My quirky kitties

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kittylover23

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Hi Pam, I'm Jen. :wavey:

I have two quirky kitties. Cuddles is about 14 weeks old, and Cookie is about 15 months old. I was wondering if I could ask a few questions about each of their "quirks":

1. Why does Cookie love being in the bathroom? She loves sitting on the sink, playing in the bathroom, sitting on the toilet and even laying on the towel on the bathroom floor after someone has taken a shower.

2. Why does Cuddles try to bury her food after she eats? She has always done this and we just assumed she didn't like the food, :lol3:.

3. Why does Cookie scratch the sides of the litterbox (the plastic top)? And why does Cuddles copy her?

4. How can I stop Cookie from begging for treats and refusing to eat her food?

5. Why does Cuddles meow and scream when people pick her up to hold her? She has always done this since we got her, and I figured it was because she was found outside and she still may be slightly feral?

Thanks so much!!! :D
 

johnson-bennett

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Hi Jen,

Ok, let's see what I can do about addressing your questions.

1. Cookie may love the bathroom for a variety of reasons. She may like the way she can be elevated by sitting in the sink or on the toilet. She may also like the soft feel of the towel in combination with the scent that you put on it when you step in and out of the shower. She may also like the location of the bathroom. It may be a small enough room where she feels very protected and safe. Cats typically develop favored locations within a home and although a bathroom isn't usually the top room chosen, cats are individuals.

If the litter box is in the bathroom then Cookie may feel more secure being "on guard" there.

2. Burying food isn't related to a like or dislike of it. It has more to do with survival. When a cat eats prey she doesn't want trace of that prey to remain in the environment because it can attract other predators. It can also alert other prey that there's a predator around. So some cats will make an attempt to bury leftover food in much the same way they bury their waste. It all comes down to being hard-wired for survival. Here's an article on why cats bury food.

3. A cat may scratch the sides of the litter box for many reasons. She may not feel satisfied enough that her waste is covered. She may also be copying behavior taught to her by her mother or litter mates. She may also scratch as the sides, the floor or even the wall if the litter is too dirty, if she doesn't like the feel of the litter or if the box is too small. If you keep the litter scooped on a daily basis, use a litter that you know your cat likes, are good about litter box maintenance and you're sure the box is an adequate size, then it's probably just a habit.

4. Treats are tastier than regular food so it's not surprising that a cat would want one instead of her normal meal. The begging behavior is probably due to the fact that you have given her treats in the past for that behavior. We have to be careful about the behavior we reinforce. I give treats to my cat only when she has earned it by performing a particular behavior. Treats are a reward for a job well done. I also only give a portion of a treat and not the whole one. I think your cat probably has you trained and you have such a soft heart that you've been giving in and rewarding her with too many tasty treats.

Here's an article about reinforcing behavior

5. Your cat may scream when being held because she truly doesn't like it and feels threatened. It has also become a habit because she knows when she screams she will be put back down on the floor. You need to not try to hold her for now. Work on trust-building by just having her get comfortable with being petted. Let her set the pace on how much interaction she wants.

Pam Johnson-Bennett, CCBC

www.catbehaviorassociates.com
 
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