How Cats Think
Cats are interesting creatures. In the wild, they are both predator and prey. Although they are ruthless hunters, they are nevertheless quite vulnerable themselves to a variety of predators. This need to hunt while avoiding being hunted is the driving force behind how cats think. Bearing that in mind, you can begin to make sense of certain cat behaviors. If you also consider the pressures of cat society- defending one's own territory while avoiding accidentally waltzing into someone else's- you will make further progress in decoding the feline mind.
Pretend you are a cat. Here are your priorities as a cat:
1. Stay Safe
2. Find Food
3. Defend Your Territory
4. Make More Cats
As a cat, you stay safe by staying hidden. If you're outdoors, you can do this by crouching in the bushes or if you're indoors, do it by hiding in a laundry basket or in a handy cardboard box. As a cat, you also like to be as high up as possible. In the wild that means being up in trees. In a human's home, that might mean being on top of the kitchen counter or climbing your favorite drapes. The best climbing places are the ones where you can look out over your territory in the home, and also out a window to keep an eye on the outdoors. Cats that find themselves without hiding places or elevated perches can become very distressed and anxious so naturally you will climb whatever is available to you. If there is a cat tree available you might choose to use it but it has to be more attractive than the other options. It must be taller, sturdier, and more comfortable than the alternatives. It also doesn't hurt if it's treated with catnip! Most importantly, it must be located properly. You want to observe while remaining safe and hidden.
Another way in which cats stay safe is with good grooming, physical conditioning and hygiene. Regular grooming and nail sharpening is particularly essential to health. As a cat, you have a strong desire to be clean. Like all cats, you groom yourself with your bristly tongue. You exercise your hunting muscles and sharpen your nails by scratching on things and removing the outer, worn layer of claw material. Sometimes you need to chew your back nails to make sure you've removed all the old nail material. Claw maintenance can be tricky. You need sturdy, well-anchored objects for claw sharpening. The material needs to be soft enough that you can sink your claws in but hard enough to provide resistance. In the great outdoors, trees and wooden structures are the obvious choice. In the home, you will use whatever seems appropriate- this could be a big sturdy scratching post or it could be your couch or carpet.
Cats find food by hunting and scavenging. Cats are obligate carnivores, meaning that they must consume meat in order to survive. As a cat, nature has instilled in you a strong drive to hunt and kill small animals and nature has made it so that you find hunting pleasurable. Cats deprived of the fun of hunting often get fat and lazy or redirect their hunting instincts in unwanted directions- like when they pounce on a passing human leg! As a result, the act of hunting will continue even when you are properly fed- or even overly fed!
What you consider food is determined by what you ate as a kitten. If you are introduced late to, say, a new flavor or style of cat food, you will turn up your nose at it. As picky as some cats may be, cats in the wild are less finicky and are not below sneaking a meal from the trash or nibbling on plants. Like many house cats, you maintain this interest in scavenging and may eat anything that looks like it might be food. This includes house plants, rubber bands, hair ties, bits of plastic, and other things.
Cats defend their territory from other cats in interesting ways. Like all cats, you want to stay safe, so you try to avoid outright battles with other cats. Instead, you leave signs that make it obvious to other cats that this territory is already claimed. Cats do this in many ways. Some are subtle to humans and others are more glaring. If you're a confident cat, one marking strategy is to spray urine on vertical objects around the edges of your territory at the height of a cat's face. This way, an approaching cat will walk right into your scent and know that they are on the border with your territory. Within the more secure inner areas of your territory you may choose to mark with your facial scent glands- the ones that are located on your cheeks and on top of your head. These glands contain pheromones that signal familiarity and friendliness. You also have glands between your toes so that when you scratch on things you leave your scent behind. Like most cats, you like to scratch with your claws on vertical surfaces where other cats are likely to see the gouges and also smell the scent left behind from those glands between your toes. The higher up the gouges are, the bigger the cat must be. For this reason, you like to stretch out as much as possible when you are marking with your claws, to look as big and bad as you can to any potential intruders! All the feline members of your family will mark this way and thus reinforce the "family smell" that reminds everyone they're all on the same team. When someone who isn't on your team ignores your very obvious warning signs and enters your house and leaves his nasty intruder smell on things, you will of course need to correct the problem by remarking the tainted areas and signaling quite clearly to the intruder that he is not welcome. If the intruder is particularly obnoxious you will need to poop or pee on anything that smells like him.
Intruders could appear at any time so as a cat, you must always be on guard. Cats appear to sleep a lot but what they're really doing is staying safe while watching for intruders and predators. They are avoiding excess energy expenditure while also trying to keep an eye on their surroundings. For this reason, you usually choose elevated locations for your naps or you choose to nap near where there's an obvious escape route. Escape is usually your first choice but sometimes confrontations can't be avoided.
In the event of an actual confrontation with another cat (or other intruder), most cats will try to look big and sound scary to intimidate the intruder and make him go away. Cats generally don't like to share their territories with strange humans, dogs, or other cats, even with their siblings. As siblings get older, they tend to grow more anti-social and less tolerant of one another's presence in their shared territory. For this reason, cats that are forced to share a territory will "time share". That is, they occupy different parts of the territory at different times so that they don't run into each other. Cats forced to eat together, use the same litter box, and share the same limited space will often get very stressed and anxious. The more aggressive cat often intimidates the less confident cat into a meager existence hiding most of the time and coming out only sometimes. To the uneducated eye, it may appear that the cats are getting along because there is no obvious fighting, but that is merely because cats generally fight without fighting. This can also happen when new people or dogs are introduced to the house.
Speaking of new people and dogs, these are particular challenges for you as a cat. Your communication skills are geared towards talking to other cats, but dogs and humans are very dumb creatures who don’t speak your language. Children, in particular, and dogs that weren’t raised with cats are the most difficult for you to live with. They ignore your warning signs that you are afraid and don’t want to be approached. Seriously, who could misinterpret your wagging your tail? Obviously you are mad!! Why don’t the humans or dogs understand that? And when you run away, these awful creatures chase you and grab you. For all you know they’re trying to eat you! Hissing at them, scratching them, even biting them is only your last resort. You would much rather stay hidden or run away when seen. But sadly your territory has a lot of open ground between hiding places and safe, elevated perches.
When you live with a scary dog or unfriendly human in your territory, you feel constantly under threat. Can you make it across the room, down the stairs, and into the basement to use the litter box? Perhaps the dog will chase you or the human will grab you! It’s safer to poop on the human’s bed, or behind the couch, or on the bathroom rug. Maybe you’ll sneak out at night, when everyone’s asleep, and you’ll pee or poop in the middle of the room to remind them you live here and that this is your territory! And what about your meals? That bowl on the floor is right in the middle of enemy occupied territory. You’d better scarf down as much food as you can when no one is looking. Who cares that you’ll throw up half of it on the rug later?
Regardless of what challenges your life may present, we can’t forget that your final main objective as a cat is to make more cats. If you are an intact (un-spayed or un-neutered) cat, you will try very hard to find a mate. Sexually available cats have a hard time with life indoors. They will vocalize and urine mark and try to escape the home. They can also be quite aggressive and difficult to handle. If allowed to go outdoors, sexually intact males will often travel great distances to find a mate. Female cats will mate with many males and the males will often fight for access. For cats, the act of procreation can be very hazardous!
When you think as a cat and understand why cats behave the way they do, it's easy to see why feline behavior consultants focus less on "training" the cats and instead try to offer advice on how to make the cat's environment more feline friendly. Cats don't act out because they are bad cats. They are merely animals following their instincts in the un-natural environment of your house! Want to learn more about how to make your home feline friendly? Contact Dan.
Pretend you are a cat. Here are your priorities as a cat:
1. Stay Safe
2. Find Food
3. Defend Your Territory
4. Make More Cats
As a cat, you stay safe by staying hidden. If you're outdoors, you can do this by crouching in the bushes or if you're indoors, do it by hiding in a laundry basket or in a handy cardboard box. As a cat, you also like to be as high up as possible. In the wild that means being up in trees. In a human's home, that might mean being on top of the kitchen counter or climbing your favorite drapes. The best climbing places are the ones where you can look out over your territory in the home, and also out a window to keep an eye on the outdoors. Cats that find themselves without hiding places or elevated perches can become very distressed and anxious so naturally you will climb whatever is available to you. If there is a cat tree available you might choose to use it but it has to be more attractive than the other options. It must be taller, sturdier, and more comfortable than the alternatives. It also doesn't hurt if it's treated with catnip! Most importantly, it must be located properly. You want to observe while remaining safe and hidden.
Another way in which cats stay safe is with good grooming, physical conditioning and hygiene. Regular grooming and nail sharpening is particularly essential to health. As a cat, you have a strong desire to be clean. Like all cats, you groom yourself with your bristly tongue. You exercise your hunting muscles and sharpen your nails by scratching on things and removing the outer, worn layer of claw material. Sometimes you need to chew your back nails to make sure you've removed all the old nail material. Claw maintenance can be tricky. You need sturdy, well-anchored objects for claw sharpening. The material needs to be soft enough that you can sink your claws in but hard enough to provide resistance. In the great outdoors, trees and wooden structures are the obvious choice. In the home, you will use whatever seems appropriate- this could be a big sturdy scratching post or it could be your couch or carpet.
Cats find food by hunting and scavenging. Cats are obligate carnivores, meaning that they must consume meat in order to survive. As a cat, nature has instilled in you a strong drive to hunt and kill small animals and nature has made it so that you find hunting pleasurable. Cats deprived of the fun of hunting often get fat and lazy or redirect their hunting instincts in unwanted directions- like when they pounce on a passing human leg! As a result, the act of hunting will continue even when you are properly fed- or even overly fed!
What you consider food is determined by what you ate as a kitten. If you are introduced late to, say, a new flavor or style of cat food, you will turn up your nose at it. As picky as some cats may be, cats in the wild are less finicky and are not below sneaking a meal from the trash or nibbling on plants. Like many house cats, you maintain this interest in scavenging and may eat anything that looks like it might be food. This includes house plants, rubber bands, hair ties, bits of plastic, and other things.
Cats defend their territory from other cats in interesting ways. Like all cats, you want to stay safe, so you try to avoid outright battles with other cats. Instead, you leave signs that make it obvious to other cats that this territory is already claimed. Cats do this in many ways. Some are subtle to humans and others are more glaring. If you're a confident cat, one marking strategy is to spray urine on vertical objects around the edges of your territory at the height of a cat's face. This way, an approaching cat will walk right into your scent and know that they are on the border with your territory. Within the more secure inner areas of your territory you may choose to mark with your facial scent glands- the ones that are located on your cheeks and on top of your head. These glands contain pheromones that signal familiarity and friendliness. You also have glands between your toes so that when you scratch on things you leave your scent behind. Like most cats, you like to scratch with your claws on vertical surfaces where other cats are likely to see the gouges and also smell the scent left behind from those glands between your toes. The higher up the gouges are, the bigger the cat must be. For this reason, you like to stretch out as much as possible when you are marking with your claws, to look as big and bad as you can to any potential intruders! All the feline members of your family will mark this way and thus reinforce the "family smell" that reminds everyone they're all on the same team. When someone who isn't on your team ignores your very obvious warning signs and enters your house and leaves his nasty intruder smell on things, you will of course need to correct the problem by remarking the tainted areas and signaling quite clearly to the intruder that he is not welcome. If the intruder is particularly obnoxious you will need to poop or pee on anything that smells like him.
Intruders could appear at any time so as a cat, you must always be on guard. Cats appear to sleep a lot but what they're really doing is staying safe while watching for intruders and predators. They are avoiding excess energy expenditure while also trying to keep an eye on their surroundings. For this reason, you usually choose elevated locations for your naps or you choose to nap near where there's an obvious escape route. Escape is usually your first choice but sometimes confrontations can't be avoided.
In the event of an actual confrontation with another cat (or other intruder), most cats will try to look big and sound scary to intimidate the intruder and make him go away. Cats generally don't like to share their territories with strange humans, dogs, or other cats, even with their siblings. As siblings get older, they tend to grow more anti-social and less tolerant of one another's presence in their shared territory. For this reason, cats that are forced to share a territory will "time share". That is, they occupy different parts of the territory at different times so that they don't run into each other. Cats forced to eat together, use the same litter box, and share the same limited space will often get very stressed and anxious. The more aggressive cat often intimidates the less confident cat into a meager existence hiding most of the time and coming out only sometimes. To the uneducated eye, it may appear that the cats are getting along because there is no obvious fighting, but that is merely because cats generally fight without fighting. This can also happen when new people or dogs are introduced to the house.
Speaking of new people and dogs, these are particular challenges for you as a cat. Your communication skills are geared towards talking to other cats, but dogs and humans are very dumb creatures who don’t speak your language. Children, in particular, and dogs that weren’t raised with cats are the most difficult for you to live with. They ignore your warning signs that you are afraid and don’t want to be approached. Seriously, who could misinterpret your wagging your tail? Obviously you are mad!! Why don’t the humans or dogs understand that? And when you run away, these awful creatures chase you and grab you. For all you know they’re trying to eat you! Hissing at them, scratching them, even biting them is only your last resort. You would much rather stay hidden or run away when seen. But sadly your territory has a lot of open ground between hiding places and safe, elevated perches.
When you live with a scary dog or unfriendly human in your territory, you feel constantly under threat. Can you make it across the room, down the stairs, and into the basement to use the litter box? Perhaps the dog will chase you or the human will grab you! It’s safer to poop on the human’s bed, or behind the couch, or on the bathroom rug. Maybe you’ll sneak out at night, when everyone’s asleep, and you’ll pee or poop in the middle of the room to remind them you live here and that this is your territory! And what about your meals? That bowl on the floor is right in the middle of enemy occupied territory. You’d better scarf down as much food as you can when no one is looking. Who cares that you’ll throw up half of it on the rug later?
Regardless of what challenges your life may present, we can’t forget that your final main objective as a cat is to make more cats. If you are an intact (un-spayed or un-neutered) cat, you will try very hard to find a mate. Sexually available cats have a hard time with life indoors. They will vocalize and urine mark and try to escape the home. They can also be quite aggressive and difficult to handle. If allowed to go outdoors, sexually intact males will often travel great distances to find a mate. Female cats will mate with many males and the males will often fight for access. For cats, the act of procreation can be very hazardous!
When you think as a cat and understand why cats behave the way they do, it's easy to see why feline behavior consultants focus less on "training" the cats and instead try to offer advice on how to make the cat's environment more feline friendly. Cats don't act out because they are bad cats. They are merely animals following their instincts in the un-natural environment of your house! Want to learn more about how to make your home feline friendly? Contact Dan.
