Why do some cats treat one human member of the household differently?
They’re much smarter than we give them credit for: They learn what works with what person. They know if [one member of the family] is prone to get up at 4 a.m. and give them some treats.
Why do cats knead us?
They are using behavior that they would use toward their mother—all the behavior they show toward us is derived in some way from the mother-kitten relationship. The kitten learns to raise its tail, rub on its mother, and knead and purr. Grooming is what mothers do back to kittens.
So they’re using bits of behavior already in their repertoire to communicate with us. There aren’t very many behaviors—maybe half a dozen.
Yes. Cats can learn what they’re not supposed to do. If your cat has developed a habit [of jumping up on the kitchen table], there are limited ways to prevent it.
You could use a spring-loaded toy, so when a cat jumps up on something, the toy goes bang and up in the air—the cat doesn’t like that and jumps down. Another reasonably benign [strategy] is to use a child’s water pistol. But make sure the cat doesn’t realize you’ve got it. Cats don’t forgive, and once they realize a person is causing them anxiety or hurt, they keep away.
