Is That Normal? 10 Common Cat Behaviors You Should Know About

Here at Sparky Steps, we know that all cats have their adorable personalities and none of them are afraid to show it. Every individual cat flaunts its unique personality, but that doesn’t stop all cats from sharing common behaviors. If you have always wondered why your cat acts the way they do, we have you covered.

1. Scratching Anything and Everything

This is one of the most annoying common cat behaviors that owners have to deal with especially if your cat chooses something like a couch or drapes to be the object of their scratching. There are quite a few reasons for this behavior, the most common being maintaining their claws much like we clip our toenails. Cats also claw stuff up for a quick stretch or to mark their territory (they have scent glands in their paws.) No matter what the reason is, you can’t be mad at them for doing what cats are born to do. Hopefully, some training and plenty of scratch toys will help protect your home décor.

2. Bringing Dead Animals to Your Doorstep

Delivering a raw meal to your doorstep is another unfortunately common behavior from a lot of cats. Animal behavioral scientists have a lot of theories about why cats will bring you dead animals. A few popular theories are that they are repaying the favor for you feeding them every day, they are giving it to you to store it for them for later, or they are trying to teach you how to hunt just like their mom did for them.

3. Laying on Their Backs

If you have a cat that exhibits this behavior, it may seem a little weird to you, but it turns out that this behavior is completely natural. While there are a few theories as to why cats do this the prevailing idea is simply that they find it comfortable and they trust you enough to make themselves vulnerable.

4. Knocking Stuff Down

Anyone who has ever owned a cat will tell you that you need to nail everything down if you don’t want it to be knocked off its spot. Some experts believe that cats do it for the sole reason that they want your attention, while others think that, much like a toddler, cats knock stuff over because they are curious about physics.

5. The Slow Blink

This one is a little subtler, and most cat parents have probably seen it but not taken any note. Sometimes, when your cat is making eye contact with you, they will slowly blink at you. To an untrained eye, it may look like they are fighting sleep, but this action is intentional. Slow blinking is like cat Morse code, and they are telling you that they not only trust you, but they like you a bit too.

6. Sitting in Boxes

Cats love sitting in boxes so much that there have been entire terms made up for their interesting behavior. Like other behaviors on this list, scientists have a short list of possible reasons why cats can’t walk past a box without sitting in it. Some people seem to think that cats sit in the boxes to conserve body heat but the most popular idea is that cats like to feel safe and a box offers protection and a great vantage point.

7. The Need to Knead

A cat kneading the blanket on your lap can be calming or a bit aggravating depending on when and where they do it. Their rhythmic purr and light pressure is like getting a mini-massage. Again, there are multiple reasons why cats feel the need to knead, but the main reason is that it is a calming motion carried over from when they massaged their mom’s tummy for milk. Other reasons are simply to make their future nap space more comfortable and to use those scent glands in their paws to mark territory.

8. Yowling

If your cat is walking around the house and yowling, don’t freak out. While this could be a way for them to tell you that something is wrong, it is more likely something more benign. If your cat is running around the house yowling, it is more likely that they are bored and need someone to play with, something that we at Sparky Steps love to do.

9. Face Rubbing

One of the most common behaviors of any cat that owners and non-owners think of is when a cat walks up to you and starts rubbing their face against your legs. While this may be a simple call for attention is more of an act of ownership. Cats have pheromone glands on their face so when they are rubbing their face all over you; they are marking you with their scent and letting other cats know that you belong to them.

10. Purring

Purring is one of the most common, yet most disputed, of cat behaviors. Conventional wisdom says that cats purr for no other reason than that they are content. Most animal scientists agree, but also think that cats may purr in anticipation of something making them content which is why they are already purring when they come to you to get pet. A deep, almost inaudible purr, is a possible sign that your cat may be experiencing pain. These are not the only traits that our feline friends share, but they are some of the most common. If we could invent a machine to read our cat's minds, we would probably never leave the house. Until then we will have to trust the anecdotal and expert advice on cat behaviors. 

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Written by Arthur Thares