Domestic cats have a relaxed style of eating that depends on the availability of food. If cared for properly, they will eat small amounts often. A cat has a very strong instinct to hunt even if it has food sitting in a bowl. Cat bring the dead mice and birds that they have hunted and killed to their owners as gifts.

Socialization
Kittens are afraid of humans.During the first 16 weeks of their life, it is important to socialize them and teach them to trust humans. Cats are considered aloof animals and have a strong instinct to flee. A dog is a loyal companion and the human its master, whereas with a cat, it's considered that the cat owns you and not vice versa. Cats are solitary animals but once dominance has been established in a group they settle down to do their own thing.

Different breeds have different idiosyncrasies. For example a Persian cat is more docile than a Siamese cat. However, these cat behavior facts hold true across the board for most breeds of cats. Knowing what your cat does and why helps you understand your cat's nature and personality.

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