Cat behavior
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Cat behavior is how cats interact with other cats, animals, and their environment.
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[edit] Body language
Cats rely strongly on body language to communicate.
- Disgust — lifting or constant shaking of a paw or paws. The more times the paw is shaken, the stronger the cat's feeling; this can sometimes be a four paw affair with each paw being lifted and shaken in turn. This is possibly related to the identical action displayed after stepping in water. Displeasure at a situation can be shown by moving the ears back.
- Agitation or Aggression — the swishing or sweeping of the tail in a wide swath, in mid-air or against a person. Tail flicking indicates inner conflict, while wide tail swishing shows external conflict. Further irritation may result in the cat moving or leaving the room.
- Contentedness — Kneading with the paws on a person or, for example, a favorite blanket or sleeping spot. Young kittens knead their mother's nipples to stimulate the feeding reflex in her so that her milk flows for the kittens to suckle on. Cats may knead for a short or extended period of time; the extended period is sometimes interpreted by people as a sign of discomfort or restlessness, but it is more likely the cat is happy. Most cats will demonstrate this for about ten minutes at the longest, although some have been known to knead and suckle on their favorite human's shirt or ear lobe over the course of an entire night. Researchers at Oxford University have demonstrated that cats derive immense pleasure from kneading, similar to the relaxing sensation of snacking on fond foods or massages in humans.
- Relaxation — sprawling on the side or back and, possibly, rolling about; this may be seen, for example, when a person enters the room or stirs from their seat. The cat may display this at the same time as the person's movement.
- Affection — a pressing of the face or top of the head against a person's body (head rubbing), leaving a scent as a marking of territory. Rubbing in quick succession. Cats may also slowly blink as an expression of affection or security.[1] Many cats also use a question mark-shaped tail to show desire to greet someone they are fond of.
- Submission — Upon being approached, it will fall down on its side, indicating it is not seeking attention and is unwilling to put up a fight. Rolling on its back and wriggling about is also a demonstration of submission, but different in nature to a dog's submission. Cats submit only when they want to, not because they think they have to, and this action is a statement of a good deal of trust. It is not a request for belly strokes.
- Interest and rejection - The position of the ears communicates the degree of desire to engage with the situation around them. Ears up and moved slightly forward shows real interest in what is going on, while ears moved backward shows distaste and desire to not engage with the situation. Cats show disapproval by moving their ears back, an equivalent of a human frown. A cat will either move a little or give a faint "meow" if it does not want to be picked up.
[edit] Scent rubbing
This behavior is used primarily to claim ownership of something: although female cats do not spray, unlike male cats. Once male cats are neutered the scent rubbing or spraying will wear out or stop.
[edit] Courting
Cats, compared to many other mammals, have a unique courting style. Courtship consists of firstly the female coming into season, or 'heat'. Male cats will be able to smell a female cat in heat miles away, and will therefore be seeking her out. Males will fight mercilessly for the right to be the first to mate with the female. After the dominant male has left, the less dominant males will then each mate with the female in turn. It is therefore possible that even if a male cat loses first breeding rights, he can still be the father. This is also the reason that a litter of kittens can have two or sometimes even three fathers.
[edit] Vocal calls
- Purring — Purring is often a sign of contentment. Some cats purr when they are in extreme pain, or in labor, simply to try to calm themselves down. Purring therefore can be a sign of pleasure or pain; usually it is the former. Scientists have not yet been able to discover how purring works, but it is suspected that it is caused by minute vibrations in the voice box.
- Greeting — A particular sort of vocalization, such as a low meow or chirp, possibly with simultaneous purring.
- Distress — Mewing is a plea for help or attention often made by kittens. There are two basic types of this call, one more loud and frantic, the other more high-pitched. In older cats it is more of a panicky repeated meow.
- Attention — Often simple meows and mews in both older cats and young kittens. A commanding meow is a command for attention, food, or to be let out.
- Protest — Whining meows.
- Frustration — A strong sigh or exhaled snort.
- Happy — A meow that starts low then goes up and comes back down.
- Watching/Interest — Cats will often "chatter" or "chirrup" on seeing something of interest out of the window. This is sometimes attributed to mimicking birdsong to attract prey or draw others attention to it, but often birds are not present. Bengals and Tabbies seem more likely to display this behavior.[citation needed]
[edit] Righting reflex
The righting reflex is the ability for cats to land on their feet with little or no injury. They can do this more easily than other animals due to their flexible spine and lack of a collar bone. Cats also use vision and/or their vestibular apparatus to help tell which way to turn. They then can stretch themselves out and relax their muscles. Cats do not always land unharmed. They can break bones or die from excessive falls. [2]
[edit] Food eating patterns
Cats are obligate carnivores, and can survive without vegetation. Felines in the wild will usually hunt smaller mammals regularly throughout the day to keep themselves nourished. Domestic cats, however, are used to a relaxed lifestyle and, therefore, will eat even smaller amounts, but more regularly. Because of this, the domestic cat's intestinal tract is longer due to the lack of need to digest quickly[citation needed]. Many cats will find and chew small quantities of long grass.
[edit] Food covering
Cats scratch at the ground around food to cover it, for three reasons. First it makes the food less visible to others, reducing its chances of being taken. Second it keeps insects off the food, and third by excluding sun and air circulation it slows the food's drying out. With too much covering the food will tend to mold, with not enough it will dry. Thus the covering behaviour varies according to the condition of the food, with food sometimes being well covered, sometimes lightly, and sometimes left uncovered.
[edit] Socialization
Kittens are naturally scared of people at first, but if handled and well cared for in the first 16 weeks, they will develop trust in the humans who care for them. For the ability to relate to other humans, kittens also need to be socialized at an early age, which consists of meeting a variety of humans and other domestic animals.
It is a challenge to socialize an adult feral cat. Socialized grown up feral cats tend to trust only those people they have learned over time can be trusted, and can be very fearful around strangers.
Cats can be extremely friendly companions. The strength of the cat-human bond usually depends on the human behaviour, whether the human is always gentle and considerate, takes time for affection when the cat wants and knows when to stop when the cat grows tired of it, responds to the cat's needs and wants, and appreciates the cat. The formula for a successful relationship thus has much in common with human to human relationships.
Some people regard cats as sneaky, shy, or aloof animals. Cats have an inherent distrust for predator species such as humans, and often seek to minimize any contact with people they do not perceive as trustworthy. Feline shyness and aggression around people with cat social skills is often a result of lack of socialization, abuse or neglect. Cats relate to humans differently than dogs, and enjoy some time on their own each day as well as time with humans.
Cats have a strong 'escape' instinct. Attempts to corner, capture or herd a cat can thus provoke powerful fear-based escape behavior. Socialization greatly reduces the number of humans that a cat will respond to in this way, socialization is a process of learning that many humans can be trusted.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Cat Eye Blinking. NEWTON (2004-06-08).
- ^ Adams, Cecil (1996-07-19). Do cats always land unharmed on their feet, no matter how far they fall?. The Straight Dope. Chicago Reader. Retrieved on 2007-11-07.
