r/Catbehavior

My older cat about 10yo was a single cat all her life. I recently moved out for college and ended up rescuing a kitten that was found behind a dumpster. I plan on keeping him but when I’m back home for this summer my older cat HATES him. She’s not one for change and when we got new dogs she would hide for a bit but always come around. My kitten wants to be her friend so so bad and trills at her and shows his belly. But every time he goes anywhere near her she gets so incredibly angry and literally screams at him and swats. I read this is her teaching him manners but I’m scared this is too aggressive. We got feliway diffusers and the older cat is on some medication. (She’s on anxiety meds for more than just this) I have tried all the introduction stuff for like a while now. Right now they are being kept away from each other by a gate. He does EVERYTHING in his power to reach her though. She doesn’t care about him as long as he stays away but he refuses to stay away

For the past few months, my cat has been OBSESSED with "biting" our hands through blankets. He paws at us when we have a blanket on to put our hands under it so he can kind-of bite it. He grabs the blanketed hand with his paws and very shallowly and gently bites, usually using only the teeth between his canines. He doesn't care if we move our hands, shake them, try to play, whatever, he just sits there purring and keeps re-adjusting his bite. I have no idea why he does this, but he wants it all of the time. It's become our nightly routine. Any ideas why?

We have three cats, an automatic litterbox and other litter boxes that are kept cleaned. Two of the cats have no problem with using the litter boxes but one of our cats continually pees on the floor in approximately 3 different locations: in front of the TV, and by the two bedroom doors at the end of the hall in front of the air intake. Whenever we clean the pee, he just pees there again right away. I don't know how to get him to stop.

For context, this problem has been ongoing for about 3 years since our father died. We think it may be correlated.

We've tried cat repellent spray, vinegar, citrus, stress relief plug ins, switching litters, and even putting litter boxes in the place on the floor where he goes, but nothing has worked.

We are stumped. The only solution we've been able to come up with is putting down puppy pads to make it easier to clean.

Does anyone have any advice on how we can get him to stop? It's been happening for so long and we just feel completely defeated.

Hello,
I’ve had this cat in my family since 2019. He’s currently 7 years old, and I’ve had enough.
He has litter box issues, which means he almost never uses his litter box properly.
He pees in big puddles, either in my room, my brother’s room, my parents’ room, or in various spots in the living room. He always peeing on new objects, i can leave a bag on the ground and come back, he would pee on it….
He defecates next to the litter box.
I’ve changed the litter box, its location in the house, the size, and the type of litter. I took him to the vet: no signs of kidney stones. I’ve bought all kinds of anti-stress and anti-anxiety products, but nothing works.
We have another cat, who arrived a little later in the house, and he has never pee or defects outside the litter box, even if we move the litter box, he knows he has to go in the new spot.
For the sake of the older cat, I’m thinking of giving him to a shelter. I’ve never gotten angry with him, but I’m starting to lose patience with his issues, and I’m afraid of stressing him out by yelling. It’s the only solution I can think of… I love him so much, but his issues stress me out.

Hi, I'm not sure if this is the appropriate place for this, but I'm looking for solutions out of desperation.

I have 3 cats, an older lady we have had for 10 years, and two younger cats, siblings, almost 3 years old as well as a dog. They all get along great, we have only moved houses once, there hasn't been any new pets or people at the house in the recent months. They are well fed, have 2 litter boxes that are always kept clean, we play and cuddle with them. But a few months ago one of the young cats started peeing outside the litter box, always in the 3 same spots (close to both litter boxes). We took her to the vet, she's perfectly healthy, the vet suggested pheromones, didn't help. We have been cleaning the floors with a vinegar solution which also didn't help, and we are running out of ideas. A few days ago her brother also started peeing on the floor, in different spots. It's terribly frustrating having to watch your step everytime you enter or leave the house, and the stink is getting unbearable. Has anyone had a similar problem, and found a solution? Anything will be appreciated, I'm willing to try even some crazy out of pocket stuff.

This is my first time on Reddit as a whole and I'd just like to clarify I'm not looking for medical advice as they've been to the vet and are healthy 😓

I have a male cat 3 years old who loves to pee on my bed. I got him from outside at 6 months old from my boyfriend’s family farm they have multiple litters every summer and can’t neutered all of them every time. He has been used to people since he was born so he is very friendly. I brought him inside immediately and he doesn’t go outdoors anymore. He has all of his shots there’s nothing wrong with him and he was neutered around a year old. He never peed on my bed before neutering and it only started a few months after he got neutered. My old apartment was pretty small 3 bedrooms and one small kitchen and living room if you can even call it that so I used to leave my bedroom door open so that he could have a little more space to roam. One day I came home and he had peed on my bed so I thought it was an accident. But then after the first time he started doing it every time I forgot to close my door. He would never pee anywhere else just in my bed not in the living room kitchen or bathroom. Only in my bed. I also scoop his litter box almost every day or every two days and rinse it out after a few months to keep it really fresh. I’ve also never changed his food or his type of litter since the beginning. He also liked to pee on my clothes if I left them on the floor. At one point he was also peeing blood and I took him to the vet but they just said he was stressed even though nothing really changed. After he stopped peeing blood he went right back to peeing on my bed every time I forgot to close my door. After we moved to a new apartment he only did it once every month or two. He’s been so good about it. But then he started peeing on my bath mat for a week and he has never done this before. After I stopped leaving the bath mat on the floor he stopped peeing there and was good for a few months until he recently peed on my bed again. I think he is being really petty bc the last 3 times he’s peed on my bed in the last few months he peed directly on everything on my bed in one spot compared to before he would pee in a random place. And when I say everything I mean he got two pillows three blankets my pjs and all of my stuffed animals. It’s like he purposely does it in that specific place but I don’t know why. We have taken him to the vet multiple times and they keep telling me it’s stress but there is nothing abnormal about our routine. They want to give him Prozac as a last options but I want to know why or any advice before I put him on medication because I don’t know if I’ll be able to afford it. PLEASE SOMEONE HELP ME. he is the sweetest cat but if this doesn’t stop I will need to give him up soon I can only take this so much longer. I also forgot to mention when I first got him he used to also poop on my clothes or on the bed. But he hasn’t done that in a year and a half. I have tried everything. Trust me I’ve tried everything. I NEED HELP DESPERATELY. PLEASE. I love him so much but it actually takes me 6+ hours to wash everything because I live in an apartment and the washing machine is pretty small. Someone please help I’m at my wits end.

My cat Sinatra has been over-grooming for 2 years and I’m completely lost — has anyone experienced anything like this?

I need to share every detail of what we’ve been through in hopes that someone out there has experienced something similar and can help my boy.

In July 2024, I found a kitten in the bushes and brought him home, keeping him separated from my two resident cats, both 5 years old at the time. Seven days after the kitten arrived, my boy Sinatra — an all-white blue-eyed cat (not deaf, not blind) — started to slowly overgroom. At first I just noticed a small patch of missing fur on his foot and didn’t think much of it. Two years later, he has no fur on his entire belly, legs, bottom of his feet, and thighs. He goes absolutely to town on the bottoms of his feet especially.

It’s also important to note that since he was 1 year old, Sinatra has suffered with chronic constipation and was on Royal Canin Fiber Response dry food, with rotating Tiki Cat salmon and chicken wet food for dinner. Until all of this started.

What I’ve tried over two years (and I mean everything):
Bloodwork — done over 4 times, always comes back perfect. Teeth cleaning. Every brand of flea preventative. Gabapentin. Probiotics and prebiotics by Adored Beast. CBD (multiple rounds and different kinds). A microbiome test that essentially said he has an intolerance to almost everything. A 5Strands test. Skin scraping. Zyrtec. A sulfur bath dip and multiple other baths. A Dupray steam cleaner to kill dust mites. I moved all my plants outside. I removed all candles and incense. I use Feliway plug-ins. Stainless steel bowls washed regularly with Molly Suds dish soap. Molly Suds detergent for their bedding.

He’s been seen by 3 different vets, 2 nutritionists, and a dermatologist.

The diet journey alone has been exhausting. One nutritionist had me slow-cooking for him — ground turkey, turkey liver, turkey gizzards, then chicken, chicken gizzards, chicken liver, and chicken hearts — all weighed by the gram with added fiber. The fiber was causing strange poop casings that would get stuck to him and we would have to pull it out so we stopped.

The second nutritionist had me do the microbiome test (and initially sent me the wrong species test, which was a red flag), then switched him to a slow-cooked chicken packet that I later discovered contained ground bones, which made his constipation significantly worse. I had to stop that too. He made me give him extra taurine. We tried rabbit. Multiple other novel proteins. Now he strictly eats Ziwi Peak venison canned food and has been on it for a few weeks — but my mom accidentally gave him chicken recently, so I’m not sure if we’ll be able to tell if it’s working.

The constipation has been its own battle. He’s had multiple ER visits over the years. Vets put him on MiraLAX, which helped at first — he was going every two days — but now it’s stretched to every four days, which I know isn’t right. I’ve always wondered if the gut issues and the overgrooming are connected somehow. (Also have always boiled pumpkin for him and mixed with his food)

His ears have always been itchy, but they’ve gotten significantly worse over the last two years. Every vet visit they check and find no mites or infection. The only thing that has ever helped is Tresaderm ear drops — which contain a steroid. Which brings me to the most important pattern in all of this.

The only thing that has ever worked is steroids. Steroid shots, steroid pills, steroid drops — the moment he gets them, the itching stops. The overgrooming stops. It’s like magic. The moment they wear off, he’s right back at it. Every single time.

I also notice that his skin and eyes sometimes look pink and irritated, almost like an allergic reaction. He refuses to drink water from a bowl anymore out of nowhere, so I now add a large amount of water directly into his food. (He is very food motivated so he eats anything and drinks all of the water in his bowl with food) I tried a water fountain too — he won’t go near it.

Then last September, we lost his biological sister. I woke up one day and noticed her eye looked cloudy. Within one month she was gone — she had a rare condition called cutaneous lymphoma. Sinatra absolutely adored her and I believe he grieved deeply, which I know doesn’t help anything. Though I want to be clear, the overgrooming started before her passing and has continued after.

Now about the kitten I found — Cheddar. Sinatra and Cheddar ended up bonding beautifully. They groom each other, cuddle, sleep together. Cheddar worships Sinatra — wherever Sinatra goes, Cheddar wants to be. Sinatra gets annoyed sometimes because Cheddar is very playful, but overall their relationship is sweet. Here’s what concerns me though: Cheddar has started to bite at himself too. He’s not missing fur the way Sinatra is, but he bites at himself more than seems normal, and his eyes also get red and irritated and he gets eye bogeys that I clean regularly — just like Sinatra’s. I don’t know if he’s learned the behavior, or if he’s also itchy, or if something environmental is affecting them both.

Where I am now: My conventional vet is suggesting Prozac. My new holistic vet is recommending a full allergy test with immunotherapy, ozone therapy, and laser therapy — all expensive, but I genuinely do not care. He is my child and I will do whatever it takes. I’ve already spent over $10,000 in two years. He is currently on Ziwi Peak venison, a high-potency biome probiotic for pets, a different omega-3 oil from the holistic vet, CBD, and something called Wind Toxin Tea Pills — though honestly none of it seems to be making a significant difference.

I am at a complete loss. The fact that steroids are the only thing that reliably helps makes me feel like this is allergic or inflammatory in nature, and the fact that both Sinatra AND Cheddar seem to be showing similar symptoms makes me wonder if there’s something environmental I’m completely missing — even after everything I’ve eliminated and changed. It’s the weirdest thing.

Has anyone been through anything remotely like this? Any insight at all would mean the world to me and my boy.

Hi! This may be totally out of the ordinary but I’ve been stressed lately trying to get my cat to finish his wet food. Usually what we do is dilute the wet food with warm water so that it forms a soup/porridge and we add salmon flakes on top. My cat will lick the bowl clean if my grandma feeds him. No problem there.

However, when I feed him, he only eats half and is uninterested in the food in his bowl. I’ve tried to replicate exactly how my grandma prepares the food and followed the instructions to the tee. It’s the same food brand and flavor, topping brand etc.

I’ve been wracking my brain trying to figure out how I can get him to finish all his food. For context , he eats three meals and only the meals where my grandma feeds him, he will finish. My cat stays with grandma during the work day so he only eats lunch there. but we pick him up after work and give him dinner around his usual time. Is this bullying or crazy cat behavior?

So it's spring, our yard is full of bird's nests and our cat (female, 3yrs old, sterilised) is fully fixated on killing them all. She is an inside cat, who is sometimes allowed in our private yard. Not anymore obviously, cause she keeps hunting them. But she didn't forget. She spends all day trying to escape and meawing in front of doors and windows. So it's been stressful. She fucking bolts every time she has an opportunity, stands under furniture next to doors so she can try to fool us, and when she succeeds she immediately runs to the spots where she knows are nests. We get her to come back with treats. I fear it won't work forever.

We cannot get this killer to rest, she hears them chirping from outside and already gets angry.

She's always been like this. But this year's worse than ever, we used to have 2 cats, but the older male one died very recently. Idk if it's related. She has lots of toys that emulate the hunting, but they don't stop her from the real thing.

So we don't know what to do anymore, I'm here to ask for suggestions to get her to calm the f down a bit. It's like living with a prisoner who's constantly trying to bolt, we have to first lock her in a room to get out, it's not that fun.

Any suggestion or help is appreciated.

No need to tell me cats destroy the environment, we're well aware, that's why we're trying to solve the problem, we do care about saving these poor birds.

My cat Apple has been with us for about three weeks now, and she still hasn’t warmed up to my girlfriend and I. She’s one and a half, and enjoys coming out to lay with us and cuddle, loves treats and attention + pets…. But the second we stand on our feet, she freaks out and runs as fast as she can under the bed. She also only comes out after 7-9 pm, even if we’re relaxed at home all day. She seems to be afraid of us, but then will love us again a second later once we’re sat down and not moving. Im just not sure if I’m doing something wrong. She has a good routine with food and has a flowing metal water bowl. She also has plenty of room, plays with toys, has high value and low value treats that are good for her, and gets plenty of Whole Foods mixed into her diet (chicken, salmon, etc). Is she just afraid of feet, or the noise of walking or something..? I don’t have any expectations for her, nor do I wanna push her out of her comfort zone, I just am curious if I’m doing anything wrong. :((

Hello guys i’ve just been wondering why my cat have been biting people randomly including me, i give her enough food/treats and i try to give her affection but just last night she was beside me in the bed and just out of nowhere grabbed my foot and bit it.

(she gets her rabies shots)
(she was birthed in my house not an adopted cat, she used to be a good kitty until she grew up idk why she’s acting like this)

so i’ve had Milk for just over a year now (since 9 weeks old) she’s always been okay behaviour wise but lately she has gotten a bit out of control, she keeps jumping on my countertops in search of food, she gets in my sink and licks all the dishes or anything that’s been left in there to the point she’s taken a chunk of fur out of her ear from a knife that was in there.

today i wake up to a bang coming from my kitchen, i have a coffee stand with a few high shelves and our butter dish was on the top shelf (i use it for left over butter when cleaning our actual butter dish) she’s been after it a few times but when i came into the room it was on the floor along with one of my favourite plates smashed. so she’s tried to jump onto the shelf to get my butter dish and broken a plate to get it.

i am just so heartbroken i don’t know how to correct this behaviour and stop her from acting that way. usually i will just lock her in the bathroom for 10 minutes or lock her out of the kitchen but it just doesn’t seem to work anymore.

Edit: 10 MONTHS

First off, I offered this, but didn't expect to get him back that much later.

We adopted a litter of 3 in Sept when we found them. They were about 8 weeks old. I adopted 1 of them out to some college kids at 11 weeks old, and now fast forward to now, the owners want to return him.

Do littermates remember their siblings? They haven't seen him since Oct 2025.

Do I treat him like a new, stranger cat?

my spouse and I are moving with our sweet baby boy within the next couple weeks. since we adopted him, he’s almost always had someone home with him because we live with my extended family. His behavior varies from extremely clingy to disappearing for hours to nap away from everyone. we are worried about the transition for him from always having a human with him at some point during the day, to just my spouse and I. we also have first shift work hours as well so sweet baby boy will be alone for 6ish hours a day during the work week most of the time. has anyone had a similar transition with their cats? we are overly concerned because he is our life (we don’t have human kids and don’t plan on having them) and will do or buy anything it takes to make him comfortable.

hi, a lil info about my cat: hes about 11 months old, likes being alone (well actually he bullies any other cat thats around him, we had to give his sister away because he kept injuring her and she always hid from him), is very active and full of love. recently he found out he can wake me up by biting, scratching, yowling and running all over me. he eats my hair, tries ripping my piercings off.... and i barely get any sleep. it started to affect my work life, ive been late a few times over the past few months, because i just dont get the sleep i usually get. the vets said hes just very active and likes playing (like any other young cat.) he has many toys that I switch up every few days, 3 huge scratching trees and 2 smaller ones. once i was so tired and just wanted 1 night of my usual sleep, he wouldnt stop scratching and meowing at the door. i used a vinegar water diluted spray on my door that day, because i was just SO exhausted and needed sleep. it worked! but i really dont wanna have to lock him out all the time but I'm running out of options. yes, i play with him at least 15-20 mins before bed, he gets tired, sleeps for a lil, then the zoomies come right back. im very bummed and have no more ideas. any help u guys can offer will help. thank you 🙏

When I adopted my now 5 yo male 2 years ago and I quickly found out he was insanely food motivated (likely because he came from a hoarding situation).

Per vet advice, started giving him numerous frequent small meals daily via automatic feeder to make him feel less food-scarce. This led to him mostly just waiting by the feeder, whining for food in between meals. He was always very energetic and active, loved to play and cuddle.

3 days ago, per new vet advice, I started trying to allow him to have grazing food out at all times. He seems to have some self control and will leave food in the bowl if he’s full. But his personality has completely changed. He’s like a normal cat now, sleeping most of the day, not waiting at the feeder constantly. But he’s also a lot quieter and less energetic. He still likes to play, but he sleeps a lot more so we play less.

Any thoughts on this? I just want to take the best care of him that I can. I think he’s happier with this new change but the change in behavior has been a bit jarring since I’m used to his very loud proud and active self.

I’m monitoring his weight but it’s still too early to see significant changes there. Other options I’m considering are maybe getting some lower calorie food to balance out the constant access to it.

I posted here over the weekend a message asking for advice for my cat who is shy and anxious and will not let us pick him up/grab him for anything. I immediately was met with comments about how not all cats like to be held etc but some mean ones saying I shouldn't be picking him up for anything to leave him alone and that he will come when he is ready.

Well I had to delete the post because of the mean comments and decided to try again with the cat and pick him up for nail trims. And when I did the cat scratched my wrist really badly. This is why I was asking for help I'm trying to be a good cat dad and am only needing to pick him up to crate him to go to vet appointments or for nail trims. I only need to do this in special cases/ emergencies but a lot of people decided to think I was just wanting to mess with the cat even after explaining the reason people still were mean about it so again if anyone has any advice would love to chat.

I have tried treats, slowly getting him and petting him, toys, even Gabapentin 100mg from the vet which do nothing for him he is still as awake and as active as if he never took the Gabapentin.

I don't know whether this is valid question or not. Wanted to know if there is anything like male cat is more affectionate or female ? I've seen some videos on social media. I've had 3 female kitties till now. Wanted to know out of curiosity

I made a post about a week ago about my kitten (Tiny) who had lost interest in playing with her sister and other toys.

Context: I adopted 2 stray kittens who were littermates. They used to play fight constantly (2am zoomies through the house chasing each other) but I noticed that Tiny had lost interest. She'd just hiss and run off if the other one tried tried initiate play. The cats were otherwise getting along: grooming each other, sleeping next to each other, sharing food.

I took Tiny to the vet multiple times and each time they assessed her and said she was healthy. Maybe she was stressed or didn't get along with her sister or was a very chill kitten. I was never reassured - my gut was telling me she wasn't well but what do I know? The vets probably know better than me.

On the day of making my previous post, I took her to the vet again and they said the same thing: she was healthy. But this time I asked them to take bloods.

I got the results back and no, she's not healthy. Her liver function is incredibly high (>700), her WBC and leukocytes are high as well. Antibiotics were started and i can see her returning to herself again. I've never been happier to hear the sound of 2 kittens wrestling and chasing each other at 2am and knocking over things. I'll miss the good sleep but I'm so relieved.

Trust your gut. The vets are well-educated and knowledgeable but you know your cats the best and if you feel something isn't right, you have a right to ask for further tests.

I walk a neighbor’s dogs occasionally and they have a cat that doesn’t appreciate me coming into its home.

The first time I arrived, I ignored the cat and tried to get the dog’s leash. The cat was behind me and sunk its claws into my calf. It was quite painful but I didn’t make a sound and I didn’t move. I waited until the cat moved away.

I managed to go multiple times without incident, but a couple of days ago I went at an earlier time than usual and the cat did the same thing shortly after I walked into the home. This time the are scratches and bruises on either side of my calf. (I would add pictures but that option is greyed out.)

I never try to pet this cat and the only interaction is slow blinks from a distance (seems to help a little).

I am no longer afraid of the cat but I am getting a bit tired of this behavior. If the cat was a border collie or cattle dog I’d understand the behavior better.

Thoughts?