Dr. Jean Timberlake

American Composition

Jason T. Powell

17 March 2001

Understanding Your Cat

      I have two cats, a boy named Benny and a girl named KoKo.  I got them a year apart, Benny being first, each at six weeks old.  I never paid much attention to cat behavior until I had both of them.  Everyday for about a three month period I would come home and something would be a wreck.  The curtains might be off the wall or the trash tipped over.  I didn’t see Koko though I knew she was inside the house somewhere for about a week.  Benny would cover up KoKo’s food and even went as far as to remove all my compact discs from their rack to make a litter box to show his displeasure.  Koko was an abused stray and this was her first time in a home.  Benny had been an only child up to that point and was having quite a fit.  Had I been paying attention to what both of my cats were trying to tell me the transition would have been a lot smoother. 

     Watching your cat's body language is the key to interpreting its behavior.  No one part of your cat will tell you all that you need to know.  By combining the signals of your cat’s ears, eyes, paws, tail, whiskers, voice, walk, and posture you will have the clues necessary to help you determine how they are feeling and what they are thinking. 

    The most intriguing part of a cat is probably its tail. Sometimes it swishes vigorously.  Sometimes it slowly sways back and forth like a snake that's being charmed.  Sometimes it just lies there and does nothing.  It's almost as if it has a life of its own.  If there were only one part of a cat I could choose to watch it would be the tail.  Swishing vigorously is a sign that there is definitely some activity going on. A swishing movement with the front down and bottom up is a sign that your kitty is about to pounce.  A swishing movement with the head up and bottom down is usually a sign of an agitated kitty.  A mostly erect tail with the top slightly swaying is a happy and alert kitty.  A tail between the legs is a defeated or depressed cat.  The tail to watch out for is the straight up and bushy one.  Unless your cat is declawed or you've got safety gloves you'd better stay away from that one.  That's the sign of a cat that's ready to fight. 

     Whiskers and ears are two parts of your cat that should be watched in conjunction with each other.  Usually one type of behavior will accompany the other.  Ears up and whiskers out is an alert cat. Ears back and the whiskers down on an awake cat is a defensive posture.  Both are used to help the cat get around as well as locate and close in on items. The whiskers are easy to break so they lie down against the face when the cat is not actively using them.  The ears on an alert cat are up and swivel independently from left to right.  The ears are laid down and back to protect them during a fight.

     Paws are another important part of your cat to watch.  Flipping a front or back paw is a mild curse, which comes from removing items out of the way.  Flipping of the back paws is a harsh curse, which comes from removing litter.   A raised paw is ready for action.  If the claws are in kitty may just be playing.  If the claws are out while swatting, that means war (Hammond 87). 

     Below are some behaviors that may be demonstrated by your cat.  Combining these with the aforementioned body part movements may give you a better idea as to what is going on with your cat.

Hop-skip:  This is my favorite cat move.  It looks a

little bit like a bunny hop.  This is a sure sign that kitty is happy to see you. 

Rolling over:  Exposing the soft underbelly is kitty’s way of letting you know you are loved and trusted.

Kneading:    Arline Bleeker says, “A nursing kitten instinctively uses her paws to draw out the milk, gently pushing her mother’s stomach to increase the flow.  When older cats behave this way, it’s a good sign that they’re happy, content and, very likely, recalling the best days of their lives” (21).

Growling and Hissing:  This is an angry kitty.  This is kitty’s way of saying, “Back off!”

Purring:  This is usually the sign of a contented kitty.  Some cats, like my Koko, purr when they are feeling anxious.

Pouncing:  This is a playful kitty.  Get out a toy or string and have some fun.

Grooming:  Your cat will spend a fair amount of time in the day doing this.  Sometimes though when playing with your cat or when it is fighting another cat it will stop right in the middle of what it is doing and start grooming itself.  This is kitty’s way of saying, “Okay I’ve had enough.  I’m done playing”.  Excessive grooming to the point of hair  loss is a sign of an extremely bored or agitated cat.

Meowing:  This is as different as each cat.  Usually kitty is trying to alert, tell, or request something.  Maybe there needs to be some food in the dish or the litter box changed.

Rubbing:  Scent glands are located on the top of the cat’s head.  You will see this more so in females then males as unneutered ones mark by spraying.  This is your cat’s way of marking you, its territory, and telling other cats, “Paws off this.  This is mine.” 

Scratching:  Scratching is your cat’s way of removing the deadest outer layer of the nail.  I’ve trained my cats to scratch on the mat at the front door.  If your cat insists on using the furniture, cover a good scratching pole with similar fabric and invest in a water gun.

     Not all of these will behaviors will be demonstrated by all cats.  Each cat’s way of communicating is as unique as itself and its owner with its own subtleties and variances.  Your cat may also exhibit behaviors not included above.  Paying close attention to the items mentioned above however will give you valuable tools and insight as to how your cat may be feeling or thinking.  KoKo’s gate was slow, her tail usually down, and her ears laid back even while eating.  Benny had stopped his usual purring and kneading and had taken up to rubbing all of the furniture.  Benny felt he was being replaced and was reestablishing his territory.  KoKo was scared because she had no place of her own and everywhere she turned she ran into Benny’s scent.  A fellow cat owner advised me to place for them separate litter pans, sleeping mats, and food dishes.  I did this and the two of them started getting along.  Benny no longer felt like his space was being invaded and KoKo felt like she had a place of her own.  Now they even eat out of the same dish and Benny always let’s KoKo eat first. 

     Had I been paying attention to my cat’s body language I’d known exactly what was going on. You don't have to worry too much about how you are going to figure out if your cat is upset or pleased with you.  They will usually be willing to work with you till you get it right.

Works Cited

Bleecker, Arline. Why Do Cats Sulk?.  Boca Raton, FL:  American Media Mini Mags, Inc., 2000.

Hammond, Sean, and Carolyn Usrey.  How To Raise a Sane and Healthy Cat. New York:  Macmillan, 1994.