.jpg)
After writing about how to introduce pets to newborns, I started thinking about pet body language. By reading that we can most easily determine our pet’s moods, and thus intervene before a potentially negative situation could become worse.
Also, we all wonder from time to time what our pets are thinking, and interpreting body language is about the closest we can come to learning that. Amy D. Shojai, author of over 20 books on pet behavior, recently posted two articles on website Paw Nation on what various positions and sounds indicate about feline and canine moods and thoughts. First I will go over cat body language and next week I will cover dog body language.
The first three items on the feline list are ones that most people, even those who don’t own cats, would be able to guess on their own. The meow is a plea for human attention; Shojai says they’re rarely aimed at other cats. If a cat utters a meow of a lower pitch, it means that it’s attempting to intensify its demand.
Purrs, unlike the meows, could be directed at either humans or other cats. No one’s precisely sure what the purr means, but it’s probably just a signal of content, non-threat, and/or happiness. Mother cats will purr to calm their kittens, but in other cases the purr is usually accompanied by a kneading gesture. That likely is a holdover from a cat’s early memories cuddling, satisfied, at its mother’s side.
Just like with purring, cats hiss at humans or other animals. In every other way, however, the hiss is opposite to a purr. It indicates the cat wants whatever’s near it to get away right now. Cats might hiss out of either aggression or defense, when they feel threatened or when they’re the ones doing the threatening, but either way if you hear a hiss it’s time to back off.
Two of the other noises on the list are traditionally associated with feline aggression, but only one of them necessarily indicates it. A growl is the sound a cat makes if its hiss doesn’t succeed, so you’ll definitely want to be careful if you hear that. A spitting noise, though it sounds bad, just means the cat has been surprised. That surprise could be negative so you still might want to watch out.
The last sound on the list is chatter, or what I call the chirp. It means the cat is frustrated. I hear Cole chirp all of the time when he sees a bird or squirrel out the window that he can’t reach.
Next week I’ll finish up looking at cat body language by going over what we can read about feline moods from the way they hold themselves.
Related Articles:
Roadrunner the Sprinting Kitty
*(This image by Mel B. is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License.)
