What Your Cats Misbehavior Really Means How to Address It

As a die-hard cat lover, I can say that felines aren’t always the easiest pets. But that’s part of what makes us love them, right?

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Whereas most dogs’ behavior is often pretty transparent, decoding a cat’s actions can be a bit more of a challenge. They often behave in ways that drive us crazy and we simply don’t know why or what to do to make it stop.

But the truth is that for the most common troubling behavior your cat demonstrates, there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation and relatively easy ways to address the underlying issue.

Tearing Up Furniture
No matter how much you love your kitty, it can be pretty frustrating when he decides to use your favorite piece of furniture as a scratching post. The first thing you should understand is that cats scratch in order to naturally trim their nails, exercise and to mark territory with their scent.

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So, always remember that it’s very natural behavior and has nothing to do with their hatred for your taste in décor. The solution is 2-pronged: provide scratch-appropriate objects and make the furniture less attractive. Here are a few tips to make it work:


Aggressive Behavior
Even the biggest cat fans around know that cats can quickly turn from cuddly to aggressive or can sometimes display aggression towards certain people they meet. It’s a sad state of affairs when you or anyone in your home is afraid of your pet. It helps, however, to understand the reasons your cat might be displaying aggression

There are several possible causes: boredom, over-stimulation, fear or even that, as kittens, you inadvertently taught your cat that it’s ok to scratch and bite your bare hands, arms and legs. The last reason is pretty common as many people tend to allow kittens to play roughly – it’s fine when they’re tiny but not so much when they’re big enough to do serious damage.

Try these strategies to address the behavior:

Urinating Outside the Box
It can be positively maddening to have a cat who does his business outside of the litter box. You might be willing to put up with a scratched-up couch, but finding an unpleasant surprise in your shoe or having your whole house smell of cat urine is another story. But again, if your kitty isn’t using the litter box, there’s a reason.

Oftentimes, the cause is physical/medical, so your first step should always be consulting a holistic veterinarian. Chances are, there’s something causing discomfort or pain and a professional can help you address the issue. Otherwise, use these tips:


Keeping You Awake at Night
Being woken out of a deep slumber by incessant meowing or pouncing or random objects hitting the floor is not fun. But for many cat owners, this is a frequent issue. But why is it so common? Well, simply put, your cat is probably bored. Waking you up results in some stimulation, even if it’s not all that interesting. Even getting up to scold or stop the behavior is affirmation of the behavior, so do your best to ignore it completely.

Just as with small children who wake up in the middle of the night, changing the routine will require you to commit to new habits. The following tips won’t necessarily work immediately, but they will have a positive impact if you stick to them night after night.


The saddest thing is when a cat owner gives a cat away because of behavioral issues. The truth is that a cat’s behavior is never “random,” nor simply the cause of a bad temperament. The true cause is almost always related to something that you, as a pet guardian, can control.

Addressing these issues, however, requires commitment to establishing new routines that will make your cat feel safe and happy. Use these tips and strategies and you’ll almost certainly be able to eradicate the problematic behavior over time.

About the Author: Narayan Khalsa is a passionate natural pet care practitioner on a mission to help educate pet owners about natural and healthy ways to care for animals. In addition to specializing in natural hoof care for horses, Narayan is a co-founder of Effective Pet Wellness, which produces 100% organic medications and holistic wellness products for animals. To learn more, head to Effective Pet Wellness .

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