Natural Behaviors

By understanding cat behaviors you can begin to see how you can use them in your cat training. For example, a cat that jumps and lands on his feet can be taught to jump hoops, sticks or off of a scratching tree. It takes time for a kitten to build up its “landing gear” so to speak.

Kittens will begin to develop the necessary padding for jumping and landing at around seven weeks. It is also important to understand that cats are able to perform these interesting maneuvers because the do not have collarbones and their bones themselves are actually quite flexible. A cat can jump from many distances without injuries.

Cats are also capable of hearing very high tones and pitches. These are similar to the sounds made when you open a can of food or a door. Their sense of smell is very strong and is part of the reason that cats mark their territory, scratch and rub on you and the furniture. They leave their scent in areas so that they can come back and smell where they have been.

Cats can even smell with their mouths. Yes! Can you believe it* Cats have a unique gland called the “Jacobson’s Organ” on the top of their mouth. It is filled with blood. When the cat smells a scent, it opens its mouth and allows the scent to be carried to the sac where it is then processed in the brain. Male cats tend to do this when they smell female cat urine.

Cats have numerous natural instincts that can provide you with insight into how they operate on a day-to-day basis. Understanding these natural behaviors can help you to understand how you can use their natural instincts and convert them into command type behaviors.