Dealing With Your Cat's Behavior

How to Deal with Feline Manners

Cats find security in their own territory. They establish a special place where they can eat, sleep, and where they can hunt and play with their mates. There are signs which cats use to mark their home base by spraying, leaving urine and feces, scratching, and even rubbing. These marks provide vital information about their age, sex, and health, thus preventing any close encounters with rival cats.

Since cats have high regard for their territory. They make sure that their little home bases are kept well tended so they will get a prospective mate's attention. Their being keen observers allows them to master each piece of furniture in the house. They would love to be pampered, fed, bathed, and put to sleep in a routinely manner as to maintain anticipation in their minds. Familiar situations make them aware of their activities for the day as well as the sequence of actions of their masters. Once they've gotten used to the routine, they will surely give a reminder if someone forgets in the future.

Heard of any deep and long sleepers? Yes, cats! They can spend the whole 15 hours of the day just sleeping. Believe it or not, an eight-year-old feline has only had his eyes open for less than three years. They have three different categories of sleep: the short nap, the long but brief sleep, and the deep full sleep. They have a way of slipping in to a deep full sleep and alternating it with just a short nap.

Be aware that cats spend at least three to four hours of cleaning themselves when they are awake. The sequence is as follows:

- licking the lips
- licking the sides of their paws
- rubbing the head, the eyes, the ears, with the wet paw
- licking the front shoulders and legs
- licking the flanks
- licking the genitals
- licking the hinds
- licking the tail
- and lastly, the cat's most awaited part, sleep.

Cats love to have their nap times in an area where they can actually have a bird's eye view of what is going on around and below them. In this way they can be quickly awakened if some unusual things happen from afar or beneath them. Work hand in hand with the cat to develop their instincts. Endow them with standard home bases where they can feel the security they need.

Create an environment that is suitable to their needs and wants. It could be for their viewing pleasures or even just for resting. This will give them the sense of feeling important and being cared for and that they are indeed part of household.