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Indoor Cat Initiative

The Unique Feline

To understand cats, we must first understand how they behave in their natural environment. Even if your cat lives indoors, its behaviors result from their survival value in the wild. In their natural environment, cats hunt for food, hide from predators (often by climbing), and defend their home territories. Indoors, these behaviors may look hostile (biting and scratching) or spiteful (climbing and marking), and we may not like them. The keys to enjoying cats in our lives are to:

1. provide acceptable outlets for their natural behaviors, and
2. reduce their exposure to threats.

The following paragraphs describe natural behaviors of cats, and how the indoor environment can be modified to permit cats to engage in them in appropriate ways.

Cats, unlike dogs and other domestic animals, are not a pack or herd species, which explains a lot about their behavior. Pack species that are predators are mostly group hunters of large prey, whereas the prey species, cattle and horses for example, developed groups for self-protection. In contrast cats are solitary hunters of small prey. This strategy resulted in important differences in cat behavior, which has been carefully studied. We can use our understanding of cat behavior to improve the environment of the indoor cats that share our lives.

Cats do not have the daily sleep-wake cycle that we and many other animals have. Rather, they sleep and wake frequently throughout the day and night. This is because cats in the wild need to hunt as many as 20 small prey each day; they must be able to rest between each hunt so they are ready to pounce quickly when prey approaches. This explains why our cats seem to sleep so much during the day when we are awake, and spend so much time awake at night when we need to sleep! We may conclude that cats are nocturnal creatures, but it only seems that way because their sleep/wake cycle is so different from ours. Adding playful activities to your cat's daily routine can diminish the occurrence of such nocturnal activity (see more information about increasing the activity of your cat).

Dogs are cats' most common natural predator in the wild. This is not to say, however, that cats and dogs cannot live amicably together in your home! Cats also may be afraid of other cats, of humans (if not properly socialized), and loud noices such as thunder, automobiles, and lawnmowers. Fearful cats generally have dilated pupiles, flattened ears, a flattened or crouched body, and a fast breathing rate. If threatened further, they may hiss or growl, arch their back and puff up their fur, and may even attack.

Cats try to hide when they are anxious or feel threatened. They especially like to hide in high places, which permit a clear view of their surroundings. This is why it is especially important to provide indoor cats with hiding areas; these spots must permit the cat to feel safe from people, loud noises and other animals (see more information about perches). If it is not safe for your cat to hide on top of the refrigerator, etc., then you will need to provide some other high location for your cat to hide in, such as a climbing tower or closet shelf.

Cats are not as social as many other species and they do not communicate in the same ways we do. Contrary to what people believe, cats primarily rely on smell, not sight, to communicate with other cats, locate food, and detect predators. Cats communicate by "marking" objects and other animals. these marks are scents (called pheromones) released from special glands located in their forehead, cheeks, tail base, and paws when they scratch and rub their body on objects. Cats also do not rely too much on sounds from other cats, so they do not pay particular attention to the verbal sounds we humans make. Allowing your cats to mark scratching posts and other appropriate objects in the home will reduce the temptation for them to mark using urine. It is important that indoor cats have enough litter in a clean litter box to hide urine scents after covering. In the wild, cats urinate in new clean spots all the time; if we want them to use the same spot each time, we have to keep it clean!

Cats are carnivores; they primarily eat small rodents, birds, and bugs. Because hunting is such a big part of a cat's life, even indoor cats want to engage in hunting types of activity. Keep this in mind when shopping for toys for your cat; most prefer those that resemble mice, birds, and bugs (identify your cat's "prey preference"). If you really want to make it realistic, make the toy move like it really is alive! (See more information about toys).

Cats establish their home hunting ranges by scent marking them. Males will physically defend their ranges from other males, but females usually share or overlap their home range with other females. The size of a home range or territory can be up to 6km² (~20 city blocks). Because cats in the wild hunt small prey, they tend to lead solitary lives so each cat gets enough to eat. If a food resource is very plentiful, cats may live in small groups, 2-25, consisting mainly of females. Male cats generally live alone regardless of food source, because they also compete with other males for mates.

Cats can be aggressive when defending territories, fearful when threatened, engage in play behavior with one another (especially as kittens), and groom each other throughout adulthood. Mothers and other females in their group raise the kittens. Kittens begin to sample the mother's kill while still nursing, and begin to hunt alone at 8 to 16 weeks of age. They generally rest and groom together with their mothers until they are 6 to 12 months old. Adult males patrolling the mother's home range usually evict the juvenile males; juvenile females may leave if food resources are low. Adults establish their own home territory (range), and may be dominant or subordinate within the parts of their range that overlap that of other cats.

Sometimes cats play a little too hard and may scratch or bite you. You can teach your cat to inhibit this inappropriate play behavior by leaving the area when your cat is not playing nicely!

Outdoor cats experience a wide range of temperatures. Since cats cannot sweat very well, they learn to seek shade in warm temperatures, and warmth in cold temperatures. Indoor cats use shade, fans, bedding, and blankets to regulate their temperatures throughout the year.

Most cats are so good at grooming themselves that they do not need baths to stay clean. Longhaired (if the hair mats), obese, or sick cats may need extra combing and brushing. While cats in the wild do not have this luxury, you can help your cat stay healthy and clean if he struggles to do it for himself.