What affects us affects cats
There are 2 reasons why it is not uncommon for cat owners to feel more distress and emotional hurt when their cat passes over the rainbow bridge than when relatives die including parents or a husband or wife. This is not a universal formula but I think it will be true on many occasions. …
Yes, is the positive answer to the question in the title but there’s a big caveat which is this: they’ve got to get along, which is obvious but crucial. But I’ve got a common-sense idea for the best way to ensure that a pair of cats get along. You might know that when you …
Before answering the question, we have to define the word ‘deceive’. Definition: to deliberately cause (someone) to believe something that is not true, especially for personal gain. I have never seen any cat behaviourists try to work out if domestic cats try to deceive each other. The activity of deception as carried out by …
It may seem ridiculous to some people to discuss the emotion of embarrassment in relation to the domestic cat but I think it is worthwhile writing a short note about it as it is an emotion and cats feel emotions. It is just a question of whether cats feel the rather complicated emotion of …
The issue of domestic cat emotions is a developing one. I think it fair to say that it is only over the past 5-10 years that the ‘experts’ have genuinely discussed feline emotions in the same way we discuss human emotions. There is a discussion, however, on whether cats experience emotions similar to those …
The first point to make is that we are discussing neutered male cats and spayed female cats. That has to be a basic criteria in this discussion. There’s no point comparing unsterilised male cats against spayed female cats for instance. It is just not a comparison that makes sense. I can answer the second …
A cat responds defensively to the sounds and movements emanating from a computer printer. We know what twitching is but we should realise that it is an involuntary action. It happens automatically. We don’t control it and it is caused by our muscles tightening up or contracting. That is the twitch and this cat …
I have always believed that we don’t give enough credence to the possibility that the size difference between humans and domestic cats can make them feel vulnerable and potentially fearful depending on their confidence levels. I believe that this size difference is a major underlying factor in the quality of our relationship. It’s a …
