Understanding Your Cat's Communication

Cats have always been considered rather mysterious creatures. While cats have a universal way to communicate with each other, they have different ways of communicating with us. Every cat has a different personality but loving owners come to recognize their unique traits. Here are some ways they express themselves.

Body Language

Cats are quick, active and muscular felines. They have athletic bodies and move gracefully. Their lean bodies can be very expressive. When your cat sprawls out in front of you, he is feeling confident and relaxed. If he rolls onto his back showing his belly, he is feeling lazy and in good spirits. This is considered a sign that he feels loved and protected. If his paws are curved under him, he is feeling secure.

Eye Contact

Your cats eyes are very expressive. When your cat stares into your eyes, it's considered a gesture of affection. Researchers claim, if your cat stares into your eyes than blinks, opens its eyes wide, stares and blinks again, that this is like your cat giving you a kiss. A sure sign that he trusts and loves you. If his eyes are dilated, this is a sign of fear. Watch your cats eyes, dilated pupils mean something has caused fear in him. When they become aggressive, their eyes may turn into narrow slits.

Tail Movement

A cats' tail will give you insight into your cats mind. When they hold their tail straight up, they are demonstrating confidence and pride. They move with a pompous regal stride. If your cat has its tail upright with a slight curve at the top, this is considered a sign of happiness and warmth. Watch for the fluffy bottle brush tail. This is an indication of fear and false courage. Your cat may greet you with quick swings of its tail which means he's happy to see you.

Purring

Purring is probably the most known form of communication owners recognize. While there are many mysteries behind purring, most owners feel it means their cat is happy. Many times cats purr when you scratch that special spot or rub against their head while relaxing. It means your living with your kitty in harmony. This is, no doubt, the best sound cats make. However, your cat may purr if it's in pain as well.

Vocal Sounds

Cats can very vocal when they want. When dinner time is approaching, your cat may follow you around meowing for his food. Other times, he may meow to try to locate you in the house. When he's playful, he may "talk" to encourage you to play. Of course, we all know of the high-pitched screech a cat can make when frightened.

Following You

Your cat truly enjoys your company when he follows you around. He may jump from surface to surface just to be close to you. This is thought to be a very loving gesture and says he wants to spend time with you.

Every cat has a different way to communicate with us. They show their feelings in ways we don't always recognize. Watch for some of these common signs to see how your cat is feeling.

I have always had Zoro in my home. Watching the way he communicates is so much fun. He can be so expressive. Enjoy every gesture and conversation you have with your cats.

Credit: Tammy Thomas

Cat Psychology - Is My Cat Frightened?

Fear in cats and anger have a few elements in common and both come from the same set of instincts - the ones that tell them to fight, flee or freeze. These instincts are used by most animals to judge a situation and their reaction to it. But what other signs are there that a cat is frightened and what can be done to calm them down?

Signs of fear

A frightened cat will often show signs associated with anger because this is better than showing fear. They will hiss, spit and growl at the cause of their fear while making themselves look big and fearsome by standing their fur on end, called piloerection. If the cause of the fear comes closer to them, they will scratch, swipe or bite the object to try to get it to leave them alone and this can be nasty if your hand is the object in question.

A frightened cat is most likely to retreat to a hiding spot, often behind a sofa, under a bed or other dark and sheltered spot. This is where they feel safe and that they defend the position against an attacker. Alternatively, if the cat is caught out in the open it is likely to freeze as many predators work by motion and cannot detect prey that stays perfectly still as easily as moving prey.

Another sign of fear is losing control of their bladder or bowels outside the litter box. This is particularly common in younger cats who have less control of their waterworks and in older cats for the same reason. This may accompany freezing in one place as the fear causes the reaction and their instinct tells them to stay perfectly still.

Causes of fear

Lots of things can cause a fear reaction in a cat, some seem natural and other completely irrational. Cats can even suffer from phobias, often beginning when they are young and have negative experiences that form into a phobia of the stimulus involved.

Cats can be afraid of another animal, especially one seen as a predator such as a dog. They can also be frightened by people they don't know or even a specific person they do know if they have negative connections in their mind. Kids often frightened cats because they move quickly and make loud, random noises that the cats can't understand. Loud noises also cause fear, which is why if you drop something, the cat will often flee even if the falling item doesn't touch them. This is why fireworks are particularly stressful for cats even without seeing the lights - the loud bang makes them jump and they cannot see anything causing it.

Dealing with a frightened cat

The most important thing to remember when dealing with a frightened cat is that you can't talk them down, calm them down or force them to stop being frightened. If you approach them in this state, you are likely to receive an injury. Give them space, try to keep everything relatively calm and quiet and leave them in their hiding place until they have calmed down.

Credit: Angela Tempest

Why Do Cats Stretch So Much?

If there were an Olympic event for stretching, cats would win gold. They're constantly stretching their muscles, likely for many of the same reasons that people do.

The main reasons? It feels good and increases blood flow, said Andrew Cuff, a postdoctoral researcher of anatomy at the Royal Veterinary College in London.

Cats sleep between 12 and 16 hours a day, about twice as much as people do, according to Rubin Naiman, a clinical psychologist at the University of Arizona, as reported by the Huffington Post. When humans sleep, the brain paralyzes most of the body's muscles to prevent people from acting out their dreams. The same thing happens to cats during catnaps, which prevents the cat from sleepwalking off the sofa or wherever it's snoozing, Cuff said.

Once the cat wakes up, the stretching begins.

"Cats stretch to get their muscles moving again after periods of inactivity, whether they've been sitting still or sleeping".

When a cat is sleeping or relaxed, its blood pressure drops, Cuff said. The same is true for people, he added. Stretching can help to reverse that.

"As you stretch, it activates all of your muscles and increases your blood pressure, which increases the amount of blood flowing to the muscles and also to the brain," Cuff said. "This helps wake you up and make you more alert."

As the muscles start moving with each stretch, they also flush out the toxins and waste byproducts that build up during periods of inactivity. For instance, carbon dioxide and lactic acid can accumulate in a cat's body, but stretching can increase blood and lymph circulation, which helps to remove the toxins, he said.

What's more, stretching readies the muscles for activity. If a mouse scurries by — or, let's be honest, a spider if we're talking about house cats — the cat will be prepared to pounce if he or she has already stretched its muscles.

"It's good for them to be ready to go at any instant," Cuff said. "Whether it's a snake, a feather or something on TV, as the case may be with cats."

credit: Laura Geggel