Bad cat behaviors that you need to break.

Several cat behaviors are not acceptable, however, much depends on your lifestyle and whether you live in the city or country.

One of the worst cat behaviors is scratching humans. Cat is small, furry, but still it is the predator. Dangerous cats' claws can inflict nasty scratches, so this is one behavior that should be discouraged as much as possible. Do not think that it is possible to eliminate it entirely, as it is a cat's nature to scratch and it does so to protect itself. Most important is to make sure your cat is not frightened and never feels threatened - this will prevent scratching you or other family members.

Spraying is also bad behavior that is highly unwelcome in the home. This is simply a natural thing for them to do, because cats spray to mark their territory. One way to discourage this behavior is to buy a bottle of cat’s pheromone. It is a synthetic cat spray and is odorless to humans, but cats can smell it. If your cat thinks another cat has marked out its territory, then it won't be so likely to do the same thing.

It's not a very nice thing to be cuddled up to kitty only to have him unexpectedly sink his teeth into your arm. Yet biting is also a natural cat behavior. If your cat is a biter, discourage him by placing him on the floor immediately when he bites. It may be that he had finished with cuddling anyway and this was his way of letting you know. If his biting seems excessive, you may need to keep that rolled up newspaper handy. He will soon understand not to bite.

Jumping onto high places is natural cat behavior, but it may not fit in with your lifestyle if you have antique vases sitting on shelves. Neither is it healthy to have kitty on the counter while you are preparing food for the children. Cats can be a danger to themselves as well as to others when they jump unexpectedly onto places that may not support them.

It goes without saying that you will want your cat to use the litter tray. If he does not, he may have to become an outside cat.

Hunting is another behavior natural for cats. We appreciate if they catch mice and rats, but when kitty comes in licking feathers from his jowls, we wonder if that little bird was amongst those facing extinction. A bell on his collar will help to prevent kitty from killing too many birds.