Cat Facts -- Ten Facts About Feline Behavior
Kurt Schmitt
March 24, 2008
If you're a true cat lover, chances are that one of the reasons you love felines is their display of independence. When they pay us some attention, we usually feel honored. A cat that asks for a belly scratch should be given your full attention.
If you often wonder what your cat is thinking, you're not alone. Cats are mysterious creatures and we're often not sure why they behave the way they do. As pet owners, of course, one of our tasks is to learn how to better care for our cats. Below is a list of interesting cat facts that may help bring you and your little cat buddy closer together.
1. I want to be alone. Cats are not pack animals like dogs. Cats who are forced to live closer to other cats than they normally would will tend to time share their territory.
2. Kitten's get their friendly traits and tendency to be social from their father's genes (mostly), and their mother's teachings.
3. A kitten's socialization process is most important when she is between two and seven weeks old.
4. When recovering from a trauma, such as a car accident, cats can go through a second socialization process. This can sometimes result in the cat becoming more social after the fact. In other cases, felines can become withdrawn after experiencing trauma.
5. Domestic cats descended from solitary creatures. Being solitary and hunting alone by nature, they have a limited set of communication skills for confrontation, especially body language. In fact, after a peaceful resolution to a confrontation, the loser has to back away slowly so as not to incite a chase.
6. In order to make up for a limited set of communication skills, cats need to use scent markings to send and receive messages. They also need to be fast and agile!
7. Your cat will rub her scent glands all over her territory in order to leave her mark. She'll also rub her scent on you and other animals in the house. This creates a communal scent indicating that these animals are part of her social group. Feel special that your cat owns you and marks you as hers.
8. Cats will often raise their back ends up so as to better scent a hand. They'll also often stiffen their tail, but keep it bent as they scent you up.
9. A vertical tail is a sign of happiness, and also used as a greeting. Your cat would probably like it better if you had a tail too, but I guess you'll have to do as is.
10. When the front paws are curled up and tucked in, and the back legs are outstretched to the side, your cat is relaxed and secure.
If you take a minute to read between the lines, most of these cat facts will allow you to better understand how your cat communicates.