Cats rely strongly on body language to communicate. If you're wondering how your cat is feeling read on.
Pissed Off
Your cat may be pissed if you see a lifting or constant shaking of a paw or paws. The more times the paw is shaken, the stronger the cat's feeling; this can sometimes be a four paw affair with each paw being lifted and shaken in turn. This behavior is possibly related to the identical action displayed after stepping into water. Displeasure at a situation can be shown by moving the ears back and rapidly swishing the tail.
If your cat is Not Happy, Mildly Vexed you'll notice the swishing or sweeping of the tail in a wide swath, in mid-air or against a person. Tail flicking indicates inner conflict, while wide tail swishing shows external conflict. Further irritation may result in the cat moving or leaving the room and even physical aggression.Happy
You know you're cat is happy when it kneads with the paws on a person or, for example, a favorite blanket or sleeping spot. Young kittens knead their mother's nipples to stimulate the feeding reflex in her so that her milk flows for the kittens to suckle on. Cats may knead for a short or extended period of time; the extended period is sometimes interpreted by people as a sign of discomfort or restlessness, but it is more likely that the cat is happy. Most cats will demonstrate this for about ten minutes at the longest, although some have been known to knead and suckle on their favorite human's shirt or ear lobe over the course of an entire night. Researchers at Oxford University have demonstrated that cats derive immense pleasure from kneading, similar to the relaxing sensation for humans from snacking on favorite foods or being massaged.
Relaxed
Your cat is relaxed when it's sprawling on the side or back and, possibly, rolling about; this may be seen, for example, when a person enters the room or stirs from their seat. Sometimes they roll over onto their back and shake their paws in the air. This behavior shows complete relaxation. The cat may display this at the same time as the person's movement.
Affection
I call it "make out time" buy most cats will give you "kisses" and show their affection by pressing of the face or top of the head against a person's body (head rubbing), leaving a scent to mark the cat's territory; or rubbing in quick succession. Cats may also blink slowly as an expression of affection or security.
Many cats also use a question mark-shaped tail to show desire to greet someone they are fond of. They will also stretch to show they are content with their surroundings.
Submission
Upon being approached, the cat will fall down on its side, indicating it is not seeking attention and is unwilling to put up a fight.
Interested? or Not Interested?
The position of the ears communicates the degree of desire to engage with the situation around them. Ears up and moved slightly forward shows real interest in what is going on, while ears moved backward shows distaste and desire to not engage with the situation. Cats show disapproval by moving their ears back, an equivalent of a human frown. They also crouch and turn their back to the situation to indicate disinterest or unhappiness. A cat will either move a little or give a faint "meow" or "meck" if it does not want to be picked up and handled.
Behavioral problems in cats, such as avoiding the litterbox, excessive meowing and other attention-seeking behavior, biting and painful or destructive scratching can be corrected by first eliminating physical causes, then instituting a program of gradual retraining, with the help of these resources. Remember that there are no bad cats, only uninformed cat caregivers.
I would suggest trying to deal with one problem cat behavior at a time. Too many "dos" and "don'ts" will only confuse your cat and frustrate your training attempts. Start with the most potentially hazardous problems first - such as chewing on electrical cords - then move on from there. Here are the most-often reported behavioral problems in cats:
Attention-seeking behavior and excessive vocalization often go hand-in-hand with cats. Causes for these behaviors can be either physical or emotional, or both. Before punishing your cat for excessive crying and meowing, or other attention seeking behavior, do some homework on possible causes.See Also:
Ripple Skin, Also called Feline hyperesthesia, one of the symptoms of Rippling Skin Disorder is loud "lost-in-the-night" howling.
Cats' aggression toward people can be caused by poor training as a kitten (as in play aggression), fear, or other factors. Learn how to prevent a cat's aggression toward people, how to deal with it when it happens, and how to curb a cat's biting and scratching behavior.
Aggression toward other cats and Cats sharing a household will sometimes fight, but when active aggressive behavior between cats rears its ugly head, sometime human intervention is necessary.
Aggression between cats can be fear-based, territorial, or redirected aggression. This article will help the reader deal with aggression between cats in a household.
Destructive chewing by cats is undesirable, first, because of the potential of danger to the cat, and second, because of damage to family valuables. Causes of destructive chewing by cats can range from teething in kittens to curiosity, to boredom, and even (surprise!) because of a nutrient deficiency.
Clawing Are you troubled by illegal clawing by your cats? Please don't consider Draconian measures such as declawing a cat. There are a number of ways you can keep your cats' claws happily engaged in legal clawing with these articles and aids, while protecting furniture and carpeting.
Inappropriate elimination (litter box avoidance) is the number one reason cats are surrendered to shelters. By eliminating physical causes, such as urinary tract infections, then targeting other common reasons for litterbox avoidance, you can help your cat overcome this undesirable behavior. Remember that cats don't like to use a dirty toilet any more than you would.
OCD Cats, like humans, can indulge in obsessive-compulsive behavior. In cats, OCD manifests in activities such as excessive licking, fur-pulling, wool-sucking or feline hyperesthesia. Understanding the causes and eliminating physical problems can often lead to a speedy cure for undesirable behavior.
Shyness Is your kitty a "Scairdycat?" Shyness and fear stem from a number of causes, but can be overcome with gentleness and patience, as these tips explain. It is always important to allow your cat to set his own pace, and to be patient if his pace is slower than you had hoped for.
General Stress While stress itself is not of behavioral origin, it can lead to a number of problems often considered behavioral, such as litter box avoidance or depression. When behavioral problems suddenly appear, savvy cat owners soon learn to first rule out signs of health problems, and next for stress factors, such as changes in the environment.
Clicker? Anyone involved in clicker training their cats will readily tell you that it is not only fun for cats and their humans, but also important training for safety reasons. Need to get a cat in his carrier quickly? Clicker train him. Does he try to slip out the door? Clicker train him.
FAQ's A large percentage of questions I receive by email are those concerning cat behavior. Many so-called "behavioral problems" result from the cat owners simply not understanding what cats are trying to tell us. And often cats' behavioral "quirks" are their most endearing traits.
I hope you and your cat have been able to utilize the lessons given here to develop good habits for your kitty and a better relationship for both of you!
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