A Michael Broad Blog
When domestic cats play with prey before killing the poor animal it can be distressing for the cat’s caregiver as often they are general animal lovers as well as cat lovers. There is, however, from the cat’s perspective, a perfectly logical reason for it – three reasons actually, which I have summarised in the …
Years ago, I proposed that the feline Henry’s pocket, a small extra fold of cartilage and skin within the ear flaps (pinnae) of domestic cats, was to enhance the ability to hear high pitched sounds. I was corrected by a welcome visitor who proposed that this mysterious item of feline anatomy (which still troubles …
The answer to the question in the title is in the infographic. It is that predation behaviour is, as expected, inherited but it needs to be polished up with some training from their mother and a kitten’s keen observational skills and ability to learn from watching. It is how they learn to open doors …
The title is provocative. It’s meant to be as I want to provoke some questions. An article on the Catster website by Dr. Karyn got me thinking (thank you). She advocates keeping cats indoors full-time but she is aware that you need to make the environment inside the home suitable for a cat to …
There is a brilliantly funny ad for Cravendale milk which was very successful, in which domestic cats rebelled against the human because he wouldn’t give them milk. All the rebellious cats had opposable thumbs and they behaved like humans. And that’s the point if you want to be serious about it. The cats became …
It is commonly said that hunger does not dictate whether a domestic cat engages in predatory behaviour as domestic cats instinctively hunt and this desire is not influenced by whether they are hungry or not. However, the picture is more nuanced than that according to the findings of a study which was published along …
A domestic cat’s personality influences how keen they are to go hunting and it will also affect how effective they are and therefore how many prey animals they kill and/or bring back home. And, secondly, owners’ perceptions of cat personality can influence cats’ access to the outside which also has an impact on the …
Can cats work out the source of the laser pointer dot? Some can and some can’t, would seem to the answer. The smart ginger tabby-and-white Maine Coon below did work it out and he is described as smart by his caregiver. He looks smart too. He is one of those Maine Coons that look …
