Natural Behaviour
| Hunting |
| Hunting is instinctive in cats. Hunting skills are acquired in kittens through play and watching their mother's hunt. Some well-fed cats may still hunt. The only way to stop a cat from hunting is to keep it indoors. |
| Scratching/destructive |
| Scratching is an important part of a cat's natural behavior. Scratching allows for the sharpening of claws as well as marking of territory by leaving a visual and scented mark. It is therefore the responsibility of an owner to redirect a cat from a piece of furniture to a scratching post. |
| Marking |
Spraying consists of a cat backing up against an object with its tail upright, spraying urine in short busts. This urine will give a pungent smell to mark a cat's territory. Spraying will provide information to other cats, such as, sexual identity, individual identity and age. Although both males and females spray it is more common in males. Neutering of males may help lessen spray but may not necessarily stop it. Spraying is generally associated with cat's marking their territory. However frightened or stressed cats may also spray. This may be the result of a change of routine or another animal being introduced to a home. |
| Gland Markings |
| A cat possesses scent glands on its tail, anal, lips, chin and forehead. The cat will mark certain items or humans by rubbing the scent glands against them. |