Pets Stack Exchange
Pets Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [psychology]

Regarding a pet's mental status, or motivation for behaviors or attitudes.

Questions tagged ask about particular behaviors, motivations, and attitudes. Some may go further and request explanations of the cause of the behavior (background), as well as means of behavior adjustment and/or prevention.

372 questions
75
votes
1 answer

Why does my cat keep patting my face?

My cat has a habit of randomly patting my face - sometimes when I am sleeping, or when he is snuggled in my lap, or when I am sitting somewhere. I can't really find a pattern to it, and it is somewhat cute, but can also be annoying, especially if he…
user53
60
votes
19 answers

How can I fix my relationship with my 7 month old cat after I've constantly abused her the past month?

My kitten is 7 month old, and I... [Content Warning: Descriptions of animal abuse behind spoiler] ...critically abused her the last month (including throwing her hard on ladders and hitting her hard, many times, with almost no apparent…
Anonymus
  • 741
  • 1
  • 5
  • 3
46
votes
6 answers

How do I "apologise" to my cat?

How do I apologise to a cat / undo accidental actions? Let's say, I'm going to the bathroom at night, my cat tries to weave between legs and accidentally got kicked. Or, I'm drinking water, the cat is in the lap, I cough and spill some of that…
Alexander
  • 595
  • 1
  • 4
  • 7
38
votes
3 answers

Why does my cat put toys in my shoes?

My cat has a few favorite toys that he goes nuts for. More specifically: a plastic ball with a bell inside and a small stuffed mouse. From time to time when I put my shoes on in the morning, I'll find one of these toys in my shoe. At first I thought…
JohnB
  • 1,838
  • 4
  • 21
  • 30
30
votes
8 answers

How long is a cat's memory?

How long do cats remember places and people? I will leave the house in the next months for half a year or so. Will my cat remember me when I get back?
Shev
  • 1,573
  • 5
  • 17
  • 28
27
votes
2 answers

Active wildlife outside the window- Good or Bad for Cat psychology?

At my current house, there is an active community of wild creatures in the backyard, including a variety of birds, chipmunks and squirrels, rabbits, a groundhog, and butterflies by day and lightning bugs by night. My little 2yo tortie female DSH has…
cobaltduck
  • 1,487
  • 1
  • 13
  • 22
25
votes
1 answer

Why does my cat like licking my armpits?

I like lying in my bed with my arms up, but my cat sometimes comes to lick my armpits. His sandpaper tongue doesn't feel that nice. I'm using a stick antiperspirant, but he usually does this in the evening after the antiperspirant is long…
Athari
  • 1,788
  • 5
  • 20
  • 37
25
votes
3 answers

Why does my cat wash her paws in her water?

My cats' self-filling water bowl has started getting dirty rather quickly since we got a new kitten (who's now about 6 months old). There's quite often a bit of cat litter at the bottom of the bowl, so I assume that she's been washing her paws in it…
Wooble
  • 743
  • 1
  • 8
  • 16
23
votes
6 answers

What can I do now that my cat is terrified of me after I broke up a fight involving her and two other pets?

I really need some help and advice. I have two cats and a dog. This morning, my dog was with me in the kitchen and one of my cats ran up to him and started attacking him. It just turned into an all out brawl between my three animals, since my other…
Fleurdejune
  • 231
  • 1
  • 2
  • 4
23
votes
2 answers

Do dogs commit suicide?

One of our dogs is currently under very heavy medication (something similar to cortisone). Our vet who took this stuff herself during an illness described the side effects to be so exhausting it makes death seem the better option sometimes. A person…
Baarn
  • 3,026
  • 1
  • 22
  • 41
21
votes
6 answers

Laser pointer: does a no-win situation risk psychological harm to cats?

When using a laser pointer to play with the cats, I've always been careful to end the session by giving them a physical toy to play with. I've assumed, without any actual basis, that putting them in a no-win situation where they could never…
Monica Cellio
  • 8,285
  • 6
  • 43
  • 83
20
votes
6 answers

What does this cat want from me when meowing accusingly?

My girlfriend has an indoor cat that now lives together with us. I never had any pets before, so I have a hard time interpreting. Sometimes, she will approach me and meow in a voice that sounds like “I desperately want attention”. So I slowly reach…
Martin Ueding
  • 629
  • 2
  • 7
  • 13
17
votes
4 answers

Why do cats not like their front paws being held?

My cat seems to dislike me holding her front paws, although my friend's cat doesn't seem to mind. Is this problem specific to my cat or does it apply to the general population of cats?
Timtech
  • 3,271
  • 6
  • 25
  • 48
17
votes
4 answers

Why does my cat dig at mirrors and glass?

I have one cat which seems to obsessively dig at mirrors or glass. We have floor length mirrors on our closet, sliding glass doors to the backyard, a bedside table with glass, the bathtub doors, and the bathroom mirror. She usually only does it when…
Rachel
  • 481
  • 1
  • 4
  • 7
16
votes
9 answers

Why does my cat lay down with me whenever I need to or I’m about to get up? Is this a common thing?

I’ve noticed whenever I need to get up or I’m about to get up, my cat always gets so cozy with me. There’s no way it’s routine, because this happens at random times. It just is confusing me, and it seems like he just knows when I’m about to get up.…
Kaitlyn H
  • 163
  • 1
  • 1
  • 6
1
2 3
…
24 25