As cats are becoming more our companions and less utilitarian rodent controllers, we are learning more and more about their behavior. While dogs have been domesticated by man for thousands of years, cats have only recently been admitted into family life (the ancient Egyptians are an exception). We are only now beginning to learn what is normal and what is abnormal behavior for cats.

Some quick facts about feline behavior:

1) The average cat spends about 16 hours of the day sleeping or resting, 4 hours grooming, 3 hours playing or otherwise active, and 1 hour eating.

2) Cats are crepuscular (i.e., more active in the early morning and the evening).

3) Cats can smell 1000 times better than a human.

4) You can train your cat!  See Training Your Cat.

5) The number one behavioral problem in cats is house-soiling (not using the litter box).  Please see our discussion on litter box guidelines for help.