Why Your Cat Attacks Your Ankles & Other Quirky Habits

Curb your cat’s annoying habits with help from Arden Moore, author of Fit Cat: Tips & Tricks to Give Your Pet a Longer, Healthier, Happier Life (Firefly Books).

Being Extra Chatty

Some cats realize they can get what they want by vocalizing their demands with loud meows.

Solutions:

1. Reward quiet behavior. Give her friendly rubs on the cheeks or under the chin or give a healthy treat when she is sitting patiently. Don’t reward bad behavior with attention.
2. Re-channel the chattiness by engaging her in learning tricks, like having her sit and shake paws. NOTE: If your cat suddenly becomes highly vocal, she could have an underlying medical condition—ask her vet.

Ambushing Your Ankles

If your cat constantly hides and attacks you as you walk by, she may just be lonely for a playmate.

Solutions:

1. Ignore her during the attack and walk away. Then, schedule 5 to 10 minutes twice a day to play with her with toys like feather wands or low-power laser lights made for cats.
2. Outfox your cat. Walk down the hall and stop just before where she is hiding. Toss a toy mouse in the opposite direction you are heading to elicit a play response in her. Your cat will be occupied with “killing” the faux mouse so you can walk safely by.

Boycotting the Litter Box

Often, a cat stops using a litter box because of a medical or physical condition, like a urinary tract or bladder infection. If she experiences pain while urinating or eliminating, she may associate the litter box itself with the pain and go elsewhere.

Solutions:

1. Book an appointment with your veterinarian who will perform a thorough physical exam to rule out any medical or life-threatening problems.
2. In a multi-cat household, locate litter boxes in different rooms to reduce the risk of one cat bullying the other trying to use the bathroom.

Excerpted fromFit Cat: Tips & Tricks to Give Your Pet a Longer, Healthier, Happier Lifeby Arden Moore. Copyright © 2015 by Quid Publishing. Published with permission from Firefly Books.

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