Bad Cat Behavior? Try This...

Cats provide companionship, plain and simple they make great pets. Our most recent addition we picked out from the local humane society. It took some time for him to get used to his new home and we had our problems at first. Solving cat behavior problems is not always easy, but here are some tips that we've found useful:

- Try to clean the litter box at least once every day. Many times a cat won't want to use an unclean litter box, and finding surprises in your closet is not much fun. Consider having two litter boxes if you can't take time to change it once a day. By offering your cat a second litter box, you stand a better chance that he's not going to seek out a nice dark place to do his business.

- If your cat has front claws, he'll want to scratch; offer a scratch pole for them to scratch. Often enough, your cat will still want to use the couch. We used a spray bottle filled with water on one of our cats, but the problem was that it wasn't in reach when you needed it. The key is to catch them in the act of clawing, otherwise they won't understand why they're getting sprayed. We bought three bottles and it became easier to catch him in the act. Eventually he began to stop himself from going for the couch.

- If your cat isn't fond of catnip, try an herb called Valerian. You can get it in most health food stores in capsules. Put out a plate, and put just a pinch of the Valerian on it. 1/8th of the content of a regular size capsule will do, don't overdo it. More information on Valerian can be found on wikipedia.

Many times it's hard to know why cats do what they do. The above list are examples that have worked for us. Always remember to be patient when working with your cat. Realize they have strong natural urges that often create your cat's behavior problems. Trying to solve your problem by working with their natural urges is a great way to satisfy you and your cat.

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