Understanding Cat Behaviour

Cats may not like water, but do they still need baths? Learn about how effective your cat’s grooming really is and when you should be bathing them yourself.

Why do cats fight? You’re not the first distressed pet parent to ask this question, and you certainly won’t be the last. Cats, it seems, are somewhat predisposed to fighting with both their feline housemates and neighbourhood cats that cross their paths. Luckily, you can prevent some catfights with a little effort and knowledge about the innate feline instincts that drive this type of unwanted and stressful behaviour.

Discover the answer to the common question 'do cats always land on their feet?' Learn the science behind your favourite feline companion's ability to flip.

When you watch your cats going about their day-to-day lives, it's easy to see signs of their obvious intelligence. They're quite good at aggressively reminding you when it's time for them to eat, and they're also quite good at giving you a wide berth when they see you pull out the cat carrier. It often seems we're more predictable to cats than they are to us. While scientists have studied cat behaviour for centuries, these often-inscrutable animals aren't very amenable to being studied, so it can be hard to tell exactly how smart cats are.

If you've owned a cat for a while, you already know that they spend the vast majority of their time sleeping. On a normal day, a cat spends about 15 hours sleeping, but cats who are very tired or who have been under large amounts of stress can sleep for up to a full 24 hours.

Why do cats scratch, and more specifically, why do cats scratch furniture? If you’re starting to get the feeling that your cat just likes to destroy things, especially your expensive furniture, think again. The truth is that your cat doesn’t have an axe to grind with your sofa or table legs — and her behaviour is actually quite normal.

As a cat owner and lover, you've probably become accustomed to many of the hissing, yowling and growling sounds that cats can make. But why do cats meow at night when you’d rather be sleeping? Many people don’t realize that cats meow only to humans; it's a learned attention-seeking behaviour. That means that if your cat is meowing, they’re trying to communicate something to you.

Cats have a reputation for being cool and distant, detached and uninterested, or even standoffish. This is especially true when compared with dogs, who have clear-cut, easily understandable and obvious ways of demonstrating how they feel about their owners and others. Still, cats are masters at giving off subtle cues to indicate their affection and love for the people in their lives, from meowing to head-butting.

The combination of cats and water is seldom a match made in heaven. Cats pretty much hate the stuff, as you might have noticed if you’ve viewed any of the hilarious viral vids circulating online. But why do our feline friends have this loathsome, never-ending hatred for water?

With their generally cute and playful attitude, it can be easy to forget that cats are miniature versions of apex predators and are perfectly designed night hunters. Anyone who's been awakened by their cat in a frenzied sprint around the house at the crack of dawn knows cats love to hunt when it’s dark.

Even if you spend hundreds of dollars on the latest in cat toy technology, nothing seems to compare to a simple cardboard box. You might be wondering exactly why cats like boxes so much, but to your cat, the answer is simple. From nap time to play time, boxes are an appropriate accompaniment to any feline activity.

Having a cat can bring a lot of joy to your life. They have so much personality and seem to always be running around doing something cute or quirky. Whether it's climbing the curtains or trying to dig up your favourite potted plant, your cat is never short on things to do. But what about when the attention turns to you? While it's not something that all cats do, some owners wonder, "Why does my cat lick me?"