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Cat meows – Understanding the most common ones

Jonas Jurgella2 Comments

cat-meowsHave you ever wondered if this meow is any different from the last one your cat threw your way? Most cat owners can brag that their pets make so many different sounds depending on occasion and meaning that they could write a book about it. And, while some cats are more vocal than others, it’s a certifiable fact that they have a rich and versatile “manner of speech”. Out of all domestic animals, cats possess the widest range of vocalizations, second only to birds in this regard! So, next time you hear your cat making noises, pay better attention to the nuances of the sounds, because they are not simple noises, but actually clear indications of your cat’s emotional state of mind.

Meows – The most common of all cat sounds, meows are a particularity reserved for humans as they are not used by felines to communicate between themselves. Generally used by cats when they desire their owners’ attention, food or for people to open a door for them, meows can also be a sign of loneliness or illness in some cases. It’s very important to observe the tonality and frequency of these sounds. It might be a simple “Hello! Welcome home!”, but it can just as well be a sign of something more serious which would require a trip to the vet.

Purr – Rarely will you hear this sound in a conjuncture other than the instances cats are blissful and content. Purring is their way of showing that they are pleased and happy. Every once in a while the reasons might differ and purring is used by cats to comfort themselves when they are lonely or distressed. As long as you pay attention to their posture, you can clearly differentiate between a normal purr and a warning sign.

Hiss – Most commonly produced when a cat feels threatened or unhappy with something, hissing is the clear signal that your cat is upset! Whether directed towards your or another animal, your cat is clearly stating his displeasure.

Chirps, Trills, and Chirrups – These birdlike sounds are produced by cats when they are excited about something or happy. They can direct them towards you if they want your attention or if they want to show you something they consider important.

Chatter – If you hear your cat chattering its teeth while longingly staring out a window at a bird then you can be sure of the fact that your pet is trying to show both its predatory excitement and frustration due to its inability to get to the prize.

Scream – People often make terribly loud noises when they fight and cats are no exception to the rule! Usually punctuating a brutal bite or a paw scratch, cats deliberately scream when facing off their foes.

All these sounds are essential to better understanding how your cat feels, what it wants or what it intends to do. Body language is important, but cat owners should familiarize themselves with their pets’ “language” if they wish to live in harmony with their furry companions.

What Do Cats Hate?

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Does your cat show obvious dislikes? This is one of the key questions that cats’ parents should ask themselves every time they see their pets behaving weirdly. You see, whenever cats are upset about something, they reveal it through their behavior because as you know, they can’t speak out their grievances like we do. Cats, unlike all other pets you can think of, are the most common and the easiest to manage. These pets come with relatively low maintenance and in addition to that, they’re adorable, hilarious and very playful.

cats-hateSimilar to humans, cats have their own lists of likes and dislikes. Before judging the “cruel” behavior of your pets, its wise if you can ask yourself some of these simple questions; Did you remember to clean her litter box? Are there some odors/scents your cat hates? Have you made sudden changes in the house? Or are you ignoring her? To learn more about our best feline friends (BFFs), this post will reveal some common dislikes about cats.

Cats hate being ignored by their parents/owners

Quite different to what most cat haters believe, cats are not solitary pets, but they need to be treated with love and affection for them to grow. According to most cats’ parents, these feline friends really enjoy our companionship and through giving them our attention, a strong bond is created. Speaking out of experience, my cat usually enjoy disrupting me while working online forcing me to take multiple short breaks to brush her hair and make her feel loved.

A dirty litter box

One major problem faced by most cat owners is litter box avoidance by their pets. How often do you flush your toilets? After every use right…As normal humans, we can’t use a stinking toilet whatsoever. Now, a cat’s sense of smell is 14 times higher than humans. Due to this fact, if your cat discovers that its litter box is dirty and stinking, it will look for alternative locations to “poo” such as a basket or at the corner of the carpet.

Stinking food

There is a big difference between cats and dogs. While dogs relish eating rotten food, cats usually turn their mouths back whenever they detect odd smells in their meals. Stinking cat food doesn’t only smell awful but it has a number of harmful toxins which affect the health of your cats. To keep your cats healthy, you need to check the type of food you’re feeding your cats with and always remember to store them in the recommended room temperatures.

Taking medication

One of the most irritating things cats hate is being pilled. According to statistics, giving your cats tablet medication is quite dangerous as compared to liquid antibiotics because most capsules rest on your cat’s esophagus (which eventually causes esophagitis). Therefore, to avoid such irritation, it’s advisable that you give your cats medication coated with cheese, cream or anything else you believe your cat will enjoy feeding on.

Conclusion

Apart from the ones mentioned, there’s a list of other things cats dislike about humans and nature as well. One of the most common we didn’t mention is getting wet. If a cat accidentally gets into contact with water, it really gets infuriated or even hate you in case it finds out you did it on purpose. Other things include being held too tightly, seeing strangers or being punished for petty mistakes.

How Do Cats Show Affection?

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Cats, just like other pet species have multiple unique ways of communicating with their owners. Since most people expect these adorable creatures to respond the same way as dogs, we often miss those precious moments which we could otherwise have spent playing and building a strong bond with our loving cats. Having recognized this fact, this post will highlight some of the most familiar ways your cats try to show affection.

Slow eye blinks

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Slow eye blinks are the equivalent of I love Yous

One special way your cat will reveal that he’s comfortable and relaxed with you is through blinking the eyes. Although most pet parents don’t understand this love sign, it’s one of the most common ways your cats show affection. You’ll notice that when your cat is close to you, it seems to close its eyes halfway while blinking slowly. Also known as cat kisses, this sign requires you to reciprocate so that you can build and strengthen your relationship with your cats.

Wagging the tail

Just like dogs, cats also show their affection through their tails. There are several signs cats try to convey their emotions using their tails. For instance, when your cat is tense or scared, it will puff out the fur on the tail. On the other hand, if he’s happy, relaxed and comfortable with your company, he will either flick the tip of his tail or wrap the entire tail around your arms or legs while standing or resting beside you. Most pet parents have revealed that this is one of the most inspiring ways that cats show how much they love and care for the people around them.

Exposing the tummy

Similar to the rest of the cat family, cats have a special way of revealing what’s in their minds. When a cat is cautious and uncertain, it tends to tuck his/her limbs under his body then wrap the tail all around the body. On the other hand, if you wish to know how much love your pet cat has for you, you’ll notice that he’ll willingly lie comfortably beside you while exposing his tummy. This sign is very rare because cats always stay ready for any uncertainties. Therefore, if your cat is willingly ready to expose his limbs and belly while relaxing right next to you, you should count yourself lucky, trusted and loved.

There are so many other ways that cats show affection to those pet parents they love. Some of the other ways we didn’t mention include: giving you love bites, grooming you, following you and cheek rubbing. Make sure you pay attention to your cats, so you can recognize and understand how much these pets love and care for you.

 

 

What Do Cats Think About?

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According to statistics, there are over 80 million cats residing in the U.S. alone. When we estimate the ratio of cats: dogs, you’ll be shocked to discover that there are at least 3 cats to every dog. Now, the most asked question about these feline companions is what they really think about when lying on the couch or when playing around our homes.

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According to studies, cats are quite different to dogs when it comes to their thinking. For instance, a dog will place you in a different bracket when it comes to social interaction. A dog will either view you as a friend or an enemy and this is reflected in the reaction you’ll receive on first sight. On the other hand, cats think differently. If a cat loves you/recognizes you as its owner, it will come close to you and show some signs similar to the ones we discussed in the previous post. If a cat doesn’t love or recognize you, it will react violently or run away.

With that in mind, this post will highlight some important lessons learned on what cats think about.

Cats view us as their parents

According to research, I’ve come to a conclusion that cats view humans as their parents. Take an example of small kittens. When hungry, they purr to notify their mother they’re hungry. When feeding, the kittens often push the mother’s belly (knead) in a rhythmic manner to get more milk. Relating this to big cats, you’ll notice that they usually purr and follow their parents/owners when hungry or when they need extra milk. Also, one sign a cat shows affection with is through lying down waiting for you to rub their belly.

Cats view us as their close companions

Cats feel more secure when spending time with you as compared to if it was with other cats. The only time these feline companions spend time with other cats in the wild is when they’re mating or fighting. Did you know that the main reason we take our cats to the vet is when they have wounds and bites sustained when fighting? Well, this clearly means that we should try and reciprocate the love these pets give us.

Finally, let me say that cats are adorable, loving and most of all, they’re very intelligent creatures. Cats living in an extended family are able to master every person’s behavior and know those people who love them and those who don’t. Similar to dogs, cats are trained what to do and what not to do. The best thing about them is that most of the signs they reveal to us are learned from their mother-kitten relationship making them adorable and intelligent felines.

 

Reasons Why Your Cat May be Sad

Jonas Jurgella2 Comments

The similarities between cats and humans might be few in number, but when it comes to how cats feel, we are surprisingly alike.

As with people, cats can also become sad or even depressed and the signs are quite clear once you know what to look for and pay a bit of attention to your pet.

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Do you know the signs of a depressed cat?

There are a multitude of reasons for which your pet might be sad, some more common than others. You should normally pay attention to how your cat behaves before drawing any unfounded conclusions, because finding the cause is very important in dealing with the situation and properly solving the problem.

For instance, some of the changes that might appear in this case are the lack of activity, excessive sleeping, losing interest in their interactions with both human and animal companions, diminished appetite, lack of personal grooming and signs of uncleanliness or even mood swings and a change in normal behavior.

If they are faced with loss, be it the death or the disappearance of an animal friend or a favorite human caregiver most cats get depressed and it is natural for them to mourn as humans do in these situations. It is also important to take into consideration that depression in cats can be the consequence of a disease, such as Hypothyroidism or even cancer. The symptoms and signs differ depending on the illness that triggered the emotional imbalance in your cat and it is important to visit the veterinary to diagnose the problem.

There are also cases that might mistakenly lead owners to believe that their cats are anything but sad, when they actually are. For instance excessive meowing or purring can also be a sign that the pet might be unhappy. Sometimes cats purr more than they normally do, not because they are pleased, but because they try to comfort themselves when something is wrong. Meowing or aggressive behavior should also make one ponder, because mood swings and a change in a cat’s normal attitude towards others signals an unhappy pet.

ybxspslBeing lonely might seem as a common and unimportant reason, but not all cats that are
faced with this issue manage the problem by scratching or destroying a few things around the house in their owners’ absence. Some cats become sad because they long for human companionship and it is important to know the specifics of your pets breed before submitting your pet to a certain life style that might affect not only its mood, but also its health.

Boredom is another common reason for a cat to be unhappy, especially if they are the only pet in the house and they spend a lot of time on their own. Try to spend as much time as possible with your cat, and shower them with love when you come back from work so they do not feel neglected. Providing them with ‘active play’ toys can also help keep them engaged when you are away (check out Catit Circuit toys on Amazon for around $20).

Chances are that the reasons why your cat is unhappy and sad are actually common and easily solved causes or even sometimes natural ones, such as being influenced by the time of year and becoming depressed during winter months (Seasonal Affective Disorder). However, to avoid more serious and drastic situations, you should pay close attention to your pet to ensure its good health and general well-being before overlooking or minimizing your cats more serious problems!