Cats are so commonplace that we scarcely look at what they do and why they do it, but cat behaviour is quite an interesting subject really, particularly for cat owners and animal lovers.
Cat behaviour is normally taken to refer to that of domestic cats, although they do share some characteristics with their larger wild relatives.
A cat’s behaviour largely depends on whether it is a solitary cat or one of several in a household. Cats are normally solitary animals only coming together to mate, although they will usually co-exist with other cats in a house, particularly if they met while they were young or those that were introduced were juvenile.
You may become problems of territorialism if you endeavour to introduce an older cat into a house, where another cat has been living for a time. This is comparable to wild cats, which have their hunting ground that they patrol and delineate with urine and faeces each day. Tom cats sometimes do this at home, much to the annoyance of their owners.
Rubbing has a comparable meaning. A cat rubs with scent glands on its face to mark something as its own, particularly territory, which is all cats actually worry about except food.
Kneading or knitting is another prevalent mannerism in household cats, although it is not really well understood.
One suggestion goes that domestic cats stay juveniles, never really growing up, so kneading is reminiscent of kneading its mother’s teats to encourage the flow milk. Others say that it is reminiscent of flattening grass to create a bed, but this does not seem to explain the ecstasy that cats seem to get from kneading.
We like to hear our cats purr because we see it as a sign of happiness, but is it? Well, it almost certainly is, but it almost certainly comes from the fact that cats are born sightless and, like most babies, fairly stupid, so the sound of mum purring almost certainly attracts the kittens to her for a feed. The ‘memory’ of this glad event almost certainly triggers purring in adult cats.
When a cat arches its back, it is probably telling its aggressor that it is bigger than they think it is. It is also an attack stance. With its back arched, a cat can rear up in order to scratch a taller opponent, but it can also jump or run, whichever action is appropriate. The hissing goes with arching to deter the antagonist.
Cats do not have a broad vocal range and, being nocturnal hunters, they have developed a sort of ‘eye language’. For instance, if a cat is pleased, it’s eyes dilate – a bit like when we look at their loved ones.
However, it also occurs in cats while they are hunting, which might mean either that they enjoy that activity or that they have to get as much light as possible to see by.
Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on several subjects, but is now concerned with feline distemper vaccination. If you want to know more, please visit our website at Distemper Vaccines