Subtle Signs of Feline Fear
“People think hiding is just what cats do,” says the head of the Tufts Animal Behavior Service, Stephanie Borns-Weil, DVM. “But hiding is a...
Is Your Cat a Psychopath?
Human psychopaths, according to one model, are said to have three distinct traits:
Disinhibition, which reflects a problem with impulse control.
Boldness, an outlook where...
Dear Doctor: Can two cats be left alone longer than one?
Q. In your article “Home Alone, But For How Long?” (November 2021 Catnip), you said that even though the rule of thumb for how...
C.A.T.
C
stands for giving a cat Choice and Control.
A
stands for pay Attention to your cat’s reactions.
T
stands for thinking about where your cat likes to be...
Myth/Fact Round-Up
Here are a lot of urban (and suburban) myths about cats that throw off people’s understanding regarding feline behavior. In some cases, they can...
Are You Making Your Cat Aggressive?
It has been posited that kittens taken from their mothers too soon and need to be bottle fed are more likely to turn out...
She Loves Having Me Around, She Loves It Not
Dogs loved having their owners home with them during the COVID pandemic. Among cats, however, the reaction wasn’t uniformly positive. In a survey that...
Bunting: Why a Cat Does It
Your cat rubs her cheeks against your legs or the furniture. Or she gently bumps her head against your face. What’s that about?
The behavior...
Telling Tails
While cats don’t speak our language, there is the language of their bodies, and it can tell us a lot about how they’re feeling....
Why They Like High-Up Places
Why are cats always jumping up onto things — kitchen counters, tables, the top shelf of a linen closet? The answer becomes clear when...
The Zoomies
Almost every cat parent has seen it — their perfectly relaxed pet suddenly jumping up out of nowhere in a seemingly random burst of...
They Do Not Like Fireworks
For a cat, loud noises signal danger, not an Independence Day celebration. So when the fireworks begin, many cats feel incredibly stressed. To help...
