Cat: Animal behaviour and problems.

      General information

      Cats are lovable, affectionate, playful, mysterious, soft,       scratchy, moody, contemptuous.

      The extensive repertoire of their behaviour and their feelings       keeps cat owners on their toes.

      Cats are distinctive individuals or even personalities. Each       animal is unique in his way.

Social behaviour

It is quite an odd thing that the domestic cat is usually described as being a loner but that, in most cases, he has friendly manners and is sociable and enjoys company be it with human beings, be it with other animals. It happens that several cat mothers suckle and take care of their kittens in one and the same nest, that grown-up animals sleep side by side and even lick each other. If a cat likes a sociable kind of life or rather wants to be a loner, is already decided in early youth. However, as sociable as cats in individual cases may be, if it comes to hunting every cat goes alone and all by himself. All in contrast to a pack of wolves and wild dogs. Animals who are part of one and the same household, mostly live in peace together even if they do not necessarily cultivate friendships. Cats can live in almost any kind of life. This goes from the house pasha who never feels like taking a step out of the front door, to the cat living on a farm who shares his home with up to 10 other cats and never enters the residential building. The proverbial animosity between cat and dog must not necessarily be. It is just a question of getting used to one another!

Behavioural disturbances

Aggressivity, anxious behaviour, marking of the apartment (micturating), are generally characterized as behaviour disorder. It is obvious that a wild cat has more stress in life while hunting than a house cat that gets everything served. Strange conspicuousness in behaviour is, therefore, incomprehensible for the pet owner. Causes may be pains and aches, illness, fear, sudden and drastic changes in the daily routine, the appearance of a new family member or a new domestic animal. There is a variety of undesirable reactions: Frightened creeping away, trembling, hair loss, biting and scratching the owner, micturating in the apartment, leaking himself nervously, eating wool and many more. In cases like this it is appropriate to consult an expert.

Man-Animal communication

The human being and the cat do not belong to the same species, do not speak the same language, are completely different. When the two species meet, it is mostly the human being who establishes contact. He lures the cat with friendly words and strokes her. As a rule, women are more empathetic than men when they first come into contact with the animal. The cat has her own personality and this is the most important factor for her behaviour. The more and the better we know the needs and the behaviour of the animal, the easier it will be to understand his expressions and his language and to so live a relationship fruitful for both parts. Maybe you have already been surprised to see how quickly a cat understands what you want from her. Or one is surprised at a sudden behaviour pattern that is completely incomprehensible. Everything is possible between sympathy at the first go and misunderstanding - just as it is the case among human beings. The best method is to respect the characteristics and the individuality of the cat. Thanks to behavioural research, the man-cat relationship and the mutual communication has made progress and it is worth reading a good book on the subject. The cat is a piece of nature and is important in children education, as a substitute for a partner or if there are no children around, as playmate or "sedative". She has a social function that is not to be underestimated and helps in problems of life in a wider sense. That is why it is important to also satisfy the needs of the cat and to learn to understand her signals and her language and to act in a way that she feels well.

Undesirable behaviour

When small kittens are a little bit getting up to mischief, this is a natural reaction of being bored in the apartment. Instead of getting angry about this, it would be more sensible to check the apartment for possible sources of danger. Wires and cables, poisonous plants, open washing machines, sharp knives, smashed glass or porcelain articles, sewing needles, garbage cans, open windows, balconies, food, boiling hot liquids, open chimneys, irons and hot hotplates, they all can lead to accidents. Especially small kittens or newly bought cats are exposed to such dangers at home. So it is better to prevent cats from dangers of the kind!

An undesirable behaviour of a healthy cat with normal tendencies is for instance the scratching of furniture which can be avoided by putting a scratching post or a climbing tree into the room. Or the gnawing at plants if maybe no cat grass is available. Then the pawing at the soil of plants, in the open air or in the apartment, if she wants to relieve herself. Sharp-edged gravel can resolve this problem. Never shout at a cat or hit or slap a cat! One should never forget that she is possibly just following a natural instinct or is looking for food.

Mood barometer

The mood of a cat can quite easily and with reliability be detected from the body language of the animal.The most important means of expression are the entire posture, the ears and the tail. But also the eyes, the hair of the muzzle and the pelage can talk. Putting up the ears signifies that the cat is self-assured, putting the ears back flat on the head means that the animal is afraid. If the ears are directed open towards the front, it means that the cat is in an easy-going and good mood and would like to play. If the ears "look" to the side or even to the back, it means that a storm is in view. Typical for the attacker are upright ears open to the side, typical for the victim ears directed down towards the back. Only very seldom we see two cats fighting with each other. The superior partner stares at the cat opposite, the "victim" avoids the other cat's gaze. The body language anticipates the outcome of a fight. If, however, it comes for instance to a fight between tomcats, then once in a while the sparks may fly!

Psychology of animals

The house cat still is a predatory animal - the same as her wild relation, the european wild cat - in spite of her domestication. Her adaptability is unsurpassed. It is a great art to understand her psyche.

Animals "talk" to their fellow species by body posture, position of the tail, facial expression, vocalization and many more. If the human being has the position of companion and substitute for fellow species, then he must try to make up a little bit for the big deficit. The easiest way to do this is to talk calmly to his pets. Animals are extremely capable of learning and understand very quickly what words, the tone of voice and gestures want to say.