What your cat isn’t telling you
BY READERS DIGEST
1st Jan 2015 Animals & Pets
What really goes on between that furry head and active tail? Learn all the things your cat would tell you if only they could.
1. We don’t generally like to go face-to-face at first
Nose-to-nose greetings between cats are unusual, as it puts both in a vulnerable position. However, cats who know each other well but have been apart for a while feel safe enough to do this to confirm visual recognition and gain information about how the other cat is, where he has been, and what he has been doing.
2. Purring usually means we are content
But a deep purr can also indicate pain. If you know your cat well you will be able to tell the difference in his demeanor.
3. We learn how to purr quickly
Cats start to purr at one week old and can do so continually as they inhale and exhale.
4. Purrfection
Young cats purr in a monotone, while older ones do so in two to three resonant notes.
5. Purrposefully difficult
Scientists still do not know exactly how the purring sound is made—and, of course, we’re not telling. Although some believe that it originates in the cardiovascular system rather than the throat.
6. We hate chocolate
Like dogs, cats can also get sick or die from eating chocolate.
7. Catnap
We like to nap rather than sleep but if relaxed enough to enter a deeper sleep, cats produce the same brain wave patterns that humans do when dreaming.
8. Eye contact
We blink and narrow our eyes when we accidentally make eye contact. To make friends with an unfamiliar cat, blink and look away when you catch his eyes.
9. Heartbeat
A cat’s pulse is between 160 and 240 beats per minute, depending on the age of the cat (the younger he is, the faster the heartbeat).
10. We don’t understand punishment
Cats must be praised and rewarded for desired behavior instead.
11. Teaching a cat new tricks
Some of us can learn a trick or two, besides coming at the sound of a can opening. Fetch is a favorite of ours, but if you tell the dog, you’re finding a present in your favorite shoe.
12. Meaty-good
Giving us a strip of raw cat food or meat every day to chew on will keep our gums and teeth in good condition. Suitable meats include poultry, rabbit, or beef that has been deboned.
13. Cat on a hot tin roof
If your cat appears to be able to tolerate heat very well this is because the ancestors of cats were originally desert living animals.