When One Cat “Bullies” Another
One of your cats appears to be lording it over another one. She won’t let him near his food bowl and growls at him...
How Cats Point — If You’re Paying Attention
When people (and chimpanzees) want to draw your attention to something, they point with a finger. But what if you’re a species that doesn’t...
Dear Doctor: July 2022
To sleep, perchance to pounce
Q: This is my first cat, and he seems to sleep so much of the time. Is that normal?
Annette Slepian
Plainville,...
The Five Pillars of a Healthy Feline Environment
The American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) and the International Society of Feline Medicine (ISFM) speak of the “five pillars of a healthy feline...
The cat attacks me “out of nowhere”
Sometimes my cat seems perfectly relaxed but then bites or scratches me out of nowhere — and it really hurts! What is that about?
Morrigan...
Does Your Cat Have ADHD?
Typical scenario in your home: Your cat lets out a yowl before biting the couch, abruptly shifts her focus to digging her claws into...
It’s Not Out Of Spite
You come home after being out all day to find your cat has urinated on your bed. Was she getting back at you for...
Are the Cats in Your Home Part of the Same Social Group?
“Cats are solitary survivors,” as both the American Academy of Feline Practitioners and the International Society for Feline Medicine point out. “They need to...
Cat Likes the Laptop
A number of people have written to tell us that their cat likes to sit on something they’re trying to look at: a newspaper, a...
Your Cat Is Talking. Are You Listening?
Cats don’t have a language center in their brains, which means they don’t communicate with words per se. But their vocalizations have meanings. If...
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...
