INFOGRAPHIC explains trans-generational effects of prenatal stress in cats and other mammals

Trans-generational effects of prenatal stress in cats and other mammals in an infographic

‘Trans-generational’ means: through the generations i.e. something that is passed down or extends across multiple generations. In various contexts, it describes processes, effects, behaviors, or patterns that are inherited or transmitted from one generation to the next. ‘Prenatal’ means: relating to the medical and other care given to pregnant females before their offspring are born. I have converted this interesting research (cited below) into …

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Explaining in an infographic why some cats take walks with their caregiver

Reason why some cats take walks with their owner

This time I am not going to add many extra words as I want to see if Google and Bing search finds this page as well without them. The infographic explains the situation and makes this page a 20 second read and a 5 minutes cogitation. The reason why some cats like to take …

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Should I allow my female cat to have a litter of kittens to improve her personality?

Should I allow my female cat to have a litter of kittens to improve her personality? No.

Allowing your female cat to have a litter of kittens solely for the purpose of improving her personality is not a recommended approach. Let’s consider the reasons: Remember, a cat’s personality is shaped by various factors, including genetics, environment, and individual experiences. Prioritize her health, happiness, and responsible pet ownership. 🐾 RELATED: Do you think …

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Will one female cat feed another one’s kittens?

Will one female cat feed another one's kittens? Yes if they are domestic cats.

I am writing about domestic cats. The reason for that is because not infrequently there’s more than one female cat available to share the responsibility of raising kittens. In the wild, it is far less likely that a female cat will encounter another and therefore what I describe below applies to domestic cats. RELATED: …

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Domestic cat maternal aggression

Domestic cat maternal aggression is instinctive

Domestic cat maternal aggression is also referred to as maternal protective aggression. It’s what you think it is: a queen’s protective behaviour towards perceived threats to her kittens. It’s a natural instinct when she is caring for her young. In Peter Neville’s book Do Cats Need Shrinks? a client of his, Susan Swift, asked …

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Unknown cat brings dead birds to your front door and meows. What does it mean?

Cat brings bird to stranger's house

There is a stray cat in the community. You don’t know the cat and yet she consistently brings dead birds to your front door and meows until you come out. What does this mean? It isn’t unique but probably quite unusual. The way to try and understand this is to refer to the mother-kitten …

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Why does my cat lick me?

Generous Cat

For me the answer to the question, “why does my cat lick me?” mainly comes from personal observation. Mother-kitten relationship My cat looks upon me as a mother cat. All domestic cats do the same. Our cats are kept in a state of perpetual kittenhood with us as we provide for them and unwittingly …

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Side-by-side videos which explain why adult cats knead us (make biscuits)

Kittens kneading

These side-by-side videos tell the story behind adult domestic cat kneading. PLEASE CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON AT BOTTOM-LEFT OF THE VIDEO TO PLAY THE TWO VIDEOS SIMULTANEOUSLY. Despite the copious amount of information on the internet about this form of feline behaviour some people don’t know the reason. Fair enough. Here is the reason. The newborn kitten kneads their mother’s breast to encourage the production of colostrum when feeding. The video on the left shows this clearly. Clearly, the adult cat is no longer a newborn kitten feeding at their mother’s breast but they think they are kittens because their every need is provided for by their human caregiver who acts as if they are surrogate mothers. This encourages the adult cat to never grow up emotionally and so they drop into the habits they had when they were newborn kittens even if it has nothing to do with feeding on their mother’s colostrum. It is entirely instinctive. The adult cat most often kneads their owners clothes while on their lap or their bedding as it smells strongly of them. Or as seen in the video they knead any part of their owner including their face. Just keep the claws trimmed please!

Kneading as an adult with a kitten's mind
Kneading as an adult with a kitten’s mind. Infographic by MikeB at PoC. Click to see it larger if on a desktop or laptop.
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