5 Most Annoying Cat Habits And How To Deal With Them

Just like dogs, cats can prove to be very intelligent, social and loyal pets. However, while being lovable, entertaining and kind, some of a cat’s habits can become pretty annoying. Some cat habits that can drive you insane include, scratching furniture, littering around the house, sleeping on your bed, waking you up in the morning, and begging for food at the table. One must understand that it’s normal to feel irritated and frustrated over your cat’s behaviour, but, you can make your life a lot easier if you try and analyze the reasons and possible solutions to the issue.

Why Cats Engage in Annoying Behaviour

The number one reason why cats get involved in behaving in an aggravating manner is because of stress, anxiety and depression. Whether you believe it or not, just like humans, cats also have sentiments. According to the blog, Fluffy Syufy, cats get stressed or depressed due to five reasons which include, an addition of a new family member in the house, moving to a new place, a change in the daily routine, loud noises, and possibly because of something they see out of their window. Another reason why cats become annoying is due to poor training. It is a fact that training your cat is essential for your social relationship and effective training will eliminate a lot of behavioral issues. The key to training your cat is to reward him/her for every good deed and to punish them for any undesirable act.

Scratching Furniture

The one habit of your cat that can drive you nuts is scratching your furniture. A cat scratching furniture is actually him/her exercising his shoulders, legs and paws! Cats may also scratch furniture because they have scent glands in their paws and by scratching their paws they will let other cats know of their presence.

Finding a possible solution to protect your furniture from your cat might seem impossible but with a little care and attention it can be done. One possible solution to this problem is to buy your cat a scratching post! It may take some time for your cat to learn to actually scratch the scratching post, however once he has learned your furniture will be forever scratch proof! Another way to solve the issue of furniture scratching is very obvious. Just make sure your cat’s claws are always trimmed! If you are unable to do it yourself, ask your vet to help you out.

Littering Around the House

Littering around the house is another common problem with cats. In her article about solving cat litter issues, Julie Edgar says that ten percent of all cat pets have an elimination problem where they refuse to use the litter box. She says that the reasons for this can be an unclean box or even an illness.

Even though your cat littering around the house can get you quite upset, if you follow a few simple steps, you might be able to solve the issue. First off, make a visit to the vet. He will make sure you’re your cat isn’t suffering from any illnesses and he might even give you some helpful tips. Also, clean the litter box regularly. A third step you can take is to keep the soiled areas of your house clean. Cats seem to urinate in areas that already have the smell of urination; therefore, your cat might stop urinating outside the box if you keep the soiled areas clean.

Waking You Up in the Morning

A lot of cat owners suffer from their cat waking them up in the morning. Pam Johnson-Bennett, a certified cat behaviour consultant, states that your cat may wake you up in the morning because he/she is bored. Cats really live boring lives especially when they have to be at home all alone when everyone else is out doing something or another which is why they seek attention. Your cat might also wake you in order to interact with you even if it ends up in you getting angry.

There are a few solutions which can help your cat overcome the habit of waking you in the morning. One thing you can do is to try locking your room so that your cat isn’t able to come in every morning. Also, if your cat does somehow manage to get in your room, do not respond to her when he/she tries to wake you. If you do this several times your cat will realize that she/he will get no reaction out of you and may even stop making the effort to wake you.

Begging for Food at the Table

A cat meowing, rubbing against you or climbing on top of you in order to get food at the table can become very irritating. The most common reason that causes cats to beg for food at the table is because at one point or another, a family member has offered the cat food from their plate. This vicious act has taught them to ask for food from your plate and they continue to do regularly.

There are a few steps you can take to prevent your cat from begging for food at the table. First off, do not ever give him/her anything to eat from your plate. Secondly, do not allow your cat to get on to the table for any reason. Third, try not to pay any attention to your pet while eating. Also, it helps if you do not leave food on the table.

Sleeping on Your Bed

Statistics say that 56% of all Americans have the experience of sleeping with their pet! Even though snuggling in bed with your pet cat can be very satisfying at times, having him/her in bed with you every day can get bothersome. Experts say that cats end up sleeping on your bed either because you give them permission to, they find your bed to be cozier then their own, and/or he/she may want you to snuggle with you because they get a feeling of security.

You can get rid of your cats annoying habit of sleeping with you in two ways. Firstly, lock your cat out of your room at night so that they are not able to get on to your bed. Secondly, form appealing, warm and cozy spot for the cat to snooze so that she is not tempted to climb on your bed at night.

In conclusion, it’s true that most cat owners love their cats to death but it is also a fact that some of their habits can become pretty annoying. Some of these habits include, scratching your furniture, sleeping on your bed, begging for food on the table, littering around the house, and waking you up in the morning. You can help your cat overcome these annoying acts simply by understanding the reasons for the behaviour and then by implementing the possible solutions.

Tagged annoying, behaviour, habits