Cat Disobedience

Cats can engage in a number of behaviors that are not always appropriate in a home environment. While some of these behaviors may be the result of disobedience, other unwanted behaviors can occur as a result of medical issues. Some types of disobedient behaviors develop when a cat is in an environment that does not suit its needs. If your cat is displaying inappropriate behavior, here are some guidelines that will help you to identify bad behavior or behavior that could have another cause other than disobedience.

Understanding Feline Behavior

Disobedient behavior in cats is behavior which breaks the boundaries and rules of the home. For example if a cat knows it is not supposed to jump on the kitchen table and continues to do so, this type of behavior can be classified as disobedient behavior. Disobedient behavior can also include aggressive or territorial behavior that can cause harm to other pets or people in the household.
Some types of behavior, such as spraying or scratching the furniture, may seem like disobedient behavior to people. However, this type of behavior is quite normal to cats. Cats that have not been spayed or neutered will, in many cases, begin to spray around the home. Urinating outside of the litter box can also be a sign of bladder or urinary problems or other underlying medical conditions. Cats will also scratch furniture or walls if they do not have anything else to use to sharpen their claws.
If your cat is displaying inappropriate behavior in the home, take a moment to examine why this behavior is occurring first before you use any behavioral modification techniques. If your cat's behavior is severely out of control, you may want to have your cat examined by a veterinarian to ensure that the behavior isn't a result of a medical condition.

Problems Associated with Feline Disobedience

Out of control and disobedient cats can cause a great amount of havoc. Fortunately this type of behavior can be avoided, but if disobedient behavior is encouraged a little cat can become a big problem. In most cases, cats are disobedient because they have been allowed at some point in time to behave that way. The behavior is really not purposely disobedient, the cat has just learned bad manners. If a cat does become disobedient, here are some of the potential problems that could develop.
Disobedient cats often become very dominant and territorial. If they feel their dominance is being threatened, or they feel that their territory is being invaded, they could become aggressive. Dominance and territorial claims can cover people, places in the home, and objects in the home. In some instances, a cat can become so possessive that it will try to fight other animals or people that come near their favorite owner or piece of furniture.
Disobedient behavior in cats can cause injury to other pets and people. Cats that have been allowed to attack people and pets may start to scratch and bite other members of the household as a way of trying to dominant or control situations.
Disobedient cats will also ignore the household rules, or in many cases they have not been consistently taught how to obey household rules. In these instances, the cat may bully other animals away from food and water bowls, the cat may try to eat a person's food, and the cat may continually jump onto inappropriate places such as the kitchen table or kitchen counters.

Some types of behavior, such as spraying or scratching furniture, are not really considered to be disobedient behaviors; these types of behaviors would be normal if a cat were living in a natural outside environment. If your cat is engaging in inappropriate behaviors, readjusting your cat's environment and positively encouraging good behaviors may improve your cat's attitudes and behavior.