Your cat can't speak, so it's important to be able to use your intuition and develop your sensitivity to understand your cat's needs. This is important in terms of cat training, figuring out potential health problems and helping with your cat's behavior.

Do you notice differences in behavior of your cat or kitten? Sometimes you can pick up a health issue due to a change in behavior. For instance, are you noticing that your cat has changed where it sleeps or it's pattern? Is your cat not greeting you in it's customary way?

Certain health problems are obvious. For instance, sometimes when a cat has a urinary tract infection it will just stay over the litter box. This is an obvious sign, but often the signs are more subtle.

Sometimes cats will be aggressive and like to fight or even hiss. I had a neighbor's cat over once who would sense when I was about to pick him up to return to his owner and he would hiss at me to stop this. It can be scary for a child to hear a cat hiss at them. Some cats will do this when they sense they are going to the vet as well. Cats can also scratch and bite and this may have been learned from a previous environment, picked up by being with other animals or a basic personality trait. Be careful about an aggressive cat as you don't want scratches to get infected. Give them time to be alone and show your care and nurture.

Just like people, giving unconditional love coupled with firmness, will develop trust and a safe environment for your kitty or cat. We love to hear them purr and cuddle with us and this can be very comforting and soothing.