<!– –> By: Mieshelle Nagelschneider, cat’s behavior, presenter of the television program My cat from Hell and author of The Cat Behavior Science Book, The Cat Whisperer
Last update: June 18, 2025
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Michelle Simpson illustration
As The founder of one of the first exclusive behavior practices for cats, which works with thousands of cats for three decades, discovered that most feline behavior problems are completely soluable. Cat’s behavioral problems often come from a mismatch between the evolved needs of the cat and its environment; internal or external stress factors; underlying physical conditions; or a combination of these influences.
Cat’s behavioral problems often come from a mismatch between the evolved needs of the cat and its surroundings.
Many cat owners who come to us believe they have tried everything to solve their cat’s behavior problems. However, they have often not addressed the root cause. After working with our clinic, they get a deeper understanding of why your cat behaves in a certain way. Beyond simply solving your cat’s problem, they also appreciate your cat’s wild instincts that improves the human animal bond. Let’s take a look at three cat behavior cases that we solved successfully.
Michelle Simpson illustration
CAT studies: 3 real -life behavior problems and its solutions!
Case study #1: Rival cats and spray (also known as urine marking)
Marzipan, a five -year -old, was caught in the spot: walls vertically marked in spray near windows and doors as if he were labeling his territory where an intruder could enter. Its owner was deadly and immediately called us. What could have caused Marzipan to begin to suddenly mark his territory?
Marzipan, a five -year -old targeted, was caught in the spot: walls vertically marked spray near windows and doors.
The answer came during a zoom video appointment. From his new favorite window hanger, Marzipan now had a front row seat for a street cat that occasionally wandered around the front courtyard or hung on the other side of the street on the neighbor’s entrance road. Even the brief sightings of this outer cat were enough to make Marzipan mark several times a day.
From his new favorite window hanger, Marzipan now had a front row seat for a street cat that occasionally wandered around the front courtyard.
Behavior solution
To solve the problem, we suggest a two -pointed approach: cat’s disjiones activated by the outdoor movement to keep the street cat out of the front courtyard and the ice cream window tense to block Marzipan’s cat view when it was on the other side of the street. We also caused the owner to clean all areas marked with urine with a special urine cleaner, we recommend zero smells of multipurpose smell, to erase the aroma and advise him to discontinue with any householder in the home containing ammonia.
The result
In two weeks, Marzipan retired from his career to mark spray. He just needed to believe that his house was safe from any external cat competition.
There are only a few reasons why a cat will mark vertically, and most of the cases we see are simply due to external cats.
Lesson learned: Marzipan did not tolerate the competition, even when he was on the other side of the street. Protect your cat’s territory and protect its walls. Vertical urine spray marking is a very black and white behavior problem when it comes to cat’s behavior. There are only a few reasons why a cat will mark vertically, and most of the cases we see are simply due to external cats. Once this instigating factor is addressed, the urine brand can be one of the easiest behavior problems.
Eric Iselee/Shuttersock
Case study #2: Pica or simply hungry? Cat eating non -food items
Meet Luna, a short domestic courtesy of two years with a curious appetite for … upholstery, socks, plastic and the occasional fleece blanket. Its owner was horrified when finding Luna chewing and then ingesting pieces of the sofa and feared that it had a rare case of pica, a behavioral disorder where cats eat non -food items such as fabric, plastic or paper. Was Luna condemned to a life of fabric buffets? Not quite.
When Luna arrived at Cat’s behavior clinic, we noticed something: it was thinner than its owner realized. A fast dietary analysis revealed that Luna was being fed with less calories than he needed for his current weight. She also needed to win two pounds. Essentially, I was not eating the sofa because it loved the modern design of furniture: I was hungry and had been slowly losing weight over time, and the owner had not noticed.
It turns out that most of the “pica” cases that we see are not true, but the cats that try to tell their owners: “I am starving here!”
The behavior solution and the result
We advise the Moon owner to increase their food portions to meet their caloric needs. In several days, the couch was sure, and Luna was happily eating her food. It turns out that most of the “pica” cases that we see are not true, but the cats that try to tell their owners: “I am starving here!”
BODNARPHOTO/BIGSTOCK
The conclusion? Before assuming that your cat has an exotic condition, check your diet and weight twice. Sometimes, the answer is as simple as feeding your feline the right amount of food.
Even if your cat does not have itchy, we recommend that all cat owners visit our Clinical Nutrition Sectionand use the veterinary nutrition calculator provided to see if their cats are feeding with the correct amount of cat food.
Case study #3: Sandbox deterrent. Cat suddenly urinating off the sand box
Oliver,tothree years oldtabby,hadtoreputationforbeperfectlytrashboxtrainedfromhewastoGatito, up toone dayheIt wasn’t.Hehaddecidedthaturinousoccasionallyoutsidehisboxwashenewvibe.Hisownerwasembarrassed.Thathadchange?
For Oliver, this configuration was less “spa retreat” and more “dark alley.”
Enter the sand boxinvestigation. Roundsoutside, the owner had recently changedOliver’s garbage boxes of discoverySand boxes with hoods because she hadRead the preferred cats privacy.She too hiddenonetrashboxbehindtobathroomDoor andThe other inside a cabinetIn laundryroom.The owner hadAlso recentlyinvolvedCat size ticketsat each door that leads to The garbage boxes. For Oliver, this configuration was less “spa retreat” and more “dark alley.” Cats like to feel safe when they do their business, and Oliver’s private and closed configuration made him feel that he was about to be ambushed by a predator, or a rival cat. The garbage boxes also simply became less accessible.
Luchepruch/Adobestock
The behavior solution and the result
UsSuggestedeliminationheboxcoverandrelocationheboxestofurtheropen spaceswhereheNohavetoget intotolittlecatdoor.OliverNot onlythankheChanges:made abeelineforhenewconfigurationandHe never lookedback.
The cat should see its surroundings and not feel trapped or cornered while in the sand box.
Cat behavior advice: Trash The boxes can be in private or low traffic areas, but the cat must see their surroundings and not feel trapped or cornered while in the sand box. In nature, cats do not urinate in hollowed trunks or hide behind a tree to do Your business. Cats are survivors and come with evolved behavior features that help ensure that they have a good escape potential and that are not trapped by aPredator or Cat competitor.
*Male Nagelschneider He is a pioneer of the specialty of cat’s behavior, an author of Cat Sciences and host of My hell cat The most watched cat behavior program in the world with more than one billion viewers. It has spent more than three decades helping cat owners to understand and improve the behavior of their cats. His experience is widely recognized in the field of animal behavior and his book of cat behavior sciences is used to certify other cat experts that you see today. For more information and tips on CAT’s behavior, visit the Mieshelle Nagelschneider website thanbehaviorclinic.com.
This article originally appeared on the award -winning Modern cat magazine. Subscribe today!
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Helping children to face the loss of a pet: an adult guide
The link between children and their pets is often deep and significant. Pets are companions, confidants and beloved members of the family. When a pet dies, the loss can be deep for a child, especially if it is his first experience with loss and death. Adults play a crucial role in the children’s guide at this difficult time, offering support, understanding and space to cry. This is how adults can help children navigate the emotional terrain of losing a beloved animal companion.
Understand the impact of pet loss on children
For many children, pets are more than just animals: they are best friends and sources of unconditional love. Losing a pet can trigger a wide range of emotions: sadness, confusion, anger, guilt or even fear. The loss can also ask difficult questions about death and what happens later, depending on the age and stage of development of the child.
It is possible that some children do not completely understand what happened, while others can understand the purpose of death and feel overwhelmed by it. Regardless of age, pain is real and deserves recognition. Although adults feel the same range of emotions, the weight of the pain that children can experience can be much heavier and harmful.
How can adults help
1. Be honest, but gentle
Avoid phrase as “put to sleep” or “flee”, which can be confusing or misleading. Use a clear and appropriate language for age: “Our cat has died sadly. This means that her body stopped working for her and will not return.” Honesty helps children process the reality of death without creating false hopes or misunderstandings. For traffic accidents, it could be explained how: “I have some very sad news to tell you, and I want to be honest with you. (Cat name ……) Today he had an accident on the road. A car hit them and died. It happened very fast and did not feel any pain.”
It is well to say that the cat passed peaceful and quickly, since this information provides great comfort.
“I know this is really difficult and very sad. It is fine crying or feeling upset or even angry. I also feel very sad. We loved it (the name of the cat) and it is very surprising.”
You can track:
“Would you like to talk more about that or simply sit with me a little?”
“Do you want to ask me something about what happened?”
2. Allow the space to cry
The pain looks different for everyone: some children can cry openly, while others can act, retire or ask questions repeatedly. Let them express your feelings in your own way. Make sure all feelings (sadness, anger, confusion) are fine. Adults should not avoid crying in front of their children. It is an honest response to pain and shows that it is normal and well to cry and that crying is not related to age, but a normal human response. This means that pain can be a shared process.
3. Promote memory
Creating a ritual to say goodbye can help children process their loss. It also helps adults! This could include:
Holding a small monument or burial.
Creating a small commemorative garden in a corner of the main garden. Children can get involved in space design and can be very therapeutic.
Draw images or write cards to the pet.
Create an album of cuts or a memory box with favorite photos and toys.
These memory acts validate the importance of the pet in the child’s life and offer comfort. It offers a solid closing date, such as a funeral or wake.
4. Share your own feelings
Modeling your pain helps normalize experience for children. Saying something like: “I am also really sad. I miss her,” he shows that it is good to be upset and that the duel is a natural and shared response to the loss.
5. Answer questions with patience
Children can ask the same questions over and over again while trying to make sense of what happened. Be patient and respond calmly. If your family has spiritual or cultural beliefs about death, this may be a time to share them in a comforting way.
6. Maintain routine and safety
Staying up to date with daily routines can help children feel safe for a moment of emotional agitation. Consistency offers a sense of normality, even in the midst of sadness.
7. Maintain routine and safety
Use books on loss of pets for younger children. Google for many options for different age ranges. These can be very useful and a gentle way of explaining and processing emotions. Google search.
When to seek additional support
While pain is a natural process, some children can fight more than others. If the sadness of a child persists for a prolonged period, interferes with daily life or leads to signs of depression or anxiety, consider seeking the support of a therapist or pediatrician experienced in childish pain. There are many online sale points that offer pain support for children.
Looking to the future
It is important not to hurry a child to “replace” a pet. Let them cry completely before considering bringing another animal to the family. If the moment feels good, involving the child in choosing a new pet can be a healing and hopeful experience, not a replacement, but a new chapter.
Conclusion
The death of a pet is often the first child of a child with loss. While it is heartbreaking, it also provides the opportunity to teach children about empathy, resistance and durable power of love. With the compassionate support of adults, children can learn to honor the memory of their pets and carry out the joy they brought to their lives.
Focusing on life and moments shared with your cat instead of focusing on the way they died is the way to follow and the best way to advance from such a heartbreaking moment.
Winston’s desire The national beneficial organization of the United Kingdom offers support for afflicted children and young people. 📞 08088 020 021 | 📧 ask@winstonswish.org
Hope again (by crouse) Cruse’s Duel Support Youth Site with personal advice and stories for young people.
Children’s line Free confidential support 24/7 for children under 19 years (not specific to grieve but includes grief resources). 📞 0800 1111 | Online chat available
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About the author
Anita Kelsey has a first -class honors title in feline behavior and psychology (Bans based on work) and directs a veterinary reference service strictly dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of behavioral problems in cats. It is also a qualified cat hairdresser and specializes in cleaning in challenging or phobic cats. Anita, a strong defender of a vegan lifestyle, is based in East Sussex, but consults throughout the United and international kingdom. She lives with her husband, a musical producer and 1 Norwegian forest cat, Kiki.
Taming Ferral Gats with love and patience: SOFT TO SOFT
By Rita Reimers, multi -cat behavior expert
Taming Ferral Gats requires patience, food and confidence construction. Discover expert advice on the transition from wild cats to the great interior.
Can wild cats be tamed?
Then, you have seen a small and scruffy savage merode around your patio, giving you the stinky eye of the bushes. Congratulations! You have been chosen by a wild cat. But before starting to imagine the cozy hug sessions, let’s talk about what is really needed to tame a wild cat.
Understand wild cat mentality
Taming Ferral Gats is not easy; These cats are not just “street.” These kittens were probably born and grew in nature, with little or no human interaction. For them, you are the two -legged giant monster that occasionally drops food from the sky.
Unlike a cat of the lost house, the first instinct of a wild cat is survival, which means running, hiding, whistling or attacking if you get too close. Gaining your trust requires time, patience and many candy.
Have I tamed the wild cats myself?
My semi-fees Brownie
I have had wild and semi -life cats in the past, but I obtained them like kittens. If you know the saga of my wild quads, Lovey, Cupcake, Dash and Brownie, you probably listen that everyone became love cats, except Brownie.
They came to me 8 weeks old, and Brownie was handled as her brothers. But she never became meek. Now it is 14 years later, I still have Brownie (the others have passed) and now I can touch her “sometimes” and she does not always flee from me, but she is not yet what I consider domesticated.
Brownie is happy and loves my other cats, so I call her the cat of my cats! Interestingly, she lay in my pillow when she is in bed, so I somehow bring her comfort.
And then came the wild cat Larry
Larry hid for 8 months
One day, I received and sent an email from a very distressed couple. They were doing TNR in their neighborhood, then they captured the savage Larry. Larry is a beautiful white cat with a blue eye and a green eye (it is not deaf, since some white cats tend to be).
Although the intention was to release him outside once he was castrated, it was discovered that Larry has IVF. Returning it abroad was not an option.
As much as this couple loves Larry, they could not keep it due to their own medical problems. Then they begged me to take it. I had just taken at Lulu Cat, and I wasn’t sure to live up to the challenge of introducing two new cats in my breeding, but I took a risk.
Larry loved hiding
Larry in my bed
First weeks, of course, they kept him up in my office to give him time to settle. He is an expert in a hider, and once I opened the door to get used to the rest of the house, he hid. He would find his place to be able to feed him, well, most of the time. But he was really worried; What if your IVF exploded? What happens if I can never find it?
It was so good to hide, I just had to let it be and wait for the best. He always called his name in a song and placed his food plate in his last spotted location. I expected the best.
Surprise, here I am!
Larry loves the window hanger
One day, after about 8 months of hiding, he began to show himself. It was evident that he had become friends with some of my male cats, such as Simba, so that Larry would remain near his friends and observe me.
Soon I was enjoying the windows of the window in my kitchen, allowing me to place a bowl of food in front of him and giving me that slow flicker that indicates that the trust is being built. But I still couldn’t touch it.
The advance!
So, one day, I saw Larry in my bed, lying on the pillow with which I sleep surrounded by the other cats that love my King-Size bed. Is is a coincidence that lying on my pillow seems to be the first step with wild cats; Brownie had done the same.
But something was different about Larry. I seemed suddenly my attention. One day I was brave and while talking calmly, I touched it gently. And he left me. I was on the moon! I had spent almost a year at this point, but I somehow won it, just letting him decide when the time was.
Larry now loves scratches under the pimp, must rub and scratch back. I never do it for too long, because he will get a little anxious if I do. The other night, Larry even jumped on the bed while I was in it. WOW! He was amazed and proud that Larry has come so far in a relatively short time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnrhcthhoes
How can you tame a savage?
There are no guarantees that you have the same result. But I think the key is to fulfill them where they are, accept the level of trust and the interaction they are willing to give and no more. Let the kitten establish the rhythm.
Here are some tips that will help if he meets the caretaker of a wild cat like Larry.
Step 1: Slow and constant wins the cat
The fastest way to scare a wild cat? Chasing them with open arms. The best way to make them comfortable? Ignoring them. Yes, you read it well. Simply being in your presence without forcing interaction helps them get used to you. Put the food at the same time every day, sit close (but not too close), and let them decide when they are ready to approach.
Step 2: The magic of food
The path to the heart of a wild cat is through its stomach. Start by leaving food and moving away. Over time, feel a little closer every day until the cat feels comfortable eating in his presence. Eventually, you can introduce manual feed with a spoon or treats. This is when magic occurs: once a wild cat associates you with positive experiences (read: food), you are officially in its radar as a non -threatening presence.
Step 3: The art of speaking with cats
Your voice is a powerful tool. Talking gently and calmly around a wild cat helps them learn your sounds. Read a book, chat about your day or sing a song (they won’t judge your tone). Over time, they will recognize their voice as familiar and safe.
Step 4: Open and close with an eye
Have you ever seen a cat slowly blink? That is a feline way of saying: “I trust you.” You can return the favor to slowly flashing towards them. There are no look competitions: I only flash gentle and somnolm eyes to show them that you are a friend, not an enemy.
Step 5: Contact and gradual socialization
Once your feline friend feels comfortable eating near you, try to extend a finger and let them come to you. I never forzue the contact: make them smell, rub or remove in their terms. If you start rubbing against you, congratulations! You have been accepted in your exclusive club.
Step 6: Transition inside (if applicable)
Some wild cats will always prefer the outdoors, and that’s fine. But if you are working for adoption, move them inside must be gradual. Start with a safe and closed space like a bathroom, with food, water and a sand box. Let them acclimatize before you present more than your home. Patience is key: this process can take weeks or even months.
Step 7: Vet Care and long -term plans
Trap-neuter -ret (TNR) is the best option for truly wild cats that prefer outdoor life. If you are working to obtain full domestication, veterinarian visits are essential. A slow and careful approach that uses human traps ensures the slightest stress for both you and the cat.
Not all wild cats will become a lap cat, and that’s fine. Some will tolerate pets, others will only accept food from distance. The objective is not to force them to a mold but to provide security, stability and trust.
Taming to a wild cat is not about control, it is about gaining confidence, a careful step at the same time. And in the end, even the smallest head of a kitten that once feral is worth it. 😺
