My tortoiseshell cat Rosie sniffs the new flavor of the food I’ve given her, then makes a covering-up motion with her paws like it’s something in the litter box.
So is she a food critic? Does she think the new flavor is ... well ...
Turns out she’s just acting like a cat in the wild, doing a thing called “caching.” If a cat has food that it’s not going to finish, it will cover it up so no predators will find it, saving it for later. Even though Rosie is strictly an indoor cat, the instinct kicks in. She comes back an hour later and enjoys the food.
Cats have always had a bit of mystery to them, often making them hard to figure out. But they’re not plotting eventual global domination. (Although, considering that Egyptians thought cats to be vessels of gods, that might be debatable.)
Understanding Social Needs
Marci Koski, founder of Feline Behavior Solutions, is a certified feline behavior and training consultant with several cats of her own. She says learning your cat’s body language can go a long way toward bonding, and one of the biggest misconceptions people have is that cats are “low effort” since they’re so independent.“Cats do have social needs. It’s usually up to the cat to determine how much of their social needs are going to be fulfilled by the human in the house,” Ms. Koski said.
Cat lovers have a natural instinct to pet or pick up a cat as soon as they see it, but not every cat is receptive.
“Let the cat have a choice about interaction,” Ms. Koski said. “Let the cat approach you, then offer it another choice: You can hold out your hand and see if the cat wants you to touch it. They might sniff your fingers, rub up against your hand, and that’s the go-ahead to pet.”
“Body signals that a cat needs some space include a tail that rapidly twitches back and forth, ears that are sideways or flattened against the head, skin that ripples, repeated lip-licking or swallowing, and vocalizations such as hissing,” she said.
But what if you’ve got a cat that just doesn’t enjoy being touched very much? Ms. Koski said we should realize that some cats simply aren’t very physically affectionate.
Boredom Behaviors
If you’ve come home and found all sorts of stuff on the floor, your cat is telling you it wants more attention.Common ones include knocking things off counters, counter surfing, destructive scratching, and excessive vocalization.
Cats that lack stimulation in their environment may also “display signs of persistent stress,” Ms. Vitale said, “such as engaging in repetitive behaviors like overgrooming or pacing back and forth.”
Although some of these behaviors are hard to completely avoid, keeping your cat stimulated is the best way to prevent them. While outdoor cats have plenty to keep them interested, indoor cats require an environment and toys that let them “be a cat” and express their true nature, according to Ms. Koski. That’s why playtime is so critical.
“Try to play with your cat every day for short periods of time,“ Ms. Vitale said. ”Cats are ambush hunters, so they are used to quick bouts of exercise and rest.”
Ms. Koski is a big fan of wand toys—“as long as you can get.”
“It’s really important to give your cat hunting sessions, [and] long toys are the only type of toy that can do that,” she said.
And you might be surprised that where you stand when you play is something to consider.
Context Matters
Sometimes, a cat has its own idea of play. When you see a cat with its fur all puffed out, tail like a wire brush, and back arched, you would think it’s ready to fight or fend off an attacker, right? Not always. Our sweet cat Rosie plays this game with me every morning, leaping out at me from a hiding place. Then she turns into the Halloween cat and does a sideways hop. After that, it’s playtime.Turns out she’s just acting like her outdoor friends as she plays with me.
Ms. Koski has a theory: “Cats are hunters. They hunt in the dawn and dusk hours. They’re also ambush predators. That would explain why she wants to jump out at you first thing in the morning. A lot of cats will get puffed out when they are excited due to play.”
Mr. Lusvardi said this demonstrates the importance of context.
“The Halloween cat usually is a sign of stress or fear in cats because they’re trying to make themselves bigger and scare off a potential threat,“ he said. ”However, cat behavior often needs to be interpreted in context, and this is a great example of a situation where that behavior may mean something different.”
Since I always play with Rosie after she does this, she associates something fun with her actions.
Cats can become experts at manipulation, according to Mr. Lusvardi.
Meowing and More
Cats will also change how they meow depending on how their humans respond. Meowing is usually directed at humans, since cats tend to communicate with each other in other ways, and meows can have many different meanings, which you’ll come to “understand” over time.“In other words, over time, you develop your own way of communicating with your cat,” Mr. Lusvardi said.
In my case, Rosie has a “sharp” meow that I know means she wants attention, and a “soft” meow while she’s next to the grandfather clock that tells me that she’s swatted her catnip fish under it and can’t reach it.
Got an indoor cat who chirps or chatters at birds through the window? There are a few different interpretations of this vocalization, according to Ms. Vitale.
“One idea is that this is an ‘anticipatory’ behavior, which means the cat sees something they want (often a toy or prey item), but they don’t have it or can’t quite get to it,” she said.
We know purring as a cat’s “happy noise,” a sign that it’s content and enjoying something. But while that usually is the case, Mr. Lusvardi said that cats may also purr when they’re overstimulated or when they’re injured or dying, as a way to self-soothe.
“Don’t rely on purring as the only indication of your cat’s mood,” he said.
Again, context matters.
Body Language
Cats have more ways of communicating than their voice. Pay attention to their tails, ears, and eyes.“Cats can say a lot with their tails,” Ms. Koski said. “The higher up a cat’s tail is, the more confident that cat is feeling. If a cat comes running up to you with a tail up, they’re happy, they’re confident, they’re looking for interaction. A cat with a tail parallel to its body might be a little unsure how an interaction is going to go.”
If the cat wags its tail like a dog, Mr. Lusvardi said you should be cautious.
“Cats usually don’t move their tail if they’re happy, so if you have a cat with a wagging tail, you’ll want to give them space,” he said.
An exception is that they can also wag their tails while hunting or if they see something interesting, like watching birds at a bird feeder.
A confident cat will have its ears forward and upward. As the cat’s ears turn to the side, it’s either becoming nervous or trying to orient toward a sound. Cats will move their ears downward and flatten them when they are in pain.
Mr. Lusvardi said that occasionally, ears will give mixed signals.
“For example, one ear may be to the side and the other ear is facing forward and perked up. The cat could be trying to hear something, but it may also indicate confusion or uncertainty,” he said, as it’s trying to judge whether something is a threat.
If you’re the one being judged, consider yourself approved if the cat slowly blinks at you.
“Slow blinks are a way of cats indicating trust and can be thought of as a sign that the cat likes you,” Mr. Lusvardi said. “Staring can be very threatening for cats, so the slow blink is a way of a cat saying, ‘Hey, look! I’m not a threat. I’m closing my eyes a bit.’
“If you slow blink back and after a few repetitions look away slightly, it can help your cat feel like you’re not going to hurt them.”
Ms. Vitale said slow blinking is a good strategy when meeting a cat for the first time: “Cats are more likely to approach a stranger after that person slow blinks at the cat.”
Then there’s the “paws that refreshes” motion that all cat owners love: kneading. Mr. Lusvardi said that’s the sign of a happy cat.
“Kneading is an affectionate behavior that cats will do when they are in a good mood. It likely is a behavior that continues from when they are kittens,” he said.
Unsolved Mysteries
While all this information can help us understand cats, we’ll never completely figure them out. Why do the neighborhood cats hang out on the roof of my nice car rather than the old clunker? Why did our Siamese steal jewelry off the dresser and put these items in one of my shoes? Why do I say, “I’ll be right back” to Rosie when I’m leaving the house, even though no one else is home?
There is one bit of body language every cat owner knows. Sometimes, a cat locks eyes with you and seems to look right into your soul.
At those times, no explanation is needed.
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