Cougars in Canada
Catty behaviour
Understanding the wildcat in your
kitty
By Lindsay O’Reilly
It might be easy to believe the soft ball of fur purring in your lap is as civilized as
a pet can get. But in reality, many of your Fluffy’s wildcat instincts lie very close
to the surface. Understanding cat "language" and how to respond might help you
nurture a more satisfying relationship with your feline friend.
In interpreting Fluffy, it is important to keep in mind the message your cat is conveying
may either be complex or extremely straightforward. Take, for instance, the cat that marks
in other places besides its litter box. According to veterinarian and animal behaviour specialist
Norma Guy, this likely means you don’t clean your litter box often enough.
"This is common to both wild and domesticated cats," says Guy. "They are
very clean animals, and don’t like going back to a spot, like a dirty litter box, where
they’ve already left excrement behind."
Another catty impulse that goes back to the wild is the drive to hunt. It’s disturbing
to many cat owners the first time their well-mannered feline brings home a mouse or bird
and proudly leaves its "gift."
This doesn’t necessarily mean the cat is underfed. The drive to hunt is so deeply
engrained in cats, Guy says, that even a well-fed, domestic cat is unable to resist the craving
to stalk small animals that catch its eye. Guy explains that not only would it be pointless
to try to train a cat not to hunt, it would also be very confusing to the cat.
"If they have got a very strong motivation to do something, and it’s a behaviour
that’s very important to them, it would be unfair to tell them they can’t do
it," says Guy.
In response to the squeamish pet-owner, Guy suggests fitting outdoor cats with a collar
that has small bells, so prey — mice, snakes and birds — can hear the cat coming.
Some wildcat actions we might be most interested in recognizing in our pets are the ones
in which they are trying to communicate with us. Sometimes, says Halifax veterinarian Hugh
Chisholm, owners can misinterpret the signals cats are sending because the cats communicate
with humans as they would with others of their own kind.
For example, if you arrive home and your cat greets you by rolling over and exposing its
stomach, it doesn’t necessarily mean that your kitty wants a belly rub. In the wild,
a cat might expose its belly to another cat, as a gesture of friendliness and trust. People
who think this means the cat wants a pat on the belly are sometimes surprised when the cat
gets up and runs away, or begins to bite or scratch.
"The stomach is a very vulnerable spot for cats," Chisholm says, "which
is exactly why a cat exposing its stomach to you is such a gesture of trust and respect.
Some like being petted there, others don’t."
Many signals as to your cat’s mood can be seen in its tail. For instance, Chisholm
says if your cat’s whole tail is wagging back and forth very quickly, it is likely
very agitated or emotionally charged. If its tail is standing straight up like a flagpole,
this indicates a positive, friendly mood. But, if the tail is straight up with a droop down
at the end, this still indicates friendliness but with a note of uncertainty or caution on
the cat’s part. If you speak to your cat as it is walking around, and it suddenly jerks
its tail forward and backward, it can be the feline equivalent of "So what?" and
indicates that your cat does not wish to be bothered.
Although we generally interpret purring as a sign of a happy cat, this is not always the
case. Felines, including wildcats including cougars, often purr as an instinctive reflex
when they are hurt or frightened, to let other cats, or humans, know that they are friendly
and approachable, or perhaps to comfort themselves. Mother cats often purr while giving birth,
and kittens use purring to signal to their mothers as early as their second day of life.
Scientists are now exploring the idea that purring might have healing abilities, since the
frequencies of purring vibrations are similar to those that have a positive effect on bone
and tendon healing, pain relief, and generation of muscle strength.
Many actions, such as "head-butting," or rubbing against your legs, are your
cat’s way of saying, "this is mine." Scent spraying and furniture clawing
by domestic cats are similar to the spraying and tree clawing wildcats do to mark their territory.
Clawing also serves another purpose for cats since they need to strip away old claw layers
to expose the new, sharp claws waiting underneath. As this can present a problem for the
leather-couch-cat-owners, the best way to save your furniture, Guy suggests, is to teach
your cat to use a scratching post early on.
All in all, domesticated cats are a lot more like their wild cousins than we commonly think.
"I would say cats have a lot of wild instincts," Chisholm says. "Some are
buried, others aren’t. Cat behaviours are often misunderstood because cats treat humans
the way they’d normally treat their cat mother: affectionately or possessively."
By learning the signals and behaviours of our feline friends, both wild and domestic, we
can better understand what they are attempting communicate to us, perhaps fostering in us
a greater respect for these complex creatures.
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