Bored Panda got in touch with Joey Lusvardi, Certified Cat Behavior Consultant at Class Act Cats and he was kind enough to answer some of our questions. First and foremost, cats can often be pretty aloof, so we wanted to hear what sort of behavior is evidence that your cat likes you.

“Cats can show affection and that they like us in a variety of ways. The most straightforward one is that your cat will seek out spending time near you. They may not always be sitting on your lap, but they may curl up next to you or will follow you from room to room. Your cat may make biscuits and purr.”

“Cats might also do a behavior called bunting where they give you a “love headbutt.” This is a way of them saying they want their pheromones all over you because you’re something they like. It’s not an aggressive behavior despite potentially seeming aggressive. As odd as it may sound, your cat tolerating some of the annoying things we do to cats is another sign they really like you. For example, if you pick your cat up in a way that is uncomfortable and your cat lets you, that means they like and trust you enough to at least put up with being picked up temporarily. That doesn’t mean you should do things to annoy them, but it’s a sign that they like you despite how you interact with them.”

Cat owners are probably also aware of the ruckus your feline can make, particularly, for some reason, at night, so we wanted to learn more about it. “The “nightly freakout” is likely a case of the zoomies. The technical term is a frenetic random activity period. Basically, the cats will get a sudden burst of energy and run around seemingly without purpose.”

“We’re not fully sure why they happen, but one of the most likely explanations has to do with a cat’s hunting cycle. Cats are crepuscular so they are most active around sunrise and sunset. The night zoomies are a manifestation of the cat being ready to hunt and their normal sleep/wake cycle. It could also be due to boredom or a lack of stimulation. If you’re not playing with your cat regularly, you might see them run around at night because they don’t have anything to do. Some cats will also get a sudden burst of energy after they poop. If your cat typically poops at night, it may be the poop zoomies.”

Similarly, we were also interested to learn if you could train a cat like you would a dog. “Cats can absolutely be trained in similar ways to dogs. Cats are very good at picking up on patterns that get them things they like whether that’s a tasty treat or attention from a favorite human. If you are intentional and careful about rewarding them for a behavior you want them to do more, you can eventually add in a cue to get them to do the behavior in response to it. Cats can do a lot of really neat tricks.”

“An easy one to start with is teaching your cat to touch their nose to your finger. Present your finger to your cat and wait for them to touch their nose to it. When they do, say something like, “great” or “treat.” Quickly give them a treat. Repeat this until they’re doing it reliably. Once they are doing it without issue, you can teach your cat to follow your finger around by gradually adding in movement.”

While not really that practical, I taught my cat Zoloft to press the Y button on my Nintendo Switch. When I got to the end of Tears of the Kingdom, I had him press the button to deliver the finishing blow to the final boss. I like to say I trained him to vanquish evil. If your cat is physically capable of doing it, you can train them to do almost anything. He was a very smart cat! Not every cat will be as easily trained on every behavior and not every behavior will be easy to teach, but you get a lot of things on a cue if you work at it. Another training tip is to focus on getting your cat to do the behavior reliably before attempting to add in a cue. Your cat doesn’t understand what you’re saying and isn’t ignoring you to be a jerk. They likely don’t know what you’re asking them to do and it will just confuse them if you try to get them to sit by saying “sit” repeatedly when they don’t know what that means yet.”

Lastly, we wanted to hear if he had any remaining tips and tricks. “Not the most exciting thing to train in the world, but it’s a really good idea to get your cat used to taking medications before they need them. It isn’t always easy to get a cat to take medications, but if you prepare ahead of time you can go slower and it will ultimately be less stressful on both of you. I like hiding medications in an empty gelatin capsule because it masks the taste better than just mixing it in foods.”

“A pill launcher is a great tool that you can get your cat to use by making it a fun game. Get them used to licking a tasty treat off the end of the pill launcher. Begin feeding them small pieces of treats with the pill launcher so it becomes associated with some good. After they know that the pill launcher means good things, you can occasionally sneak an empty capsule in between the treats.”

“If needed, cover the capsule in a bit of a lickable treat like a Churu or even a small amount of butter to help make it more enjoyable for them. When your cat actually needs a pill, you can just play the pill launcher game with them. This process can (and should) be used to help them get used to getting medications from a syringe, too. Instead of a treat, you can use a bit of diluted Churu or tuna juice.” If you want to see more of his work, check out Class Act Cats.