BEHAVIOR

Humans do it - eat to be polite, to join in with others, rather than because they are hungry. And dogs most certainly will want in on the action if they see another dog eating, whether or not the sight or aroma of the food itself has enticed them. But what about cats? Do they eat to experience social connectedness?

Q. How strong is a cat’s sense of smell? Jonathan Puccio Cincinnati, Ohio Dear Mr. Puccio, A. cat’s sense of smell leaves ours in the dust. In fact, sniffing scents is a cat’s primary way of reading his world. The feline nose has about 200 million odor-sensitive cells. The human nose, by contrast, has about […]

Sinks are a favorite spot to hang out for many cats. One reason may be that the cold, hard porcelain or ceramic basin of a sink cools them off after they’ve been sunning in a window or resting near a radiator. They may also enjoy their bodies being “cradled” by the sink’s roundedness; having most […]

Your two cats are the best of friends — lounging together, looking out the window together, and generally content to share the house with each other. But then one of them goes to the veterinarian and is out of the house for an hour. Or the two of them need to be boarded for a […]

Adult cats dont meow at each other. A kitten will meow to let its mother know its hungry or cold, but once it is weaned, it will no longer meow to communicate with those of its own species.

If your cat starts biting or scratching you while you’re petting her, you immediately know she has had enough and stop. Or if she’s in pain and you go to tend to the affected spot and she swats you, you understand why she’s reacting aggressively. But there’s a much more common type of feline aggression […]

Aggression is second only to litter box issues when it comes to reasons people with cats make an appointment to see a veterinary behaviorist. They are smart to seek professional help. While feline aggression is sometimes taken less seriously than canine aggression, it shouldn’t be, says the ASPCA. Dogs only bite, but a cat can […]

If your cat “goes” in spots other than the litter box, you’re not alone. Inappropriate elimination is the most common concern among cat owners. And perhaps like many other cat “parents,” you’re frustrated because you believe you’ve tried everything. You’ve switched to the type of litter most commonly preferred by cats — the fine-textured, clumping […]

While cat owners know their pets are bonded to them, felines are often thought of as uninterested in collaborating with people. It’s believed all communication has to be entirely on their terms, without any give and take. But that’s not true. Cats can and do learn various behaviors through training. People teach their feline pets […]

It’s often assumed that while dogs can have strong attachments to their human caregivers and feel more secure in their presence, cats don’t share that affinity for people. But researchers from Oregon State University have proven the assumption wrong. Using a research protocol first employed in the 1970s to look at the bond between parents […]

You fall out of a 19th-story window, and the word splat is in your very near future. A cat falls 19 stories, and she glides earthward to live another day. It really happened several years ago when a white fluff ball named Sugar dropped out of her owners high-rise window and walked away to enjoy her eight remaining lives with only some minor bruising on her lungs but no broken bones, no lacerations, no anything. What is it that makes cats nimble enough to be able to land safely, even from great heights?

My cat scratched me on my arm, and a few days later I developed a bump there. But then I went on to develop a fever and also felt very tired. I went to the doctor, who said I had cat scratch fever and that it would resolve on its own. Does that sound right?