Cat Advice: Common Cat Behaviour Questions

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Scratching is a normal part of a cats behaviour repertoire. Therefore, stopping your cat scratching the furniture is about providing your cat with an appropriate place to scratch, not stopping them scratching all together. Cats often scratch the furniture because their current scratching post doesn't meet their needs or the furniture is more appealing than their scratching post. 

Scratching is important for cats, as it allows them to stretch their muscles, maintain their claws, mark their territory and release some energy.    

If your cat is scratching the furniture consider the size, stability, texture and location of your cats current scratching post.

HEIGHT: Needs to allow for a cat to fully extend their limbs when stretching and also tall enough to provide vertical territory in the home. 

STABILITY: Shouldn't fall over if the cat engages in a vigorous scratching session or when your cat jumps and climbs up the post. 

TEXTURE: Cats have different texture preferences, so make sure the post offers more than one texture type.  

LOCATION: Put the post in a prominent area of the house where your cat spends most of their time and not in areas they only use occasionally. 

Similar to cats scratching the furniture, cats scratch the carpet because an appropriate horizontal scratching area has not been provided for your cat.

Either ensure your scratching post has a large enough base for horizontal scratching or provide a corrugated cardboard scratcher.

Providing the appropriate environment for your cat at the start will prevent behaviour problems occurring in the future.

If you are bringing a new cat into your home you will need:

LITTER BOX: Should be big enough for them to comfortably move around when in the box. Small litter boxes are fine if you have a kitten, but litter box size must grow with your cat.

TOYS: A variety of toys for both solo play (to play by themselves) and joint play (to play with you).

FOOD & WATER BOWLS: If multiple cats in the home, each cat must have access to their own bowls. Provide 360 degrees around all bowls in multi-cat households.

SCRATCHING POST: Every cat has to scratch, so provide an appropriate place for scratching. If getting a kitten, get a post they can grow into, so avoid scratching posts less than 60cm tall.

A cat toileting outside a litter box can be for a number of reasons including, stress, territorial marking, medical issues and litter box preferences.  

When your cat is toileting outside the litter box always rule out medical issues first by making an appointment with your vet.

Providing you have ruled out medical issues, toileting next to the box, but not in it, suggests litter box preference issues. These means you need to determine your cats litter box preferences, not your preferences. Litter box preferences can include number of litter boxes, size of litter box, litter box type, litter box location, type of litter, litter depth and litter box cleaning process.

Number of litter boxes: Some cats simply prefer to urinate and defecate in separate boxes. The general rule is one litter box for every cat, plus one.  

Size of litter box: The litter box needs to be about one and a half times the length and width of a cat’s body so a cat can comfortably move around inside the litter box. 

Type of litter box: Uncovered versus hooded litter boxes. Most cats prefer uncovered boxes, so when providing a hooded litter box, make sure your cat has access to an uncovered box as well if toileting issues are occurring. It is important to note hooded trays can cause toileting issues in multi-cat households, due to the potential fear of an ambush attack, so always provide at least one uncovered box.  

Litter box location: The litter box must be in a spot your cat feels is comfortable (not right near sleeping or eating areas), convenient (not far away or a hard to reach location) and safe (not in a dead end area with no quick escape). The best place for a litter box is an open area or an area with vertical escape routes. This area must also not be in a high foot traffic or loud areas. 

Type of litter: Every cat has a substrate preference, it is important to determine your individual cat’s preference. However no matter the substrate type, avoid scented litters. 

Litter depth: Some cats prefer to toilet in a litter box with a high level of litter and others prefer a small amount of litter just covering the surface of the litter box. Cats with a preference for toileting on hard surfaces generally prefer a small amount of litter in the tray. 

Litter box cleaning: Will largely depend on your cat’s preference. Some cats will not use a box again after the single use, others are happy to use the litter box multiple times. However, when cleaning the litter box do not use scented cleaners to disinfect the box.   

Every cat likes to play and in most cases a cat won't play, because the time of the play session or toy isn't right for your cat.  

Offer your cat a variety of toys, some perfect for solo play and some that require you to play with your cat. Play with your cat when their energy levels are highest (often early in the morning before work / school and evenings before bed) and not when they are ready for a nap.

Ensure toys are easy for your cat to access when they are in the mood for play. Scatter toys around the home and don't leave them all in one corner of the home.

Eating quickly develops in cats when they feel there is competition for food or when they aren't sure when they will get their next meal. Even if your cat is a solo cat in the home, this behaviour may have developed as a kitten while vying for food with their litter mates or in their previous living environment.

Slowing down this food intake is best achieved by making cats work for their food through the use of puzzle feeders (also beneficial in providing stimulation and reducing boredom). This allows food to settle, so your cat will feel full and less inclined to beg for more food.

Begging for food can be reduced by feeding your cat several meals a day, using puzzle feeders, and not giving into begging behaviour. 

Always take your cat to a vet to rule out a medical issue, if your cat is devouring their food quickly. 

Not all cats want a companion cat, but most cats can happily co-exist with other cats in the home providing the right set-up. Disputes between cats in multi-cat households generally result from competition for resources or redirected aggression.

Redirected aggression is when a cat is agitated by one stimulus and takes it out on another (eg. a cat sees a neighbourhood cat outside the window that is hissing and growling and takes out their aggression on companion cat in the house passing by them at that moment).

In order to reduce disputes between cats in multi-cat households, all cats in the household must have equal access to food, litter boxes, water, toys, sleeping spots, scratching posts and human companionship without having to battle for resources. Therefore, make sure there are multiple resources in the home and in different areas, not just all in the same spot.