If you’ve just adopted a cat, congratulations! Cats can provide so much fun and entertainment, not to mention companionship. However, owning a cat is a new experience and it may take some time for you both to figure each other out. Hopefully our Cat Behavior FAQs will answer a few questions for you.
Question 1: Why does my cat follow me everywhere?
I like to think this is because my cat thinks I’m the coolest, but I’m pretty sure that’s not all it. One reason CAN be because your cat just likes you and wants to be around you! Absolutely! It can also be because they’re hungry, bored, or anxious. It’s important to pay attention to other behaviors as well: is the cat meowing as it follows you? Does it seem to be protecting you? Is it trying to play with you? Experiment with solutions and you’ll soon be speaking fluent “cat”.
Question 2: What is the deal with all the kneading?
Again, there are different reasons for this, just like the varied reasons for your cat following you around. When cats are kittens they knead in order to stimulate milk flow from their moms. As they get older, they still use this exercise to create a calm, peaceful environment for themselves. They also knead to mark their territory and to create a comfy place to sit or lie down.
Sometimes, and this is the case with one of my cats, cats will knead in order to calm themselves down if they’re anxious. My cat kneads me in the middle of the night when she gets anxious and can’t calm down.
Question 3: Why is my cat peeing outside the litter box?
A question to answer first: Do you have multiple cats? If you answered YES, then there is a good chance your problem is solved by adding another litter box, somewhere else in the house. Try to find one without a “cover” as some cats don’t like that. They feel trapped.
With multiple cats, sometimes one cat will be a litter box bully. That cat will follow others to the litter box and annoy them. If there are multiple litter boxes throughout the house, the cat can’t keep an eye on all of them at once and your other cats are free to go in peace.
Another reason for this weird behavior, even if you just have one cat, is that they don’t like the cat litter. We had this happen recently when we tried to switch brands. Our cats hadn’t done this in YEARS, and suddenly one cat was going outside the litter box again – outside both of them. Once we cleaned and washed the boxes and replaced all the litter with their usual brand, the problem was solved.
Final issue: Your cat might have a bladder infection. Watch for other signs like going more often, dribbling, generally not being themselves, and not eating. Definitely take your cat to the vet if anything seems strange or “off” to you about their behavior.