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Friday, March 29, 2024

Understanding Your Pet Cat

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I love many kinds of animals. I have said before in my past articles that I love cats and that I prefer cats for pets than dogs if I were to choose just one. I have stated my reason then—-most pet cats are not as dependent on their human owners as dogs are.

I was not able to really study scientifically the specific needs, traits, and habits of cats before to be able to say that I know well enough now to say I understand cats as pets. Throughout the years since my childhood days, I simply observed every little thing about my own personal cats. I did some “trial-and-error” things with them to help me understand them better every day. It is only lately that I got to know more about cats on a scientific level because of the internet. But what is gratifying to know now with the Googling I have done is that my personal experience in understanding cats was, in fact, valid.

Indoor cats also sleep a lot. The challenge now is to give indoor cats something to do to expend that stored-up energy during sleep time. It is always good to put shelves that they climb or a storage cabinet like the one in the photo which they can sue to climb. It is also best to adopt another cat who can play with your cat. The cats in the photo are also Save ALL rescues who enjoy little toys and climbing anything.

I already know the answer to why cats do the weird things they do even before I began my research in the internet. Take, for example, why do cats knock an object from the table or shelf or from a high place from where the object will definitely make some noise if it fell on the floor? It is because they are bored and simply curious about what could possibly happen if they did that.

Another one is what they call “if it fits, I sits.” thing. Ever saw a cat that once he or she sees a box, a bag, or any kind of container, no matter how ridiculously small it is for her or him to fit into it, he or she will still get inside the small space? They do that because they always want to be in a warm, cozy place or spot. Also, these spots make them feel safe. You see, a cat’s nature is one that is a “predator-prey” type. Meaning, it is innate in cats to feel their predator trait against smaller animals like rats, snakes, lizards, or insects. But it is also in them to feel they are the prey of bigger animals like dogs, bigger feline species, big birds, among others. This “predator-prey” nature of cats is what causes them to be very cautious, sensitive, and alert most often than not. That is also why they tend to seek out areas where they can be, either high and cannot be easily reached, or hidden or camouflaged and cannot easily be seen. They need to feel safe and covered that is why they get into these boxes no matter how small these are for them. Of course, domesticated cats nowadays have another reason in getting into these boxes—-it is fun to be in one and play hide-and-seek!

Have you ever experienced your cat repeatedly pressing their front paws on you as he lays down beside you or on top of you? Sometimes, they would do that on one of your clothing or even in the air while laying down with their belly up and looking at you. Some call it “kneading”. Others call it as “making biscuits” or “smurgle”. Why do they do that? It is one of their ways of expressing their love for you, their owner. They try to imitate their motions when they were still little kittens and nursing on their mother and with that, they are trying to tell you, “mommy or daddy, I love you!”

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Here is one that some new cat owners mistake for a problematic behavior—-the “zoomies”. Zoomies is when your cat suddenly runs wild all over the place as if it is trying to catch something. Actually, this also happens with dogs. Yes, dogs have the zoomies, too. This is perfectly normal. It just means that your cat, is trying to let out his accumulated energy. His energy balloon is full and he needs to put it into use so he will not pop. You know what I mean? If you have been observing your cat carefully, you would notice that he often sleeps most time of the day or night. It is their nature. If they were in the wild, they do that because they are gearing up for the hunt. Once they have filled up their energy balloon, they are ready to hunt. And since domesticated cats do not need to hunt for food, doing the zoomies is how they use up their stored up energy if they have no other activities that could substitute for the hunt. This is why it is imperative to create some play time with your cat, else, you will end up having a lot of broken stuffs with their zoomies.

Cats sleep a lot to store up energy for the ” hunt” at night. Seb here, thrown in the neighbor’s garbage bin and rescued by Save Animals of Love and Light (Save ALL Inc.) when he was days old, sleeps a lot in the day time, and hunts cockroaches and even baby snakes at night. He has taken on the role of cockroach-snake killer together with Val.

There are many more weird things that cats do and some of it are cute and make them look funny or adorable. But some of those things are a bit frightening for other cat owners who are not that well oriented on how cats are as pets, especially the newbies. To know more of the reasons for these weird habits or traits of pet cats, I recommend you watch Jackson Galaxy’s Youtube videos about cats. If Ceasar Millan is my favorite dog whisperer, Jackson Galaxy is my favorite cat whisperer.

About the Author: Mariana Burgos is a freelance artist. She is a solo parent for 14 years now because she is wife to a desaparacido. She and her daughter are animal lovers and are active in advocating not only human rights but the rights of animals as well.

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