c/cat-behavior-decoded

Had to pick between a laser pointer and a feather wand for my indoor cat's exercise routine

My cat Charlie turned 7 last month and got real chunky, so I tried both toys to see which got him moving more. The laser pointer got him sprinting but he'd get frustrated not catching it, while the feather wand made him jump and pounce but only for 5 minutes tops. Which toy has worked better for keeping your older cat active without stressing them out?

I spent 9 months thinking my cat was lazy before a vet told me he has hypothyroidism.

He just slept 20 hours a day and I thought it was normal for a 6 year old tabby, but after a $200 blood test it turned out his thyroid was basically dead, has anyone else had a cat that was secretly sick and you just thought they were chill?

Realized I was petting my cat totally wrong for 4 years until my sister visited

My cat Mochi would always twitch her tail and walk away after I pet her. I thought she just had a short attention span. Then my sister came over last month and started scratching right under Mochi's chin and behind her ears. Mochi started purring so loud I heard it from across the room. Turns out I was basically giving her aggressive back rubs like she was a dog. She was putting up with me the whole time. Has anyone else had that moment where you figure out your cat hated your petting style for years?

Told my cat was 'resource guarding' - had no idea I was making it worse

Took my cat Sawyer to the vet last month and she said his hissing at me when I fed him was resource guarding. I thought I was being nice by petting him while he ate. Turns out I was stressing him out. Now I just leave him alone during meals and walk away. He stopped hissing after about 5 days. Anyone else accidentally cause this?

I was dead sure my cat hated my new roommate until she started sleeping on his pillow every night

After two weeks of hissing and hiding I figured she'd never warm up to him, but then I caught her purring on his lap while he watched TV and now I wonder if she was just testing me the whole time has anyone else had a cat suddenly flip from hostile to affectionate with someone new?

My sister said ignore the hissing and just pet the cat anyway, worst advice ever

My sister told me that when my rescue cat Mooch hisses at me, I should just reach out slowly and pet her anyway to show I'm not scared. I tried it three times last week and got a scratch on my left hand that needed a bandage for two days. Now I'm back to sitting on the floor and letting her sniff me first before I even move. Has anyone else had a cat that hissed for months before finally letting you touch them?

My cat started 'burying' her food bowl and people told me I was reading it wrong

So my cat Luna has this thing where she scratches the floor around her food bowl after eating, like she's covering it up. I always thought it was some weird leftover instinct from when cats bury leftovers in the wild. But a commenter on here told me no, that's actually a sign she doesn't like the bowl placement or she's stressed about something. I changed where I put her bowl from next to the washing machine to a quiet corner and she stopped immediately. Now I'm wondering if half the weird things cats do are actually just them telling us something's off and we make up cute stories instead. The other side is maybe she was just going through a phase and would have stopped anyway. Anyone else had a cat behavior they totally misinterpreted and changed something in response?

Just talked to a vet tech who made me rethink my cat's water bowl setup

So I was at the pet supply store yesterday picking up litter, and this vet tech named Sarah stopped me by the water fountain display. She said most cats won't drink enough if their water bowl is too close to their food bowl because in the wild, water near food could mean contamination from a kill. I never thought about that before and my cat Mochi has had her bowl right next to her food dish for 3 years. Sarah told me she sees cats all the time with early kidney issues that might be prevented with just a water station moved 10 feet away. I moved Mochi's bowl to the living room corner last night and she actually drank from it twice in an hour which is a lot for her. Has anyone else's cat changed their drinking habits after separating food and water spots?

My cat literally spent 3 days hiding under the bed for no reason

Last Tuesday my tabby Oscar decided the closet was too scary and hid under the bed for 72 hours straight, only coming out at 2 AM to eat and do his business. He ignored every toy, treat, and even his favorite chicken flavored wet food during the day. Is this just a normal cat mood swing or should I be worried about something stressing him out?

My cat kept waking me up at 4am so I switched to an automatic feeder and now she sleeps through the night

A friend told me I was rewarding bad behavior by feeding her when she cried, so I got a timer feeder that drops food at 5am and she stopped bugging me completely. Has anyone else had success with breaking their cat's early morning screaming habit?

Hot take: I think letting cats free roam outside is safer than people admit

I know everyone on here is all about keeping cats indoors 24/7. And I get it, cars, predators, disease. But hear me out. I live in the suburbs outside Portland where I grew up with barn cats who lived to be 16 and 18. They came and went as they pleased. My current cat, a rescue I got 3 years ago, was miserable after 6 months stuck inside. Chewing cords, attacking my ankles, yowling at the door at 4am. Finally I started letting him out for a few hours a day. He still comes back for meals, gets his vet checks, and he is way calmer inside now. Not saying this works for everyone, especially in busy cities. But has anyone else had a cat that just didn't vibe with being strictly indoor?

Had to choose between the automatic feeder and timed treats for my cat's anxiety

Tbh I was desperate because my cat Milo was scratching my door at 4 AM every day. I went with the automatic feeder because my vet said it might help his routine. It worked for 2 days, then he started attacking the feeder for making noise when it dispensed food. Now I do timed treats by hand at 6 AM and 6 PM, and he's finally stopped the door scratching. Has anyone else had their cat freak out over a feeder?

Critique from a rescue volunteer fixed how I feed my cat

Told me I was free-feeding dry food wrong and my cat was bored out of her mind lol. Switched to puzzle bowls and measured portions after 3 days, now she actually plays with her food instead of scarfing it down. Anyone else have their feeding routine overhauled by a random comment?

Covered my cat's water bowl with a plate for 3 days after reading cats hate still water.

My cat drank twice as much from a cheap ceramic bowl I refill every morning than from a fancy $40 fountain I bought last year so maybe the whole moving water obsession is just marketing hype, anyone else's cat prefer the boring old bowl?

Just found out cats purr at a specific frequency that helps heal bones

The "slow blink" thing backfired on me BIG TIME

I read online that slow blinking at your cat shows trust and makes them feel safe. So last week I tried it with my rescue cat Mabel while she was watching me from across the room. She stopped, stared at me for a solid 10 seconds, then walked over and bit my hand HARD. Not a playful bite either, it drew blood. I think I misread her mood completely because she had her ears pinned back the whole time. Now she won't come near me when I'm sitting in that chair. Has anyone else tried the slow blink trick and gotten attacked instead of loved?

Stopped free-feeding my cat after she gained 2 pounds in 3 months

I used to just leave the bowl full all day, but now I measure out 1/3 cup morning and night per the vet's warning about obesity risks, has anyone else noticed their cat scarfing food faster with set meals?

Overheard my vet say cats don't actually get 'jealous' and it changed how I see my cats fighting

I was at the Animal Care Center in Portland last Tuesday waiting for my cat Milo's checkup and heard Dr. Harris tell someone that what looks like jealousy is really just resource guarding or anxiety. I always thought my two cats were jealous of each other when they hiss and block doorways. Now I'm looking at their squabbles differently like maybe I need more separate feeding stations or hiding spots. Has anyone else had their vet give them a totally different explanation for a behavior they thought they understood?

That $60 heated cat bed that my cat won't touch

I spent $60 on a self-warming cat bed from PetSmart back in January, figuring my 12-year-old tabby would love it during the cold months. She sniffed it once and now prefers the cardboard box from a holiday delivery instead. Has anyone else had a cat ignore a pricey bed they bought with good intentions?

I used to be against clicker training for cats until my ginger shredded my couch last Tuesday

I always thought clicker training was just for dogs and kinda silly for cats, but after finding $400 worth of couch stuffing on the floor, I tried it just to see. Three sessions in and my cat sits on command instead of clawing the armrests, has anyone else had that kind of turnaround?

I used to think calming collars were a total scam but my cat proved me wrong after 3 days

My cat Luna is 4 years old and she's always been a nervous wreck (hides under the bed when the mailman comes, bolts at the sound of a fork clinking). My neighbor Debbie swore by those pheromone collars for her skittish tabby. I told her it was snake oil. Then last month we had to have our floors refinished and the workers were here for 2 days straight. Luna was so stressed she stopped eating and started pulling fur out of her tail. Out of desperation I grabbed a Sentry collar at PetSmart (the one that smells faintly like lavender). Within 3 days she was sleeping on the couch in the open instead of wedged behind the dryer. Still not 100% convinced it works for every cat but it did something for her. Has anyone else tried these and seen results on a really anxious cat?

The one mistake everyone makes with cat water fountains

I see so many people posting about how their cat ignores the water fountain or keeps pawing at it. I did the same thing for like 6 months. Turns out most of us are putting them too close to the food bowl. Cats don't like drinking near where they eat, it's a survival instinct from wild days. Moved mine to the other side of the living room about 8 feet from the food bowl and my tabby started using it 3 times as much within a week. Anyone else notice this make a difference?

Debate: Do cats actually know when they did something wrong or do we just imagine it?

Last Tuesday my cat knocked my coffee mug off the kitchen counter at 6am, right onto tile floor, and it shattered everywhere. She just sat there staring at me with those big eyes while I cleaned up. But here's the thing - my sister swears her cat hides under the bed after she breaks stuff because she knows she's in trouble. I think cats don't feel guilt at all, they just read our angry vibes and react. What do you all think?

That $30 laser pointer I bought my cat was a total scam

I saw this fancy laser pointer online that said it had a 'unique random pattern' to keep cats guessing. Thought it would be great for my tabby, Whiskers. Got it in the mail last Tuesday, turned it on, and it just makes a single red dot that shakes a little. Whiskers stared at it for like 5 seconds then walked away. My $3 one from the grocery store works way better. Has anyone else fallen for those overpriced cat toys?

Had to choose between two scratching posts for my cat Milo and went with the cheap one first

I picked a $12 carpet covered post from Walmart instead of the $40 sisal rope one from PetSmart. Milo ignored it completely for 3 weeks and kept clawing my couch instead. Had to shell out again for the sisal one and now he uses it daily. Anyone else's cat have super specific scratching preferences?