To a cat, “meow” is an all-purpose word. They say “meow” as a greeting (“Hey, how ya doin’?), a command (“I want up, I want down, more food now”), an objection (“Touch me at your own risk”), or an announcement (“Here’s your mouse”). Some people have watched their cats walking around the house meowing to themselves… just like some people talk to themselves.
Chirps and trills are how a mother cat tells her kittens to follow her. Aimed at you, it probably means your cat wants you to follow him, usually to his food bowl. If you have more than one cat, you’ll often hear them converse with each other this way.
Purring is a sign of contentment (usually). Cats purr whenever they’re happy, even while they’re eating. Sometimes, however, a cat may purr when she’s anxious or sick, using her purr to comfort herself, like a child sucking his thumb.
Growling, hissing, or spitting indicate a cat who is annoyed, frightened, angry, or aggressive. Leave this cat alone.
A yowl or howl (they sound like loud, drawn-out meows) tells you your cat is in some kind of distress - stuck in a closet, looking for you or in pain. Find your cat if he’s making this noise. However, in unneutered and unspayed cats, these sounds are part of mating behavior. If your cat is elderly, he may be suffering from a cognitive disorder (dementia) and may howl because he’s disoriented.
Chattering, chittering, or twittering are the noises your cat makes when she’s sitting in the window watching birds or squirrels. One of KD’s president’s cats also does it any time she or her husband sneezes in addition to watching the nature show on “Kitty TV” at their large living room window. Some experts think that this is an exaggeration of the “killing bite,” when a cat grabs her prey by the neck and works her teeth through the bones to snap them. It’s also speculated that the chattering is a sound made out of frustration that they can’t get to the prey they see.
I think I’m going to pursue an IAABC certification in feline behavior. I’ve realized that a lot of my work lately has been training cats, since training away most dog/cat interaction problems starts with maximizing the comfort level of the cat and then training the BOTH of them. Only working with the dog sets everyone up for failure. I’ve learned a lot about feline psychology and social interaction, and even though I’m not much of a cat person I am enjoying it.
Plus, if I’m certified in dogs, cats, and then some other species I can call myself a “certified animal behavior consultant.” Fancy lol
Any cat behavior consultants want to chime in with some good reading material or videos?
Q: My cat is scratching her ears raw? What do I do? A: You really do need to take her to the vet. If she’s scratching that much, this isn’t going to clear up on its own. However, the solution is likely going to be fairly cheap (at least it is in the U.S. for most things that cause itchy ears in cats). And your poor kitty will get relief from what is clearly a very uncomfortable situation. I don’t…
Q: Okay, I know this is a stupid question, but can you tell me the best way to pet a cat? A: This is not a stupid question at all. It might seem like an absurdly easy question to answer, but I see people pet their cats the wrong way for decades. Every cat is different on physical interaction, and each should be treated as an individual. To learn how to bond with a kitten who isn’t interested in…
Q: Why does my cat understand so many of the words that I say and I understand almost none of his vocalizations? A: There are a lot of factors at play here, so if you want a TLDR answer, you’re out of luck. First, some basics: Some cats are smarter than other cats. And there is a lot we don’t know about animals and cognition. And because cats in particular can’t be bribed reliably with food or a…
Q: My cat stopped using the litter box. What do I do? A: This is a problem I’m thoroughly familiar with, so this is going to be as detailed as possible because anyone who owns a cat, or is thinking of owning a cat, needs to learn how to think like a cat. Too many cats are euthanized every day in this country because people don’t want to take the time to work with the animal and gain a deeper…
It’s another Wacky Wednesday, so here’s our wacky question of the week: Q: Do cats plot to overthrow their human masters? A: This is a fun question, and I do appreciate the fun/silly factor. However, I’m going to answer this one factually, since that’s what I do. Cats generally see as as equals, not superior (like dogs see us) or inferior (like 80% of cat memes would have you believe). Cats are…
Continuing from Part 1, where I explained how we came to keep Stiles, and his relationships with our other cats… Kiki loves elephants and whales, and especially loves watching them if David Attenborough is narrating. She taught Stiles this love of whales, elephants, and David Attenborough from an early age. He’s particularly fond of baby elephants. He hops up on my desk to watch the You Tube…
Q: Does catnip do anything for a cats’ health or is it just a recreational drug for them? A: It depends on the kitty. If your cat has the gene that makes it sensitive to catnip, it can have some health effects. If your cat consumes it rather than just smelling and rolling in it, it can have a calming effect. Our little guy, Stiles, has feline insomnia. He gets enough REM sleep, but not enough…
Today is Stiles’s 2nd birthday. I’ve tried so many different times to figure out how to tell Stiles’s story, and how much he has come to mean to me. I touched on his story a bit when I wrote about his mother, Freya, and also when I wrote about Kagetora. But those mentions barely scratch the surface. I’m going to break this up into several parts since it would make a blog post that is way too…
Q: Why do cats scream at night? A: There are only 3 common reasons you might hear cats scream at any time. Mating Females will yowl and make a lot of crazy-sounding noises when they are in heat. This is so that all the intact males in the area will know that this is their chance. Fighting Whether it’s a fight over territory, access to a mate, a female or male guarding kittens (yes, males do this…
Q: I have been a cat owner a long time. They are extremely curious and stick their nose in every drawer or hole. But this one sits still and has no interest in his surroundings. He is 2 years old now. He is also anxious and does not like us petting him. The vet examined him and run some blood tests when he fell down from 7th floor. All was good. He survived from this incident with little…
Q: Do Cats Think They’re Humans? A: I’m not exactly sure where you got this idea, but it’s a rather simple answer: No. So why bring it up? Because there’s this ridiculous related notion that cats think that we are strange-looking cats. By that logic, they would have to think that their dog friends, bunny friends, and other animal friends are also strange-looking cats, but we know they don’t. Cats…
Q: My sister’s cat takes showers with her. I think this is weird. Aren’t cats afraid of water?
A: Nope. In fact, a lot of cats are fascinated by water and like to play with water. The number of times people have asked me what to do about their cat’s fascination with toppling water bowls, drinking out of their bedside water glass, playing in the bathtub, etc. is too numerous for me to even put a number on.
Many cats don’t like getting wet unexpectedly, and some are very sensitive about water getting on their fur. They just don’t like the feel of it, but it doesn’t mean they are afraid of it.
Our little guy (Stiles, 21 months old) likes to knock over any container of fluid that he can. We have water fountains in every room so he can’t knock them over. We give him play time in the bath tub where he can perform his experiments in fluid dynamics to his little heart’s content. He used to do it every day. Now he asks to play about every 2 or 3 days, and the play sessions last about 20–30 minutes each.
Our Norwegian Forest Cat (Kagome) likes to dip her huge furry paw in the water and lick it off rather than drinking directly from the bowl. Maine Coons often do this as well.
Some cats love water so much that they enjoy swimming. Breeds that tend to enjoy a dip in the pool, bath, or even hop in the shower with their humans—just like your sister’s cat—include, but are not limited to:
Abyssinian
Manx
Japanese Bobtail
Turkish Van
Turkish Angora
Savannah
Bengal
American Bobtail
Here are some of my favorite videos of cats enjoying water:
It’s that time of year again! There are a lot of dangers for pets around holidays, and July 4th in the U.S. is one of the worst.
More pets go missing during the 4th of July than any other day of the year.
Make sure your pets are microchipped and wearing tags with up-to-date information. If your cat is indoor-only, it’s a good idea to get them a bright orange collar like this oneso that people…
You might remember from our discussion of why cats enjoy crinkle noises that many cats enjoy playing with plastic bags. A number of cats even enjoy chewing on plastic bags and other bags (chips and other snack bags, cat food bags, etc.) . There are 3 deadly dangers associated with these seemingly innocent bags: suffocation, choking, and bowel obstruction. I have been guilty of putting away the…
Q: My cat is always tripping me up, especially if I’m carrying something big. Why does he do this? A: Ah, yes. Tripping over cats. It’s quite a conundrum if you aren’t thinking like a cat. So why do they do this? The answers are fairly simple. If you watch cats interact, then you will notice that when they pass close to each other, they stop and sniff each other a bit. It’s a kind of “Hi! Whatcha…
Q: Why do cats leave a hole in the middle of the food in the bowl and act like it’s empty? A: Ah, the age old question. And look at Marmalade’s sweet kitty face as he wonders why the humans just don’t understand. (See more of that sweet kitty face in the video Cat Logic, which I feel like we can all relate to.) Speculation has, for decades, been spiraling around a few things: Maybe it’s because…
Q: I adopted a stray cat a couple months ago. The only thing is that he doesn’t seem to like me at all: he doesn’t like it when I pet him (he attacks me most of the time), he completely ignores me (except when he’s hungry, then he will rub against my legs), and he won’t sit on my lap.
I’ve seen so many people talk about punishing their cats, and I am shocked every time. Even yelling at a cat is detrimental—they will think you are insane, and they will lose some trust in you—they don’t understand it, it means nothing to them, so you’re making your cat feel less safe without doing anything to change the behavior. Every time you yell at or punish a cat, you are putting your…
Q: If my cat, who is a gentle house cat, suddenly became as big as a lion, would he kill me? A: That depends on a lot of factors like age, activity level, if he’s neutered, how he plays with you, his personality, and your bond. If he’s young, and very exuberant about play, and is serious about his aggression toward toys, then it’s a possibility. If he was taught (or not corrected—gently and…
Q: Are cats the most underrated pet? A: I don’t think they are underrated per se, but they are the most misunderstood pets. When you regularly hear veterinarians and other animal experts repeating myths about cats, it is a sign that those of us who have dedicated our lives studying the little floofy predators have our work cut out for us. I’ve had to correct my cats’ veterinarians on several…
@the-thinkingcat is this friend mirroring or just trying to play??
this video is originally from here! the cat’s name is scout.
it’s really hard to tell! at first i was like “oh, definitely play”, but when she bats at her own ears it’s a bit less clear-cut! there is some limited evidence that cats can understand what we’re doing enough to imitate us, but mirroring is one of those topics that is relatively understudied, so there’s tons of anecdotal evidence about it but little actual scientific evidence. my gut reaction would be that this is a behavior the cat has learned by accident and which has been reinforced by positive responses, since cats are very susceptible to positive reinforcement.
he is playing! it’s probably more obvious when he’s pawing the water/pulling the fountain attachment out, but even the pawing is a play behavior. i’m not sure what is particularly enticing – it might be the shadows from his paws on the side of the fountain, or just the fact that the fountain is kind of novel and he doesn’t usually get access to it (per the voiceover), but yeah, this is all play!
noodle is incredible. his big silly face is due in part to his breed (he is a persian, per his instagram) and that’s why his eyes are so big and wide.
the only thing that’s really of note here is that if you have a cat that likes to climb in the fridge, you should just make extra sure that it doesn’t get shut in there by mistake! being stuck in the fridge for any significant amount of time can be dangerous for cats. but that’s just a caution, not an actual problem with the video!
