From scratching the furniture and climbing the curtains, to clawing your hands or waking you up in the early hours, if your cat is causing chaos at home, you might think they’re being deliberately mischievous.

Whether your cat is a furry bundle of energy or more of a chilled out moggy, it’s important that they have the opportunity to show their playful side. As well as being great for their physical health – all that running, jumping and pouncing helps to prevent them from becoming a bit chunky – play is also great for their mental wellbeing.

Cat zoomies, mad-half hour, climbing up the walls – there are a number of phrases for that time of day, usually early in the morning or evening, when your cat runs frantically around the house for no apparent reason.

Do you have some cat siblings at home? This Siblings Day, discover some fascinating facts about feline brothers and sisters and share the sibling love by sending us photos of your littermates on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram!

While some confident cats may be happy to approach a stranger for a fuss, many cats will be wary of new people. If you’ve just brought a shy cat home, or want to become best buddies with a friend or family member’s cat, there are some simple tricks you can use to gain their trust.

Currently it’s advised that if you’re self-isolating due to COVID-19, you should minimise the amount of time your cat spends outdoors unsupervised if possible. If your cat usually spends a lot of time roaming outside, you might be concerned about how to keep them happy indoors.

Even if you have a confident cat who loves to weave around your legs and sit on you at the most inconvenient times, they may still appear nervous from time to time.

Cats arrive in Cats Protection’s care for a number of reasons. Perhaps they’ve been found abandoned and living on the street, or maybe their loving owner could no longer keep them or had passed away.

As any cat owner will know, it’s usually quite easy to tell where a cat has been – just follow the trail of fur! While it can mean a bit of extra vacuuming for us, it’s completely normal for cats to shed or moult their fur.

No matter how well you think you know cats, there is always something new to learn about our feline friends. They can have some curious and confusing behaviours, from sleeping in strange places around the house to chasing anything that moves.