Cat Facts : Ten Facts About Social Behavior
by Kurt Schmitt
Here's a collection of cat facts about one of the most important elements of cat behavior to understand, social behavior and interaction. I've tried to include facts that I think are helpful.
We often love cats for their independence. When they pay us some attention, we usually feel honored. A cat that asks for a belly scratch should be given your full attention.
If you've ever wondered what your cat is thinking, or why he does what he does, you're not alone. Cats are mysterious creatures.
As pet owners, it's part of our jobs to learn how to better care for our cats. Here are some cat facts that may help bring you closer to your feline friend.
1. Leave me alone. Unlike dogs, domestic cats do not form packs. When forced to live closer to other cats than they normally would in the wild, cats will often time share their territory when possible.
2. A kitten's tendency to be friendly and sociable comes from two sources; genetically, primarily from the father's genes, and behaviorally, primarily from learning to be sociable from their mother.
3. When a kitten is between two and seven weeks old is the most important time to instill proper socialization.
4. When a cat experiences a trauma, it can go through a second socialization process during recovery. This can result in the cat becoming friendlier than before the trauma. Unfortunately, it can go the other way and make the cat more aloof as well.
5. Descending from solitary creatures that stake out a territory and hunt alone, domestic cats have a limited set of body language skills.
6. In order to make up for a limited set of communication skills, cats need to use scent markings to send and receive messages. They also need to be fast and agile!
7. Your cats will leave their scent in strategic places all over their territory. They'll also leave their scent on you and other animals in the house. This creates a communal scent, and provides your cats with comfort knowing that these animals are part of the same social group.
8. Cats will often raise their back ends up so as to better scent a hand. They'll also often stiffen their tail, but keep it bent as they scent you up.
9. A vertical tail is a sign of happiness, and also used as a greeting. Your cat would probably like it better if you had a tail too, but I guess you'll do as is.
10. When the front paws are curled up and tucked in, and the back legs are outstretched to the side, your cat is relaxed and secure.
Hopefully, at least some of these cat facts surprise you. If you read between the lines, most will allow you to better understand cats. Now, go communicate with your kitty!
Author Kurt Schmitt has more about cat facts at the web site for cat lovers. Get your own completely unique content version of this article.
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