Cat behavior

Cat behavior encompasses the actions and reactions displayed by a cat in response to various stimuli and events. Cat behavior includes body language, elimination habits, aggression, play, communication, hunting, grooming, urine marking, and face rubbing. It varies among individuals, colonies, and breeds. Communication and sociability can vary greatly among individual cats. In a family with many cats, the interactions can change depending on which individuals are present and how restricted the territory and resources are. One or more individuals may become aggressive: fighting may occur with the attack, resulting in scratches and deep bite wounds.

Cat behavior encompasses the actions and reactions displayed by a cat in response to various stimuli and events. Cat behavior includes body language, elimination habits, aggression, play, communication, hunting, grooming, urine marking, and face rubbing. It varies among individuals, colonies, and breeds. Communication and sociability can vary greatly among individual cats. In a family with many cats, the interactions can change depending on which individuals are present and how restricted the territory and resources are. One or more individuals may become aggressive: fighting may occur with the attack, resulting in scratches and deep bite wounds. ==Communication== Kittens vocalize early in development. Some examples of different vocalizations are described below. Purring – Commonly associated with relaxation and contentment in cats. Cats purr during activities such as: eating and resting, as well as when they are experiencing stress, pain, or illness. Meowing – It serves various communicative purposes in cats. It can function as a greeting, a request, a form of protest, or a general expression of attention-seeking behavior. Some cats have been observed vocalizing while moving through their environment, seemingly meowing to themselves. Hissing or spitting – This indicates an angry or defensive cat. Yowling or Howling – It is a prolonged loud meow sound that a cat would make to indicate that they are in distress. The distress could be multiple indications, such as being trapped, in pain, or simply looking for their owners. Chattering – This occurs when hunting or tracking potential prey. This consists of quick chirps made while the mouth vibrates. The gaze is fixed and staring. This behavior may be in response to a surge of adrenaline or may be caused by the anticipation of a pending hunt. ===Body language=== Cats rely strongly on body language to communicate. A cat may rub against an object or lick a person. Much of a cat's body language is through its tail, ears, head position, and back posture. ===Scent rubbing and spraying=== These behaviors are thought to be a way of marking territory. Facial marking behavior is used to mark their territory as "safe". The cat rubs its cheeks on prominent objects in the preferred territory, depositing a chemical pheromone, known as a contentment pheromone. Synthetic versions of the feline facial pheromone are available commercially. Cats have anal sacs or scent glands. Scent is deposited on the feces as it is eliminated. Unlike intact male cats, female and neutered male cats usually do not spray urine. Spraying is accomplished by backing up against a vertical surface and spraying a jet of urine on that surface. Unlike a dog's penis, a cat's penis points backward. Males neutered in adulthood may still spray after neutering. Urinating on horizontal surfaces in the home outside the litter box may indicate dissatisfaction with the box, due to a variety of factors such as substrate texture, cleanliness and privacy. It can also be a sign of urinary tract problems. Male cats on poor diets are susceptible to crystal formation in the urine, which can block the urethra and create a medical emergency. ===Body postures=== A cat's posture communicates its emotions. It is best to observe cats' natural behavior when they are by themselves, with humans, and with other animals. Their postures can be friendly or aggressive, depending on the situation. Some of the most basic and familiar cat postures include: Relaxed posture – The cat is seen lying on the side or sitting. Its breathing is slow to normal, with legs bent, or hind legs laid out or extended. The tail is loosely wrapped, extended, or held up. It also hangs down loosely when the cat is standing. Stretching posture – another posture indicating the cat is relaxed Yawning posture – either by itself or in conjunction with a stretch: another posture of a relaxed cat. Alert posture – The cat is lying on its belly, or it may be sitting. Its back is almost horizontal when standing and moving. Its breathing is normal, with its legs bent or extended (when standing). Its tail is curved back or straight upward, and there may be twitching while the tail is positioned downward. Tense posture – The cat is lying on its belly, with the back of its body lower than its upper body (slinking) when standing or moving back. Its legs, including the hind legs, are bent, and its front legs are extended when standing. Its tail is close to the body, tensed or curled downward. There can be twitching when the cat is standing up. Anxious/ovulating posture – The cat is lying on its belly. The back of the body is visibly lower than the front part when the cat is standing or moving. Its breathing may be fast, and its legs are tucked under its body. The tail is close to the body and may be curled forward (or close to the body when standing), with the tip of the tail moving up and down or side to side. Fearful posture – The cat is lying on its belly or crouching directly on top of its paws. Its entire body may be shaking and very near the ground when standing up. Breathing is fast, with the cat's legs bent near the surface, and its tail is curled and very close to its body when standing on all fours. Confident posture – The cat may walk around in a more comfortable manner with its tail up to the sky, indicating its importance. Cats often walk through houses with their tail standing up high above them, making them look grander and more elegant. Terrified posture – The cat is crouched directly on top of its paws, with visible shaking seen in some parts of the body. Its tail is close to the body, and can be standing up, together with its hair on the back. The legs are very stiff or even bent to increase their size. Typically, cats avoid contact when they feel threatened, although they can resort to varying degrees of aggression when they feel cornered, or when escape is impossible. File:Wikipedysta Genesis-kot Umberto.jpg|Relaxing cat File:Ebony White Bicolor male Oriental Shorthair cat.jpg|Stretching cat File:Tabby cat-yawning-01.jpg|Yawning cat File:SFSPCA Kitten.jpg|Yawning kitten File:Chat à l'affut.jpg|Alert cat File:Not Pleased.jpg|Tense cat File:Scared cat2.jpg|Fearful cat File:Scarry Cat 2 (H.I.).jpg|Terrified cat File:Cat with staring eyes.jpg|Confused cat File:Loafing Cat.jpg|Cat in the 'loaf' position, with its feet tucked under its belly ==Kneading== Kittens "knead" the breast while suckling, using the forelimbs one at a time in an alternating pattern to push against the mammary glands to stimulate lactation in the mother. Cats carry these infantile behaviors beyond nursing and into adulthood. Some cats "nurse," i.e. suck, on clothing or bedding during kneading. The cat exerts firm downward pressure with its paw, opening its toes to expose its claws, then closes its claws as it lifts its paw. The process takes place with alternate paws at intervals of one to two seconds. The cat may knead while sitting on its owner's lap, which may prove painful if the cat has sharp claws. Because most of the preferred "domestic traits" are neotenous, or juvenile traits that persist in the adult, kneading may be a relic juvenile behavior retained in adult domestic cats. It may also stimulate the cat and make it feel good, in the same manner as a human stretching. Kneading is often a precursor to sleeping. Many cats purr while kneading. They also purr mostly when newborn, when feeding, or when trying to feed on their mother's teat. The common association between the two behaviors may corroborate the evidence in favor of the origin of kneading as a remnant instinct. ==Panting== Unlike dogs, panting is a rare occurrence in cats, except in warm weather environments. Cats may pant in response to anxiety, fear or excitement. Panting can also be caused by play, exercise, or stress from things like car rides. However, if panting is excessive or the cat appears in distress, it may be a symptom of a more serious condition, such as a nasal blockage, heartworm disease, head trauma, or drug poisoning. In many cases, feline panting, especially if accompanied by other symptoms, such as coughing or shallow breathing (dyspnea), is considered to be abnormal, and should be treated as a medical emergency. ==Reflexes== ===Righting reflex=== of a falling cat by Étienne-Jules Marey, 1894]] The righting reflex is the attempt of cats to land on their feet at the completion of a jump or a fall. They can do this more easily than other animals due to their flexible spine, floating collarbone, and loose skin. Cats also use vision and their vestibular apparatus to help tell which way to turn. They can then stretch themselves out and relax their muscles. The righting reflex does not always result in the cat landing on its feet. ===Freeze reflex=== Adult cats are able to make use of pinch-induced behavioural inhibition to induce a "freeze reflex" in their young, which enables them to be transported by the neck without resisting. This reflex, also known as clipnosis, can also be exhibited by adults. ==Eating patterns== "]] cat drinking water from a glass.]] Cats are obligate carnivores and do not do well on herbivore diets. In the wild they usually hunt smaller mammals to keep themselves nourished. Many cats find and chew small quantities of long grass, but this is not for its nutritional value per se. The eating of grass seems to stem from feline ancestry and has nothing to do with dietary requirements. It is believed that feline ancestors instead ate grass to purge intestinal parasites. Cats have no sweet taste receptors on their tongue and thus cannot taste sweet things at all. Cats mainly smell for their food, and what they taste for is amino acids instead. This may be a cause of cats being diagnosed with diabetes. The food that domestic cats get has a lot of carbohydrates in it, and a high sugar content cannot be efficiently processed by the digestive system of cats. Cats drink water by lapping the surface with their tongue. A fraction of a teaspoon of water is taken up with each lap. Although some desert cats are able to obtain much of their water needs through the flesh of their prey, most cats come to bodies of water to drink. Eating patterns are another indicator to understand behavior changes in domestic cats. Changes in typical eating patterns can be an early signal for possible physical or psychological health problems. A cat's eating pattern in a domestic setting is essential for the cat and owner bond to form. This happens because cats form attachments to households that regularly feed them. Some cats ask for food dozens of times a day, including at night, with rubbing, pacing, meowing, or sometimes loud purring. ==Socialization== encountering each other, simultaneously exhibiting a flight response]] Socialization is defined as a member of a specific group learning to be part of that group. It is said to be a continuous learning process that allows an individual to learn the necessary skills and behaviors required for a particular social position. Cats, domestic or wild, do participate in social behaviors, even though it is thought that most cat species (besides lions) are solitary, anti-social animals. Under certain circumstances, such as food availability, shelter, or protection, cats can be seen in groups. The social behaviors that cats participate in are colony organization, social learning, socialization between cats, and socialization with humans. ==Predatory behavior== ]] Cats are natural predators. When allowed to roam outdoors, many cats will engage in predation on wildlife, as they are a serious threat to wildlife species. Understanding an indoor cat's personality can go a long way toward satisfying their instincts and avoid potentially inconvenient behavior (such as sudden hissing, dashing around the house, or climbing the curtains). Environmental enrichment items include: A good-sized cat tree, with scratching posts Toys that provide a release for their predatory instincts A well kept litter box or toilet Fresh water and dry cat food Social interaction Attack/Hunting Behavior Although they are natural predators, pet cats tend to only hunt what is most available to them, around where they live. So, if moved to different areas, they can switch between prey depending on their availability. When cats encounter prey, they try to make themselves as quiet and as small as possible, to avoid their prey running from them. Before pouncing at the prey, they push their behinds up into the air and "shake" them with their head low to the ground and paws in front of them so that they can prepare for dismount, or to pounce at their prey. The cat remains extremely tense before springing forward to strike their prey with their paws. When they have difficult access to their prey, such as in small pools of water or holes, they use their paws to "fish" out their food and reach into such areas effectively. When cats finally have control of their food, they tend to cuff or push the prey about, almost playfully. Cats also do something known as "prey shaking" which includes holding their prey in their mouths, and shaking their heads to successfully kill or disorient their prey. If their prey is not dead after this, one or two bites will do. Post Hunting Behavior When their prey is finally dead, they bite them for quite some time, up and down the length of the body. During this time they are picked up and held in their mouths. They chew and pull at their prey using their molars, for grinding. They start at the anterior end of the animal, near its head, enabling them to eat their smaller prey in as fast as one minute. They eat in a crouched position, holding down the victim with their paw(s). Note that while they attack, they do not bite off pieces of the prey until they are dead. ==Environment== Cats like to organize their environment based on their needs. Like their ancestors, domestic cats still have an inherent desire to maintain an independent territory but are generally content to live with other cats for company as they easily get bored. Living alone for a longer time may cause them to forget how to communicate with other cats. Sometimes adding a kitten to a household can be a bad idea. If there already is an older cat present and another cat is added, it may be better to get another older cat that has been socialized with other cats. When a kitten is introduced to a mature cat, that cat may show feline asocial aggression, in which they feel threatened and act aggressive to drive off the intruder. If this happens, the kitten and the cat should be separated and slowly introduced by rubbing towels on the animals and presenting the towel to the other. Cats use scent and pheromones to help organize their territory by marking prominent objects. If these objects or scents are removed, it upsets the cat's perception of its environment. ==See also== Cat behaviorist Cat communication Cat play and toys Ethology Cat training ==References==

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