Domestic cats display a range of social and affectionate behavior toward each other. Contrary to popular belief, even when living outdoors, cats are not aloof loners. They often have quite strong and bonded relationships with other cats. Among the behaviors cats engage in to maintain relationships is mutual grooming, rubbing, playing, and napping close by … Read more
This article may contain one or more independently chosen Amazon affiliate links. See full disclosure. Ever seen your cat get high? If you’ve ever given your cat some catnip or let her play with a catnip toy, then you have probably enjoyed the amusing “drunken” antics that occurred shortly afterward. Cats are attracted to catnip and … Read more
A widespread belief about cats is that they are not domesticated, but are rather still wild animals that only tolerate or exploit human beings for resources. While this belief is usually only harbored by those who have never lived with a cat, even some cat lovers may have read that cats are only partly domesticated. … Read more
Have ever noticed how quick we are to recognize the differences between cats and dogs in terms of the way they each behave, but not in terms of how we behave towards them? The belly rub is one such instance of this. We know when a dog wants a belly rub and we behave accordingly. … Read more
We’re always wondering about our cats. What are they thinking? Do they love us? How smart are they? Many cat lovers think that cats are smarter than dogs. Well, just how smart are they? A three-year-old human can count to three. Can cats count? Can they count to three or higher? If so, how high? … Read more
When one of our cats died, my wife immediately wanted another cat. I thought, however, that introducing a new cat would be stressful to our cat, Miranda. She was already very nervous. My wife, however, always uses the excuse that cats need other cats. I wanted to figure out if this is true. Do domestic … Read more
When your cat awakes you at 4 AM or keeps bugging you through the night, causing you to lose untold hours of sleep, it’s easy to think that nothing can be done. After all, cats are nocturnal. We just have opposite schedules. This assumption is what causes people to put cats outside at night so … Read more
Urban veterinarians may know more about cats landing on their feet than their rural counterparts. Just around springtime, they start seeing cats who have fallen out of windows or taken swan dives off balconies. Cats don’t seem to fear heights, even if that height is three or four times higher than any tree they might … Read more
Cats love any type of box or box-like container. If you bring home a brand new cat litter box and place it on the floor, your cat will probably get into it and sit. They also love to get inside laundry baskets and paper bags. They especially love cardboard boxes! In this article, I explore … Read more
You will notice something about people who dislike cats. They are quick to point out when a cat person is anthropomorphizing but unable to recognize when they are doing it. This is a function of confirmation bias, to name but one cognitive heuristic that clogs our thinking. So, to wonder whether a cat is sadistic … Read more
Having a cat drinking out of the toilet bowl is a perplexing problem. Your cat has a nice full bowl of water at all times, after all. Why, then, would he insist on trying to drink out of a disgusting toilet bowl? How can you solve this problem?
Lots of highly affectionate cats will enjoy a nice head rub, and then after a while decide to start playing with your hand and gnawing on it. A cat that has been taught appropriate play can often modulate their biting so that it does not hurt. This is not what we are talking about here, … Read more
This article may contain one or more independently chosen Amazon affiliate links. See full disclosure. It has been a running joke at our house for many years. Our cats think we are giant, oddly shaped cats with an unfortunate fur deficiency. They also think that we are the dumbest cats they’ve ever known. Sometimes it seems … Read more
Even though cats are more popular than ever before (it’s true!), many people still think of the cat as a cold, aloof, and even conniving creature. Self-professed “dog people” compare cats to dogs, and find cats to come up short. As well, they may have only seen cats who had spent their lives outdoors, and … Read more
This article may contain one or more independently chosen Amazon affiliate links. See full disclosure. Most cat people have noticed that cats pick the strangest times to suddenly start grooming a paw or licking themselves at random places on their body. For example, have you ever seen this happen? Your cat is having a play fight … Read more
This article may contain one or more independently chosen Amazon affiliate links. See full disclosure. Those who don’t like cats or live with cats often make a rather daft assumption about them: That the sounds they make are meaningless! Those of us who share a home with a cat or two know better! How could their … Read more
This article may contain one or more independently chosen Amazon affiliate links. See full disclosure. We’ve all seen videos of a cat freaking out at its reflection in a mirror or seeming to admire his feline perfection, gazing at himself in loving awe. But does your cat truly recognize itself in the mirror? Let’s go beyond … Read more
This article may contain one or more independently chosen Amazon affiliate links. See full disclosure. In truth, not all cats hate water and avoid it. Some cats, both big and small, domesticated and wild, enjoy water and even like to go swimming. Tigers, for instance, have been known to go into the water voluntarily. So, if … Read more