Wat does a term "Halloween Cat" stand for? a MISCHIEF MAKER

Why does my cat scratch walls? Cat Scratching as Communication

Ok, this post is meant for those who are proud owners of a cat, a scratching post and a flat full of scratched furniture. Lets assume that your cat has a scratching post and regularly uses it. Why would the cat scratch the furniture? Why would your cat scratch walls in the middle of the night? Is it laziness? Is it lack of training? While these are possible explanations, there is one other reason why a cat might do this. It is trying to communicate, to get your attention!Cats are normally nocturnal animals, and if they become bored, it is natural that they want their human to wake up and entertain them.

Cats are highly intelligent. According to some research, they can achieve the mental level of a 2-year old human. Cats are also great problem solvers and will work out ways to get what they want. The problem is, they have difficulty communicating their needs to us.

Recommended treatment: a squirt from a spray bottle, or shaking a can filled with coins. If this fails and your cat wins the mental battle, use ear plugs :-)And dont even think of Draconian measures such as declawing a cat - its barbaric and unethical

Falling Victim to a Stealing Animal - Why does my cat nick stuff?

Have you ever taken off your watch or ring while working in the yard only to find it has disappeared? Have you had door mats or clothes from the clothes line mysteriously vanish? If this has happened to you, you may be the victim of animals who steal. Animals will steal under the cover of darkness or boldly pull a daylight robbery without giving it a second thought. Why do they do it? The theory is that cats are treating the objects they're collecting as prey and are bringing it back to their "den".

Solution:

1)Talk to your cat, explain that this behaviour is just unacceptable. Sometimes they need a firm telling, you know?
2) Give your cat a new hair cut that causes her/him to resemble a squirrel. Then it really doesnt matter that he/she is so nutty.
3) Steal the stolen objects away from your cat and hide the stash in a secret place. Treat the magpie with its own medicine :-)

"Cats seem to go on the principle that it never does any harm to ask for what you want." -- Joseph Wood Krutch

Why does a cat.....

Why do some cats go crazy over catnip, but others ignore it?
The response to catnip is the result of a gene in the cat; if the cat doesn't have the gene, it cannot physically react to catnip. Some cats will react to catnip by rolling around on the floor in delight, others will just quickly eat it up and wander off, while others will ignore it completely. It's like a cat cocain.

Catnip (Nepeta cataria) is a plant in the mint family that grows wild as a weed and is found throughout the United States, particularly in the Midwest.

Cats under three months of age usually do not respond to catnip. Most older cats typically become excited or aroused as they smell, chew and eat catnip. They will frequently salivate, roll and rub, and sometimes run and leap in the air when responding to the catnip. It may be applied to scratching posts or used in stuffed toys.

Not all cats are stimulated by catnip to the same degree, and over a third of cats will not respond at all. Strange as it may seem, the different responses are probably due to environmental factors, genetics, and the gender of the cat (males are more likely to respond than females). If a cat who normally reacts to catnip is in a strange environment or is anxious, she may not react to the catnip. Cats in certain genetic 'lines' do not react to catnip. No one really understands the genetic trait, but it can be bred into a line through genetic selection.

The cat-active ingredient in catnip is 'nepatalactone.' This substance closely resembles a chemical found in the urine of female cats. This may be why unneutered males generally have more of a reaction to catnip than females and neutered males.

Cat in Brazil

Cat in Argentina