# cat signals



## bill (May 8, 2003)

hi,  is there a site, or book, or something where i can find out about cat gestures, :?: my cat has many, and there all cute , but some are down right strange :?: , for instance, why would my 8 month old cat/kitten. scratch-around the outside of her food bowl?, the same way she scratches the bottom of her litter box, theres nothing to scratch out side her dish but the bare floor, i keep looking but don't see anything,  she does it only occasionally though, also do most cats clean there paws on the edge of the litter box upon leaving the litter box after scratching the bottom of there litter box after doing there business, and when does a kitten graduated to a cat from kitten in months or years??

so many questions, so little time :wink: 

thanks very much, i learn every day about my baby and others :lol:


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## INEEDANAP (May 5, 2003)

When my cats scratch at the edge of the litter box it's more of a sharpening claws thing. The pawing at the ground around the litter box is an instinctual behaviour related to burying their waste out in nature. It's funny one of my cats will clean after the other one by trying to bury whatever it left on the floor. Also it will cough up grass once in a while on the carpet and try to bury it there. Doesn't work so well. :lol:


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## Tiber (May 17, 2003)

yea my cat scratches the litter box, and everything outside of it too...

the thing is, He will go out searching for what school papers, etc i have and bring them all around his litter box and use them to "whipe" his paws with. He doesn't scratch them up, just uses them as a hand towl! :lol: 
So at the end of the week, his litter box has a pile of my old papers around it. I like to think he's a very hygenic little cat (even tho he doesn't bathe himself much, but i take care of that for him!), becuase he'll yowl at my room mate if they for any reason go in the bath room, and do not wash there hands! (even if they dont use the toilet!) 

As for cat behavhior there are a few sites, some more indepth then others, but this is the only one i can remember at the moment...

http://www.feline-behavior.com/
Googles a great way to search things out!


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## bill (May 8, 2003)

quote by(even tho he doesn't bathe himself much, but i take care of that for him!)

can't help but admire you for that :wink: 

thanks for the link, :lol: how about the kitten, to cat, graduation to adulthood, months? year/s??

thanks also INEEDANAP,.. what about when she scratches around outside of her meal bowl like she does inside her litter box?? :wink:


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## INEEDANAP (May 5, 2003)

None of my cats scratch outside their meal bowl. They do try to clean up after dropping food. The pawing thing at the floot. I'd guess it really likes to sharpen its claws. :lol: You better watch out


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## Sol (Feb 20, 2003)

One of my cats scratches around the bowl sometimes and I think she´s trying to hide it, cover it up you know. It´s an instinct from the wild to hide any trace of themselves. I think that´s why they scratch around the bowl but I´m not 100% sure.

Submissive cats tend to erase their tracks more than dominant cats for obvious reasons.


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## bill (May 8, 2003)

very interesting thanks :wink:


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## Bengalsownme (Feb 26, 2003)

My Bengal scratches around her food and water bowls. She is marking her territory...they have oil glands on their paws that secrete their scent.


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

Sol is right. Cats scratch around food for two reasons, one to hide it for later, and two, to keep predators from knowing where they are. These are habits learned in the wild, and the instinct is still there. They scratch outside the litter box to keep predators away.


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