Questions tagged [behavior]
Behavior of the pet, including social interactions with either humans or other animals.
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How should I discipline my cat for bad behavior?
There are a couple of things that I try and prevent my cat from doing: jumping up on the kitchen counter and being mean to the dog (who is obedient and minds his own business). It's easy to catch him ...
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How much purring is too much purring?
I have an adolescent cat that I adopted as a kitten. For some time now I have noticed that he is purring a lot. I know that when giving affection this behavior is normal but my cat seems to start ...
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Who should win at tug of war?
I love playing tug of war with my dog. This is partially because he didn't show interest in toys at all early on, and getting him to actually pay attention to a tug rope was a long and often ...
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What causes a dog to lunge at an unknown child and how should the owner respond?
I have a 2.5 year old pitbull/boxer mix. He is a rescue dog, and is extremely aggressive towards other dogs (and I will probably be asking many questions about that). However, he has always been ...
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Is this normal first day home behavior for my kitten, or should I be concerned?
My girlfriend and I received a kitten last night from a neighbor whose cat had a litter. It's my first cat (first interactive pet), but she's had experience in the past. According to our neighbor, our ...
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How do I "apologise" to my cat?
How do I apologise to a cat / undo accidental actions?
Let's say, I'm going to the bathroom at night, my cat tries to weave between legs and accidentally got kicked. Or, I'm drinking water, the cat is ...
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Is blinking slowly at cats a way to tell them that you love them?
When I was talking to my wife last night, it came up that blinking slowly at a cat is supposed to be a way to tell them that you love them. She said that when she tried it with her parent's cats, one ...
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Does purring tire cats?
Hope it doesn't sound like a silly question.
Context: My cat is not the most affectionate cat in the world. But sometimes she comes to search for love and to play. When I pet her, obviously, she ...
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Cat is tipping over bed-side lamps during the night
I've had my newest cat just a couple months. This is a female spay DSH tortie, shelter rescue, estimated age 1.5 years.
I have small tables at each head corner of my bed, holding various things on ...
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Why do dogs eat grass?
I have always been told that dogs eat grass because they have upset stomachs. My dogs, however, eat grass every single time they go outside. I constantly need to remind them that grass is not for ...
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Why do cats lick plastic bags, and is there any harm in it?
Most of my cats (past and present) have liked to lick plastic trash bags and grocery bags. Assuming that they are not tearing off bits of plastic and swallowing them, but just licking, is there any ...
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How to prevent my dog from barking constantly when I am not at home?
My 11 years old Bishon Frise constantly barks when there's no one at home. Even if we stay away for 4, 5 hours. She got raucous once for barking too much.
What could be causing that and how can I ...
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How can I gain back my dog's trust after accidentally kicking him?
I was in my yard the other day playing with a football and my dog was nearby. I was kicking the ball against the wall when my dog was walking past, I didn't see him and accidentally kicked him in the ...
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My cat gets angry and scared at me if I stand
I recently (3-4 weeks ago) adopted this cat and she was incredibly scared at first. With time she warmed up to me, but she is only happy if I'm sitting down or lying down. As soon as she notices I'm ...
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What can I do to ease my dogs' fear of loud noises?
Whether it is my Black Labrador or my parents' American Eskimo, the sounds of thunder, fireworks and sometimes random loud noises can send them into a bit of a panic mode. They shake for an extended ...
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When is declawing a viable option for cats?
We recently acquired a kitten, and we've found that in playing with her we tend to get a lot of scratches, often severe enough to draw a bit of blood. These scratches are not hostile in nature, but ...
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Putting a cat into a carrier
It seems to be close to impossible to put my cat into a carrier. I'm not sure whether he is afraid of closed spaces or doesn't like being restrained or what, but it requires two people to put him into ...
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How can I stop my dogs from scooting / dragging their butts?
I currently have 3 dogs and all of them will periodically scoot their butts, slam their butts hard on the ground, and drag themselves. When it happens, I know their anal glands are bothering them and ...
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My cat demands a lot of attention
I adopted a 7 year old female cat several weeks ago through an organization at a pet store. She had a litter of kittens when they found her who were adopted and she ended up at the pet store to get ...
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How to keep my cat stress free during periods of constant 90dB+ sound?
In India today and tomorrow is the festival of Diwali. It is the festival of light and banned firecrackers over 90 dB sound are all too common. It can be compared to war zone in Syria with constant ...
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How do I discourage my cat from biting?
I adopted an adult cat from a shelter. The cat had been seized (along with 20+ others) by Animal Control from a hoarder and there is no prior medical history. Age estimates range from 3-6 years and he ...
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How to let an indoor cat have some outdoors time safely?
I have two indoor cats that have an abundance of energy and some behavior problems. I have read that allowing the cats outside occasionally can help with this behavior. Additionally, both cats ...
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Why does my cat bring me her toy?
A few times every week, I have noticed that one of my cats would bring me her stuffed mouse-shaped toy with catnip inside it.
The living room with all the toys is downstairs, in contrast to where I ...
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How can I keep my cat from climbing on my desk?
My cat loves to climb on my desk at home. Problem is, he is constantly knocking things off (he broke a cup and a couple other things this week), and messing up stuff on my desk, bumping my monitors, ...
user53
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How can I train a dog to behave with a cat?
I have witnessed my neighbor's Golden Retriever misbehave with their Persian Cat. He puts the cat's tail in his mouth like a toy, removes much of the cat's hair with his mouth; essentially, he ...
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How can I tell if my cat is happy?
As a cat owner, I'd of course like to know if my cat is happy. However, most known indicators don't really apply; purring seems to happen for a variety of emotions, meowing vary greatly between ...
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Active wildlife outside the window- Good or Bad for Cat psychology?
At my current house, there is an active community of wild creatures in the backyard, including a variety of birds, chipmunks and squirrels, rabbits, a groundhog, and butterflies by day and lightning ...
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How can stop my adult cat from urinating in inappropriate places?
My 8 year old cat has recently began urinating in inappropriate places. How can I correct this behavior?
At first he started urinating on the floor, in a small area in the basement. I moved a litter ...
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Why is my dog eating poop?
Very occasionally, my dog eats poop that has been outside for a while. Usually it is a dried-up piece that insects have long-since abandoned. This is appalling behavior and my only way to prevent it ...
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When leaving my dog alone is it better to leave some lights on or all off?
I always ask myself what is better. Leaving some lights on wouldn't prevent the dog to have a nice sleep? Leaving all lights off woudn't make her to be affraid and scared?
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One month old puppy pacing in circles and crying
I picked up a stray puppy from the side of the road 3 days back. She is an Indian breed. She was crawling on her belly into shade when I found her.
I picked her (brown) up along with 2 other (black) ...
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How can I prevent my cat from extending his claws when being petted?
When I pet my cat, he often curls his toes, and extends / retracts his claws. I guess it's a sign that he enjoys getting petted, however this is not something I appreciate when he's lying on furniture ...
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What forms of "body language" can be identified in snake behaviour?
Clearly, the snake's brain is far more primitive than our own so will not include "emotion" as we understand it, but there will still be identifiable reactions to different situations, which can be ...
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How do I stop my dog from barking at people through the fence?
What is the best way to stop my fenced-in dog from barking at people who are passing by on the street?
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Why does my cat like licking my armpits?
I like lying in my bed with my arms up, but my cat sometimes comes to lick my armpits. His sandpaper tongue doesn't feel that nice. I'm using a stick antiperspirant, but he usually does this in the ...
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What is the optimal age to neuter a male dog?
It seems de-sexing a male dog will assist in preventing undesirable behaviors that can surface with an entire male dog; for example aggression, roaming, cocking the leg to urinate.
Is this true?
If ...
user6796
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How can I know if my cat is in pain?
When a cat is sick, it is often quite obvious to its owner, but sometimes it is not so clear. What if the cat was in terrible headache or suchlike? What are signs to look for when I suspect my cat is ...
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Cat behaving strangely for no apparent reason
Our indoor/outdoor cat of six years is being strange this week. Exhibiting the following behaviors randomly on and off:
Urinating and defecating on the floors/rugs openly (but still occasionally ...
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How can we prevent our cats from scratching on our chair?
My wife recently had a chair reupholstered, after the cats had damaged it to the point it was looking really shabby. When she contacted the restoration company, she found out that the chair is ...
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What can I do now that my cat is terrified of me after I broke up a fight involving her and two other pets?
I really need some help and advice. I have two cats and a dog. This morning, my dog was with me in the kitchen and one of my cats ran up to him and started attacking him. It just turned into an all ...
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How to get my cat to stop being annoying at night?
My cats were always allowed in the bedroom. Lately, the youngest one, who is the least affectionate and the most adventurous and most-likely to get into trouble, has been waking us up every night. He ...
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My cat mixes up the floors in my building. How can I help him?
My cat comes from two home cats: an English short hair father and Russian blue mother. I live in an apartment, and he enjoys walking through the corridor and sniffing everything.
The problem I have ...
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Is it harmful for my cat to eat bugs?
Living in a basement apartment, I get bugs; usually ants, sometimes the odd spider or centipede, etc. I keep my house as clean as I can, and put out ant traps where my cat can't get to them to control ...
user53
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Why is my dog drinking his pee after he urinates inside?
Every night, as soon as I turn off the last light in the house, if I've forgotten to take the dog (a 13-year-old miniature dachshund we obtained from a reputable breeder 11 years ago) out immediately ...
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Why do rabbits chew electrical wires?
Bunnies like to chew on electrical wires. While there is some question about if they can be trained not to, it best to bunny proof any wires they may be around. (How to)
Is there any reliable ...
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Are cats appropriate pets if I am not home for most of the day?
I love cats, I also work a full time job and am in the office from 11 AM till 9 PM.
I would like to get a cat, but am afraid that my absence for majority of the daytime will be a problem. ...
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Why is my cat growling at his toys?
I have an adolescent cat that I adopted as a kitten (not this one :P ), and he growls when playing with his toys. At first I thought that he was growling at our other cat (also adopted as a kitten) ...
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Why does my cat (almost) constantly purr while he's awake?
I've heard cats purr to show contentment (though humans who want that to be true may be imagining it). WebMD suggests they purr (1) to get our attention ("feed me!"); (2) when content ("petting time")...
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Why is my cat so interested in me making the bed?
I've noticed over many years of cat ownership, a lot of my cats have a very excited interest in bedmaking. My current cat will come from any corner of the apartment when he hears me start to shake out ...
user53
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Why does my dog's leg shake/twitch when I scratch certain spots on her body?
My dogs have a certain spot, which when I scratch will cause their legs to start twitching and shaking as if they were scratching the spot themselves. Their lips also stretch back like they're smiling....
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