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| CAT PSYCHOLOGY |
Cat Psychology: When Action Speaks What the Mind Says
There is simply no way to explain the psychology of an animal because, strictly speaking, there is no way for humans to get into their brains and fish out important details of the inner workings of their mind. The most that animal experts can do is to observe certain behaviors and attempt to find meaning in them using a variety of models and principles at the expert’s disposal.Understanding cat behavior is thus instrumental in understanding their psychology.Cats Have Very Varied Social Relationship Patterns
Cats in the wild are exclusively solitary. However, domesticated cats have been observed to be either solitary in nature or as part of a larger group of cats known as feral colonies. These feral groups are more utilitarian by nature especially in terms of searching for available food for the group. What makes this social grouping problematic is that there tends to be a cat that acts as a leader in the group. Cat dominance may come in the form of urine spraying, littering, and marking walls and head-high structures with facial gland secretions.
Domestic cats are known to communicate by vocalizations such as growling or snarling, purring, hissing, and trilling, as well as other kinds of meowing. Raising their tails often signifies a friendly greeting as well as an indication of the cat’s position in the cat hierarchy. Flattened ears usually indicate hostility while nose-to-nose rubbing or touching is a common way to greet other cats. Read also: Is your cat sad? Causes and Signs of Cat Depression.
Cats are Very Tidy Animals
The natural structure of the cat’s tongue makes it the perfect brush to groom her hair. The cat’s tongue contains spikes that are facing backward. Each of these spikes is made up of keratin that gives the spikes its rigidity. This is what makes the cat so adept in grooming itself.
Male Cats are More Likely to Fight than Female Cats
Catfighting has almost always something to do with competition and territorialism. Among feral cats, two males will often fight for the attention of a female cat. For some, especially in a smaller house, cats may fight to establish their own little territories.
Aggressive cats will raise their fur, arch their backs, turn sideways, and hiss or spit in an effort of making itself appear more threatening than the other cat. The ears are also pointed downwards and back in order to prevent any potential injury to the inner ear.
Cats are Natural Predators
Being members of a family of animals with a long history of predatory efficiency, this genetic trait is very much present in the domesticated cat. Cats are known to hunt smaller animals such as rodents and birds. Cats on a predator mode often use a stalking approach or an ambush type of predation. This is one of the reasons why most cats are seen perched atop a tree branch so that they can have a better view of critters and crawlers on the surface down below. Read also: Moody Cats: How to deal with a moody cat.
Cats are Naturally Playful
Cats, especially kittens, are particularly fond of play especially when the play activity closely resembles their predatory hunting behavior. They require toys that mimic the behavior of their prey – small, fast, and nimble. This is why they prefer a fast-paced moving toy that can rapidly change directions than one that is static or immovable.
With these cat behaviors, it is expected that cat owners will be able to understand what is really going on in the minds of their cats.