Sunday, January 19, 2014

Blog 1: Feline Communication

     I chose an article on cat communication. There are so many different ways that our feline friends let us know what is on their mind. They use different body language to convey to us different emotions and needs that they have.
     Just by tail movement we can learn so much about what are cats are feelings. Cats can swish their tail from side to side, which normally means your cat is curious about his/her surroundings. Cats can lash their tail, which is like swishing but far more aggressive. This is a tell-tell sign that your cat is mad. Cats can also walk around with their tail straight up in the air. This means that your cat is happy and full of confidence. If you notice that your cat has her tail beneath her legs. She is either sad, scared, or sick. Other body language associated with a tail between their legs is flattened ears and low laying body.

     Cat ears also tell us about what our cats are feeling and needing. When your cats ears are standing up they are alert and curious. Most cats keep their ears like this even while sleeping. This shows that they are aware of what is going on, even when they are fast asleep! If your cat’s ears are slightly flat, he/she feels very happy. This happens most often when they are being pet. When your cat’s ears are twitching and straight up, he/she is telling you that he/she is anxious of nervous about something. When your cat’s ears are flattened and turned back, this means that your cat is angry, annoyed, or scared.

     Cat’s eyes are less noticeable. There are only two kinds of looks for them, either happy and narrow or wide and big. The narrow eyes show that your cat is happy and unconcerned with everything. When they are big and wide they are playful, spooked, paying close attention, or ready to attack.

     Your cat’s body also does several things that help us to understand what he/she wants. When your cat kneads, this is a sign of affection and comfort. When your cat rubs up against you, this is a sign of affection and also could mean that he/she wants something. When your cat rolls on his/her back, he/she is showing their trust in you. They seemed to have left out an angry cat’s body language. Most of the time a cat’s back will hunch and its tail will puff up. This is also accompanied with hissing.

     I picked this article because I love cats! Cats are in some of our daily lives and some people may have a hard time interpreting what they are trying to tell their owners.

The thing I found most interesting was about their eyes. Unlike us, they don’t really use their eyes in their body language. I agreed with this article because I have seen the same body language in my cats. I do want to learn more about animal communication in general; it does not have to be focused on felines. I think this topic could help other cat owners understand their cats and give them a little insight on what exactly their cat is saying to them.

5 comments:

  1. Wow! I have a cat myself! A beautiful Manecoon! I always see these movements in him! I love cats so much and I think its cool that there is an article about their body movements that allow them to communicate. Cats rule!

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  2. I'll echo IzzyBell and say, "Wow!" This was a very interesting article, thanks for posting it. We have 2 cats; Kizmet, who adopted us, and Ebony, who we adopted. We think Kizmet is part Maine Coon because of her long fur and her markings and we think Ebony is part Siamese because she is so much a lady, genteel-like in her manners and she vocalizes like Siamese do. And actually we have a 3rd cat, but he lives outside. We give him food and water and a warm place to sleep when it's cold outside, but I couldn't bring a large male into the house, it wouldn't have been fair to the girls. All of them have been neutered, but just the fact that he's so large would be intimidating to them.

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  3. I love love love this article. When I flew back to visit my parents, their cat was so ready to attack me. The body language and the hissing really scared me. Towards the end of my visit, the cat finally accepted me and rubbed it head against my leg. I became familiar to her. Thank you for this article. It reminds me of my parents' fierce kitty :)

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  4. i really liked this article. specially the part about the cat's eyes. i think they are similar to the human's eyes since we can see emotions and feelings through the eyes :). Thank you for sharing.

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  5. This was a really inventive way to talk about language. I like how even though the communication is non-verbal the cat still gets across it's feelings; also cats are always a good topic of discussion.

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