Sharing Space

Cats' social lives and territorial relations are heavily dependent on time sharing. Cats in a multi-pet household work out agreements between themselves about who will get to occupy the pillows on your bed or the sun puddle in the living room and when.

For example, the top cat may lay claim to a fleece blanket on the right-hand side of the sofa, but both the top cat and the lower-ranking cats understand that they can use that space whenever the top cat isn't there. Favorite spots can change, though: if a lower-ranking cat has been sleeping on the bed while you get dressed in the morning, but the top cat decides one day that she wants to have your attention while you're dressing, the other cat will have to go somewhere else.

Toilet Paper

Some cats are so mellow that they never get into anything or cause problems with their curiosity. But most cats are more like my Mr. Ed, whose curiosity and love of scratching combined to one day create a house lined almost completely with toilet paper.

What is the draw of toilet paper for felines? It feels good to dig their claws into and most cats love to shred things.

There are some simple ways to foil your TPer. If your cat is mostly tempted to just unroll the roll, simply make sure the tissue does not roll over the top toward the front. He will get discouraged and give up eventually. If you have a destructive TPer, put your toilet paper in a container that has a covered opening. You can also put the toilet paper out of your cat's reach if you have a counter he can't get to.