Have you ever found yourself thinking your cat was behaving out of spite or because she’s mad at you? If you have, you’re not alone. This is something I hear on a daily basis when people call our office about a behavior problem.
Your Cat Isn’t Being Spiteful
The truth is, your cat isn’t planning ways to make you mad or exhibiting a behavior just to spite you. Your cat doesn’t eliminate outside of the litter box, climb the curtains, scratch the furniture, or knock things off the table as part of a plot to irritate the human family members. If you think misbehaviors are the result of spite, I can make a prediction as to what will happen:
1. Due to your inaccurate assumption regarding the behavior you’ll misinterpret the true motivation.
2. The bond you have with your cat will suffer.
3. Any correction you attempt to solve the problem will be ineffective and probably even counter-productive.
Your Cat’s Point of View
The key to figuring out what’s happening is to look at the situation from your cat’s point of view. The reason I wrote the book Think Like a Cat was because too many people miss the true motivation behind a cat’s behavior. If you don’t understand why a cat displays a behavior you won’t be able to implement the correct behavior modification. To be a problem solver you have to look at what the cat’s behavior is accomplishing. Behaviors are repeated because they serve a function. It doesn’t mean the cat parent likes the end result of the behavior, but from the cat’s point of view, the behavior makes sense and provides a pay-off. A cat who scratches the furniture isn’t doing it to punish you for coming home late from work, or to deliberately destroy your brand new sofa.
Scratching is a normal, natural behavior for a cat. If she’s scratching on a particular piece of furniture it’s because that piece meets the needs more effectively than the post you bought (if you even have a scratching post). If there’s an unused scratching post nearby then that means it isn’t one the cat feels can do the job. It doesn’t mean she’s ignoring it because she’s spiteful. The post might just be too short, too wobbly, or covered in an ineffective material such as soft carpeting.
Yelling at your cat, squirting with water, smacking her, or chasing her away won’t solve the problem. It only creates a secondary one because now it’s added anxiety into the environment. Your cat, confused by your behavior, may start to avoid you out of fear.
Make Effective Behavior Changes
So how do you correct a behavior problem? First, stop assuming the behavior is bad, spiteful, or willfully disobedient. Then, follow these three steps:
1. Identify the purpose for the behavior from the cat’s point of view.
2. Provide an alternative of the same or greater value (in the above scratching example it would mean getting the type of post that will meet your cat’s needs and placing it by the scratched piece of furniture).
3. Reward your cat when desired behavior is displayed.
Remember, think like a cat in order to solve the problem!
Need More Information?
If you need more information on cat behavior and training, check out the best-selling books by Pam Johnson-Bennett. Pam’s books are available at bookstores and online. We’ve included Amazon links here on our website.
If you have a question regarding your cat’s health, please contact your veterinarian. This article is not intended as a replacement for your cat’s veterinary care. This article is for information purposes only and not offering medical advice or providing a medical diagnosis.