Fur, Jaws, and Claws

posted by fmoore on Nov 27

While cats can’t talk, they are extremely good at communicating. We are going to discuss three ways in which they communicate: purring, licking and marking.Purring is how cats communicate amongst us and amongst themselves. Cats purr to let us know that they are happy, they purr when they want adult cats to play with them, they purr when a superior cat is trying to approach another cat in a friendly manner, or most importantly, they purr to let a mother know that her kittens are in good health.

Licking is how cats communicate amongst themselves and how they keep themselves clean. By nature, cats are very clean animals. It is not uncommon to come across a stray cat, and find that is just as clean as the cat you keep in your home. Male cats will lick female cats while courting and a mother cat will lick its kittens to help stimulate excretion.

Marking is how cats communicate amongst other cats. They like to mark their territory so that other cats know whose property they are on. They will generally do this by backing up to an object, tree or plant, where they believe another cat has been, and spray urine that will leave a pungent scent that other cats will notice. Cats have another form of marking their territory by rubbing the corners of their mouths and their temples against objects as these areas have scent glands.

Sometimes cats might even do this when they feel threatened. They can in fact get quite jealous if they think another cat is getting their share of the attention. This can happen where there is more than one cat in the family and one of those cats is trying to assert itself.

In circumstances such as this one, one may run into a problem where a cat might spray inside the house. Unfortunately this can becomes a difficult situation, as you feel like reprimanding the cat, whereas in reality, assuring the cat has your support might be the fastest solution to stop this from happening.In conclusion, cats are quite happy to be on their own and prefer the company of humans and cats equally.

To you, your family and your cat I wish you all a very, very Happy Thanksgiving. In light of whatever it is you, your family, or your cat are going through there IS something to be thankful for. Take care.

posted by fmoore on Nov 21

Cats LOVE to be touched, stroked, and petted.

They absolutely love to rub their bodies up against their owners in a show of affection and to leave their scent as a sign of ownership. Cats not only derive pleasure from having humans pat them, they also enjoy the company and bodily contact of fellow cats. They exhibit the same behavior with other cats as they rub up against one another, but it is usually only a sign of affection when they do this.

Where cats are living together in harmony, or wherere they have been brought up together, they will often sleep curled up together and also groom one another. They feel a sense of comfort, security, and warmth by sharing their space with another cat and sleeping beside each other. This happens more often with neutered female cats than with male cats, although it is not uncommon to see male cats grooming one another too.

This is one of the reasons why it is well worth considering getting two kittens from a litter rather than one kitten when choosing.

However, keep in mind that male cats will rarely groom female cats. So, if you decide to choose two kittens, pick either two female kittens or two male kittens, NOT one of each. It is a higher probability they will socialize better if they are the same gender.

Often, where there are two cats in the family, each cat will claim ownership of one member of the family. If there is only one person in the household, that person will need to ensure that the amount of time is spent equally with both cats so that one cat doesn’t become jealous of the other. This can, and will,  lead to behavioral problems with one, or possibly both, cats.

If you are in the process of adopting a new cat, or cats, be sure to do your homework on behavior and socialization of that particular breed. Adopting a cat is just like adopting children. You must put the same time and effort into choosing the right kitten, or kittens, so that they can have the best quality of life possible. You are the window into how they see the world. Make sure it is a clear window.