Behavior

Cat owners are often concerned about neutering their male or spaying their female cat. One question they sometimes ask is whether the surgery will change their family cats character and behavior. On this, veterinarians are virtually unanimous: Change will be significant, but it is all to the better. In my way of thinking, it should be done for every cat, says James Richards, DVM, director of the Cornell University Feline Health Center and Editor of…

Learn to recognize this behavior and nip it in the bud. Heres why.

Caring for cats that need extra socialization or time to get healthy provides shelters - and the animals - hope for the future.

This compulsive behavior can be difficult to redirect. Heres what you need to know.

Heres some help in convincing your cat to regard her traveling case with less fear.

Veterinary behaviorists can spend hours watching their subjects. What are the animals doing all this time? Mostly, they are engaging in normal, species-typical behaviors. In fact, it can be quite difficult to identify and manage problem behaviors without understanding which behaviors are truly normal. A question commonly posed to veterinarians and behaviorists is: Doc, is my cat normal? …

Although fascinating, it can result in a tragic surplus of unwanted kittens.

Some cats are more social than others. What are the factors that determine if shes happy on her own or in need of feline company?

I am the owner of Tassu, a 10-month-old cat I adopted from an animal shelter. A few weeks after I had her neutered, I noticed her behavior had changed. She seemed very lazy and not really interested in any physical activities, and she also lost her appetite. I took her to my veterinarian, and he found that she had pale gums, so he recommended she be tested for infection with feline leukemia virus (FeLV). To…

How to keep your cat from jumping up on forbidden surfaces.

Its ideal to start when the pets are young. But regardless of age, you need a plan (and patience) to create a successful union.

I recently learned of a cat that, upon seeing a visiting dog in the house, ran for cover and refused to come out for months. Fortunately, this cat did not exhibit aggressive behavior. However, it is not uncommon for a cat, when frightened, to respond by attacking rather than by fleeing. …