Cats are known as solitary animals. They don’t hunt communally or share the spoils of a hunt. Sometimes cats with adjoining territories will get together for a pleasant evening grooming session, but on the whole they are not the most social creatures with others of their kind. This general wisdom does not always seem to hold up.
My barn cats are a single family descended from a lone female who wandered onto our place one day and decided to stay. She and her children and grandchildren police the local rodent population. Their behavior doesn’t always match the solitary hunter of common wisdom.
The original female, Patch, used to like to take her kittens for day trips around the area. I’ve watched her bring her little brood back from wherever they’ve been in the evenings. One evening I watched her stop and sit down near the edge of a small, lightly used road running next to our farm. More on Cat Behavior
You want to train your cat to come, sit, and stay. You can also teach your cat not to scratch at things. When you are teaching your cat to not scratch, sometimes they seem like they are pawing at you and they start scratching you. On this certain behavior you can softly stroke their paw to help retract their claws. When their claws have been retracted, you can tell them good kitty in a reassuring voice. They do not realize that this is a bad thing that they are doing and they are not trying to hurt you. The reassuring and the praise should not be followed with food. This will show them that this is one thing that will be expected of them at all times, and it is not a trick. You are going to have to continually work with them on this for a few weeks. They are not going to scratch on the first time you do this. By you telling your cat that they are a good kitty and paying attention to them is a good thing to do.
To ensure good behaviors you should make sure that you handle your cat gently. Do not rough house with your cat this can show them that it is ok to scratch, bite and just to be mean. Cats can be quite finicky; by being rough with them, they can associate this with aggressive behaviors. Such as biting at your hand, or scratching you. If you choose to play with your cat, you should use one of their toys to show its ok to bite, scratch at their own toys. While you are playing with your cat, if they scratch you it is not their fault. Accidents happen, do not discipline them for this action. They think that you are trying to play, you will not get anywhere but confusing your cat.
More on Train Your Cat For Behavior Problems And Basic Commands
Play aggression is defined as the stalking, chasing, pouncing, biting, and scratching behaviors, which normally occur when cats engage in play. Problems occur when these behaviors are directed against instead of with people in the household.
Another common cause for play aggression towards humans is when owners leave a single young cat alone for most of the day. Play aggression can also be triggered and reinforced by owners who insist on letting a cat "attack" their hands and feet.
Owners must learn to recognize the postures exhibited by cats engaging in problematic, as opposed to acceptable, play aggression. The typical play aggression cat will demonstrate predatory type of behaviors.
The cat will stalk the owners and pounce on moving body parts such as hands and feet. Growling and hissing usually does not occur, however, the cat's pupils will be widely dilated. Bites and scratches inflicted during a play aggression attack are usually inhibited and not severe.
