What is a cat?
Although domestic cats are intelligent animals, tragically, problems usually arise for them as a result of people’s widespread ignorance of their basic motives and behaviors. They mark using their facial glands while they are at ease, but if they feel unsafe in their homes, they may use more aggressive marking methods like peeing on things. Here are nine characteristics that all companion cats have, as well as a few examples of how they could influence your relationship with your cat.
Hunter
The cat has undergone physical and behavioral changes to transform into a top predator and expert hunter who is motivated by the sight and sound of prey. To be a good hunter, the cat’s natural cycles must coincide with the time when its main prey, tiny creatures, are most active and susceptible, often between dawn and twilight.
What does this mean to you, the owner?
- Cats are “fully equipped” with their razor-sharp claws and teeth!
- They probably enjoy physical activity and are drawn to movement. In their play, they imitate predatory behavior.
- In the spring and summer, they could be more active, especially at dawn and dusk.
- The victim might be brought inside by them. Cats may exhibit a number of behaviors as a result of prolonged stress, including spraying or soiling themselves indoors, becoming scared, and on rare circumstances, becoming violent. Although all of these actions are natural cat habits, they do not meet our expectations for cats as companions in our homes.
- Cats require the room and chance to give an outlet for the deep motivations driving this behavior.
- Some cats will leave their gardens in search of new hunting grounds, while others may be away for a prolonged amount of time during the greatest hunting seasons.
Mandatory Carnivore
The cat has developed into an obligate carnivore, unable to survive or thrive without the essential components present in meat, because it has been such a terrific hunter that it has never needed to resort to plant stuff to supplement its diet.
What does this entail for you as the owner specifically?
- Vegetarians cannot have cats.
- Some metabolic pathways that break down specific drugs are lacking in cats. This suggests that many things harmless for people or dogs may be toxic to cats. Cats may be hazardous to plants, especially lily family members, that are not toxic to other animals. Young kittens and indoor cats may taste indoor flowers or plants out of curiosity, boredom, or because they lack access to appropriate plant material, like grass, to chew on.
Territorial
The area that a cat would ordinarily guard and which contains the resources necessary for the cat to thrive, flourish, and exhibit its regular behavioral repertoire is known as its territory.
What does this mean to you, the owner?
- Cats love their territory tremendously and will fight to protect it.
- Cats frequently have stronger attachments to their home than to their human owners.
- Cats don’t always get along with neighbors’ cats or cats in the same house.
- Threats to their territory could drive cats to feel afraid, engage in combat, or attempt to leave.
- When a cat’s territory is constricted, as when it is kept indoors, for instance, the owner must make sure that the surroundings are interesting and stimulating.
- Cats rarely leave their area voluntarily, but when it is needed, owners must be sensitive of their wishes. For instance, people should pick a quality cattery or a veterinarian who is understanding of the cat’s wishes and fears.
- Cats will use a variety of strategies, such as rubbing, scratching, or spraying urine, to mark their territory.
Agile
The cat’s amazing ability to balance, coordinate, be flexible, and be powerful helps it to explore and take use of its three-dimensional environment, hunt silently, and flee from danger. Additionally, it offers the cat the flexibility to groom itself well and frequently, helping it to keep its coat in outstanding form. Cats’ bodies are designed for frequent quick bursts of movement rather than protracted periods of idleness.
What does this entail for you as the owner specifically?
- Cats will use every accessible location in the home, so giving them the chance to climb is just as crucial as allowing them enough floor space.
- Cats frequently enter unexpected and difficult-to-reach spots!
- Owners must give opportunities for their cats to exercise, which should include both vertical and horizontal space, in order to keep their health and flexibility.
- Cats frequently engage in vigorous activity for “thed half hour.”
Smell sensitivity
The cat is extraordinarily sensitive to sounds, feelings, and odors that people are not able to detect. Cats communicate with one another and mark their territory using fragrance and their great sense of smell, generally to keep other cats at a distance (unless when hunting for mates or scent marking members of their feline group) (except when looking for mates or scent marking members of their feline group).
Cats deploy fragrance created by glands on their cheeks and body, as well as urine and even feces in specific conditions.
What does this mean to you, the owner?
- It could be difficult for cats to adjust to changes in the comfortable and familiar smell profile of their home, such as the use of household cleaners and deodorizers, new furniture, visits with dogs or people, other cats entering through the cat flap, decorating, etc.
- To feel secure, cats will leave smell trails. Understanding their preferred locations, social structure, eating patterns, and even toileting habits can effect care decisions that dramatically improve their quality of life.
Self-reliant
The cat can hunt by itself, find its own den, and protect its own region without the need for other cats of the same species to be nearby. By being exceedingly aware of its surroundings and deploying its agility, speed, and power to get itself out of danger, it can keep itself clean, preserve its claws sharp, and protect itself. It will use its hunting weapons to protect itself if it considers that escape is not an option. It is fertile and has good mothering instincts when it has to meet other cats for reproduction.
Like dogs (and humans), cats do not have a biological need for company; instead, they are satisfied living alone. There is no dominant hierarchy among a lot of cats, unlike dogs, who form organized packs.
What does this entail for you as the owner specifically?
- Cats have the freedom to reject human interaction and dependence.
- Cats are frequently glad to live alone and may not want a “companion.” The discomfort of sharing a territory with another cat is real.
- Being stopped from keeping themselves clean and prepared for hunting is possibly distressing because of how intensely they need to accomplish both.
- A cat may shift to another territory if one is not giving what is required.
- If they feel threatened, cats will flee and hide.
- Because cats are compelled to maintain their fur, they may unwittingly groom off dangerous compounds that they would otherwise avoid.
- Cats are great at disguising symptoms of illness or pain because they prefer to stay still and silent to avoid bringing attention to themselves. This is one of the reasons why it is tough to develop and monitor pain and disease in cats.
High awareness
Being a lone hunter, the cat requires a highly developed system that enables it to react to food opportunities and potential predators very swiftly and successfully. The cat also needs to be incredibly reactive because it is a tiny creature without a pack or group to assist protect it or just alert it to hazards. It also needs to be wary of the odours left behind by its own kind. Even though it may spend two thirds of the day sleeping, while it is up it is highly aware of its surroundings.
What does this mean to you, the owner?
- Sights, noises, and odors that humans experience on a daily basis—especially those that are unusual or abrupt—can induce worry in cats.
- Cats can react fast if they are disturbed or terrified.
Emotional
The cat may not be thought of as an emotionally complex creature because it lacks the facial dexterity that species like humans, apes, or dogs have to show their feelings. But the cat has to feel fear, pleasure, and frustration in order to learn about its surroundings, how to act, and how to apply what it learns to survival methods. A cat will normally run and hide when threatened.
What exactly does this mean for you as the owner?
- Like other mammals, cats are quick learners.
- Behavior and emotions can change quickly.
- Routine and predictability in a cat’s life lessen stress and improve their quality of life.
- Changes in a cat’s typical behavior (such as sleeping more or avoiding contact) may be caused by an emotional shift or may be a sign of health problems.
Adaptable
A cat may thrive in a range of social and environmental contexts. It can live in groups if there is plenty of food and shelter available (typically those with related members or those with members it selects on its own). Cat populations are so rampant in our homes and gardens that it has had to adapt to survive. It has changed to adapt to different ‘companions,’ such as people, dogs, and other animals, as well as to patterns of activity and food availability while owners are at home. It no longer necessarily involves being active at dawn and dusk.
What does this mean to you, the owner?
Cats can coexist with people in a variety of settings, and they frequently seem to do so fairly successfully. But occasionally, they might be overextended, lose their capacity for adjustment, and problems might occur. Hunting activity may start to decline between the ages of one and three, when cats are most likely at their prime hunting age.
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