Do You Understand Cats?

[SoDesuKa]

I've never understood why cats have a reputation for being "mysterious." They seem like pretty straightforward animals to me.

It's true that they don't knock themselves out to please people the way dogs do. And they don't do tricks for food the way dogs do either. However, they are sociable in their own way. If cats find you likeable, they'll let you know.

Their needs are fairly simple - food and water, a place to lie down, and a litter box. There's no "guesswork" as far as I can tell. Maybe I'm missing out on something. All the cats I've known have acted like, well, cats. There's no big mystery to them.

[AllenVanAllen]

1. That's a pretty dead-on description of our little feline friends.

I never had any cats up until 15 years ago but I am well versed in cat language now. With cats you just have to pay attention them. They're usually pretty clear about their needs.

[Arugula Latte]

2. I do feel I understand them. I feel deeply connected to them, and I understand their body language.

e.g. eye squints-- communicating contentment and friendliness. I squinted at a beautiful male lion in a zoo a and he immediately squinted back. I walked around and repeated the experiment several times -- he always responded.

Gawd, I love kitties. I feel a deep overwhelming love for kitties on a far deeper level than I do for other animals, and I am a big animal person.

[AllenVanAllen]

4. I did the same thing with the tiger

the last time I went to the zoo. I also used the "cat-click" with my voice to initially get his attention. It was very cool.
Cats little and small are so similar!

[Demoiselle]

17. What is a "cat click?"

Is it that little squeak they make? (I live with six cats and I can't quite figure out what qualifies as a cat click. Please let me know so I can try it out on them.
And on the big cats at our zoo.

[AllenVanAllen]

20. It's really a universal animal call really.

It's also used to get horses attention as well. It's probably better known for that purpose. The sound is made by creating suction using the tip of your tongue and the roof of your mouth in repetition click, click, click, click. It's almost what it would sound like if you tasted something very biter. Does that make any sense? :hi:

[Demoiselle]

31. YES. I've never tried it with cat. I tend to miaow at them instead.

[timtom]

35. I "meow" to them, as well.

But, to be honest, I also "moo" at cows. And, then I call out, "Hello, Mr. Cow."

They never answer...

[WolverineDG]

16. head-butting - we're family

got a feral to really calm down once I started giving her head butts (once she got past the "always greet people with pointy things" stage of course)

dg

[Arugula Latte]

18. Oh yeah, I do that all the time with my felines.

Sometimes my boy cats really clunk their skulls into mine pretty hard! My girl kitty is more delicate. :)

[SoDesuKa]

23. I'm Going to Try That

I never thought of head butting as signifying a family relationship, but I'm going to try it. Otis gets very demanding for attention at times. Maybe a couple of head butts will catch him off guard.

I heard a woman describe her intimate social circle as her litter mates. I thought it was very descriptive.

[Arugula Latte]

29. I've got an Otis myself.

:hi:

[krispos42]

3. Keep your fingers away from the pointy parts...

and rub head-to-tail, not tail-to-head.


Ta-da!

[GoddessOfGuinness]

6. And Don't tutch the but

:rofl:

[musette_sf]

27. + 1

[EFerrari]

5. Cats do try to please you but they do it like cats

not like dogs do it.

I live with one little attention ho who throws herself on her back and rubs her head on the rug to show me how much she wants to allow me to rub her tummy. And then there are the daily presents of big arched tails under my nose. Who says cats don't knock themselves out? lol

[coyotespaw]

7. Then explain to me

why my cat decided to run as fast as she could and proceeded to headbutt me on the side of my head. She had a full dish of cat fud, a full dish of water, a clean litterbox, a bunch of toys to play with; and she'd recently been petted for the better part of a half hour. Most of the time she's a sweet little fuzzball, but every now and again; with no explanation or reason, she decides to act goofier than Amy Winehouse at an all-you-can-snort coke party.

[wininboy]

11. In general terms, it's simple to explain

Basically, in the past your cat was somehow rewarded for butting her head on you. Maybe, the first few times she did it, you ran around trying to please her. She liked that and so she developed a positive association with the behavior.

[Orsino]

8. Fairly well, I think.

A cat is more the solitary hunter than the pack member looking to an alpha. Cats are more self-sufficient, and generally more involved in doing their own thing than in hanging on their owners' every word and action.

[wickerwoman]

30. Cats are very social though.

My cats don't whine for attention but they definitely orbit... whichever room I'm in, they seem to be about arms reach away, just hanging out.

If you've ever owned one cat and then owned two, the experience is completely different. One cat sleeps *all* day, two cats spend at least a few hours a day trying to eat each other and running around like maniacs.

I would never keep just one cat again... it's obvious that company brings out their true cat natures.

On a sadder note, both of my cats have gotten quite ill over psychological issues related to the stress of moving and being around new people. They definitely notice when the important people in their lives aren't around any more.

[Orsino]

36. Oh, yeah.

My eldest cat has taken to orbiting (that's the term we use, too), though he doesn't like being picked up and rarely even sits close. I've had a couple that whine for attention, including one that insists on getting on my chest when I lie down.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

9. yes. my cat makes a lot more sense to me than my dog

[Haole Girl]

10. I think so

They (my cats anyway) can certainly be unpredictable at times, though.

[Captain Hilts]

12. Our cats have been like dogs you don't have to bathe. They come when called, etc. nt

[charlie and algernon]

13. I understand my cat

I know what her different meows, purrs, noises mean. I think I have a good grasp on what her different looks mean, how she looks at me. But I think if you spend seven days a week with ANY person or animal you're going to figure them out pretty well.

[Rob H.]

14. Yep

My family has had cats ever since I was a little kid 35+ years ago, so I understand them pretty well. They all have their own weird little quirks and habits and it's impossible not to love them for their eccentricities. I read in The New York Times recently that more and more men are adopting cats these days, and I'm surprised it's taken so long for most men to realize how easy they are to care for and what great companions they can be--maybe it's because cats aren't usually seen as a "manly" pet? :shrug:

[rrneck]

15. Attitude I guess.

Dogs relate.

Cats hang out.

[JitterbugPerfume]

19. It is enough to love them

all of my cats have different personalities

[Ikonoklast]

21. I understand our cats completely.

Not only that, but wherever I go, and someone has a kitty, within a few minutes the kitty is usually either twining their tails around my legs, head-bumping my knee, or have jumped into my lap for a good rub-up.

Cats know who the people are, that like cats.


Oh, and I have three cats that fetch. You ask Missy, Mu, or Thomas to 'get the mousey', and they scare up the closest one and will drop it in your lap, and wait for you to throw.

They'll bring it right back, drop it in my hand, and wait, all tense and ready to spring, for me to throw it again.

[SoDesuKa]

22. Cat Magnetism

You clearly have some qualities that cats look for in people. My friend Mike is like that. When he comes over, the cats go right up to him. Not so my daughter. They don't run away from her but they don't go out of their way to get to know her.

Strange cats don't entirely trust me, but some of them do. They make up for the ferals that run away from me and hurt my feelings.

[Ikonoklast]

24. I am nothing compared to my second-oldest son.

The Tux in my sig-line was an abandoned feral. Mu was two doors away, crying piteously for his mother, barely three weeks old, when he saw my son working on his car.

He made a bee-line to him, calling out in that high-pitched call kittens use to get their mother's attention. It was if he knew he would be taken care of.

[Mutley]

26. Hehe, my cat fetches, too.

He likes to fetch balls of paper.

[hippywife]

25. You must have boring cats. LOL

In addition to the things listed above, my current cats need lots of running space in the house, kisses on the lips, lots of petting, and their own space on the bed at night, usually around my head.

I have had cats in the past that also needed green olives and angel food cake.

The only thing I don't understand is why with two scratch boxes, and a fear and loathing for the squirt bottle, my orange tabby still insists on scratching the chairs. She gets the water torture and runs like crazy with me chasing her while I squirt her until she's soaked. She absolutely hates it, but it never stops her from doing it again. :shrug:

[TrogL]

28. you've obviously never owned a psycho-kitty

midnight cat stampedes - it's a 12 foot hallway where do they think they're going?

walking through walls

disappearing for three days (inside the house) then showing up as if nothing had happened

fluffballing at hallucinations

skydive airborne attacks off high furniture

sleeping in uncomfortable places (eg. on sharp objects)

howling at nothing in particular

getting scared by a blank wall, bolting for the basement knocking over everything in it's path ending with a huge crash knocking over both litter boxes

snarling and purring at the same time

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

33. That's not a psycho kitty; that's a normal kitty.

[Liberalynn]

32. When that tail starts to twich

ever so slowly back and forth, its time to give kitty his/her private space. :rofl:

[LisaL]

34. You are confusing mysterious with aloof.

[kedrys]

37. I've had the benefit of living with a cat family for several years

Triplets (now 8), twins (now 7), and we had their dad until last year (different moms though). All rescues. Observing them in a kitty social context is endlessly entertaining and edifying.