All cat need is love

Cat is hard to understand. Very hard. I always have cats as pets for many years, but I just realize how to understand them.

Prumprum and Little Rat rest together

All you need is pay attention to their behaviour.

There are 6 categories of cat behaviour; affiliative, maintenance, agonistic, avoidant, vigilant, and vocalization.

Affiliative is a behaviour that shows your cat is happy.

• 1.       Approach; the cat comes to owner. Usually, cat comes to owner for telling you something that they need.
• 2.       Rub; the cat rub their body (head, body, tail) to another object. If you want to give food to your cat, cat usually rubs their head and body to your feet. It shows that your cat wants that food. Cat sometimes rubs their body to another cat, perhaps it shows that cat also loving.



Eve rub his head to a branch

• 3.       Eye contact; cat always tries to make eye contact with owner when they need something. After approach, cat will look into your eye. It indicates that he needs food or want you to rub their head. Something like that.

Prumprum is making eye contact with me

• 4.       Tail up; if your cat want something (usually food) his tail will going up, so straight. It shows he really wants the food. So, if you want to give some treat, look at the tail. If it is not up, cat does not want the treat anymore.



All tails up for feeding time

• 5.       Play; usually kitten or adolescent cat still happy to playing with object, even with their own body (usually tail). He always targeting moving object and try to catch it, then bite it.

Abu is playing with my finger, his tail is up

• 6.       Roll; I do not know well what rolling shows about. What I know is cat want rub their back to other object.
• 7.       Knead; cat seems like massage object with it hands

Begog is massaging my belly

Maintenance is a behaviour that shows your cat cares of itself.

• 1.       Eat; cat eats something
• 2.       Drink; drinking anything he wants
• 3.       Grooming; cat licks his body. It shows after eating.

Eve is grooming his tail

• 4.       Rest; cat inactive, try to sleep, eyes close (sometimes open for a while).
• 5.       Stretch; stretching his body. This behaviour can occur while cat is sleeping!
• 6.       Yawn; after sleep, yawning as hell
• 7.       Scratch; cat scratch rough object or itself. It must be done to sharp their claws
• 8.       Climb; climbing sofa, table, or something high. It needs to do to get comfort place for cat

Agonistic is a behaviour that shows your cat try to fight with another cat.

• 1.       Lunge; male cat suddenly move forward to another cat
• 2.       Crouch; cat sit with chest and legs stick to the surface (floor etc.), claws inside

Kitri crouch, she does not like to be watched

• 3.       Stare; cat look at another cat eye

Little Rat stare at Eve, but Eve avoid to stare

• 4.       Lip lick; cat licks his lip with tongue
• 5.       Freeze; cat freeze, does not move in a long time. I think he is ready to lunge or scratch the enemy

Avoidant is a behaviour that shows your cat does not want you or other cat. He likes to be alone.

• 1.       Flattened body; behind the object, hiding, ears are flat as hell, body flat, avoid stare. It is an extreme version of crouch
• 2.       Turned away; cat turns his head and neck from owner, without changing body position
• 3.       Avert gaze; cat avoid looking at the other cat eyes. He does not want to fight.

Eve avert gaze. He does not want to fight.

Vigilant is a behaviour that shows your cat pays attention to environment. He is aware of what happening soon.

• 1.       Startle; cat is surprised, reflex to jump
• 2.       Dilated pupils; the pupils become bigger and bigger than usual (it is not because of dark room)

Plika tense and her pupil is dilated

• 3.       Erect ears; Ears are erect, listen to the sound
• 4.       Alert; cat is always alert. ALWAYS. Even cat is sleeping, suddenly they alert, and go to sleep again. Alert is when your cat aware with his big eyes, sometimes with waggled ears, pay attention to environment

Abu alert and erect ears, pay attention to environment

• 5.       Tense; Cat is ready (body position also ready) to what will happen soon. If the cat is sleeping, tense is when the cat change his body position to crounch. Usually after alert.
• 6.       Increase respiratory rate; you can see their stomach. If the stomach is deflated and flat so fast, the respiratory rate is high then. It happens when he is afraid or anxious.

Vocalization is so easy to know.

• 1.       None; no sound
• 2.       Meow; you will hear it when cat wants food from you.
• 3.       Growl; you will hear it when cat is about to fighting
• 4.       Hiss; cat will “hiss” to you or another cat. It shows the maximum of his angriness. When he “hiss”, he shows all of the teeth.

Now, treat your cat the best!

Please read Applied Animal Behaviour Science 160 (2014) 94–105

Environmental factors that affect the behavior and welfare ofdomestic cats (Felis silvestris catus) housed in cages

By Judi Stellaa, Candace Croney, and Tony Buffington