Cat behavior: Is it normal … or is it evil?

At first glance, the title of this article seems like a reasonable question for any cat owner. As with most individual members of the human race, we tend to orient our personal world in our own system of logic, predictability, and order. We establish our routines and habits to adapt to a lifestyle that provides us with a level of comfort free from the fears that always seem to surround us. We are continually reminded of those fears, whether it is yellow journalism spread by the media or neighborhood gossip from people who seem to need such enthusiasm because they are simply bored or because they think you need some kind of realistic experience. . shake myself to see things the way they do. As narrow as it may seem, there is no doubt that each person organizes their home in a kind of system, which is a lifestyle, which encompasses the concepts of order and predictability with logical results that ensure peace, comfort and tranquility.

It is about time that many decide that they would like to have a pet to complete the picture. Some may want the company of a pet because they live alone; Others may want surrogate children, either because they don’t have any yet, or perhaps their children have grown up and blown up the nest. Of course, there are those who simply appreciate the easy love and faithfulness that pets seem so readily capable of. Many will choose to have a cat. It is here that the peace and quiet that you have established and come to know and hope for will surely be interrupted, if not challenged.

Introducing any new pet, and cats in particular, will require a new way of thinking. With this new way of thinking, being a successful cat owner will depend on how well balance and perspective, as an assessment of yourself, can be incorporated into your new relationship. In other words, you need to balance your own personal needs and the needs of your cat with a perspective that allows them to see the relationship long-term, as well as on a daily basis.

There is a lot hidden in that last paragraph.

• Balance and perspective as a self-assessment require complete honesty when analyzing emotions and reactions to a given situation. Any skewed rationalization of an event or circumstance will simply not work when one is searching for the “truth” of a situation.
• A person’s needs can be emotional (a harmonious, peaceful, and happy home environment), spiritual, or physical (food, warmth, and shelter). The same goes for your cat. She has emotional and physical needs similar to yours. As for the spiritual needs of people or cats, we leave it for other discussions.
• Perspective is necessary to perceive your relationship with your cat as a long-term affair, what you might call the forest, in light of day-to-day activities, or the trees that make up a forest. In addition, reactions to a certain situation can change from day to day, some of which can have a disruptive effect on long-term vision. You can see that going from long view to short view and vice versa requires a good deal of mental agility.

So what does all that have to do with cat behavior?

Cat instincts have been ingrained over eons of evolution. The qualities that distinguish a cat from all other animals (including people) can be listed as follows:

• Cats are nocturnal: Cats learned long ago that they could find prey and avoid predators by hunting at night. Physiologically, they developed senses that allowed them to be quite successful in nighttime activities. Senses like the eyes that can detect movement in very low light. Hearing that allows them to accurately identify the movements of a prey in the dark. Their hearing range far exceeds that of humans, so not only can they hear noises that people cannot, but they can communicate in those ranges as well. They have the ability to leave a scent trail that requires no light to follow, which is useful when escaping predators can be the difference between life and death in total darkness.
• Cats are territorial: A cat will mark an area with its scents and claim it for itself. Usually her territory would be large enough to support her and any of her kittens, with a food source in the form of prey. Their scent mark also warns other cats that this is their land and that it would be better if they just kept going.
• Cats are lonely: Except during mating, cats are used to living alone. This is closely related to the territorial aspect of the cat’s personality. To avoid spending all your time marking a territory, the land claimed is usually small enough for a single cat. Also, for many scents it can be confusing, especially if you are trying to escape from a predator in the dead of night.
• Cats are predators: They have learned to be quite competent in hunting, especially of small nocturnal prey. The cat hunting technique can be divided into four phases:
  • Stalking
  • Trapping
  • Murder
  • Eating

  Most cat owners are familiar with the stake phase. All cats will stalk from the kitten. But, the success of any cat’s ability to stalk, trap, kill, and eat prey depends solely on what their mother taught them when they were kittens. If they didn’t get good training in these predation techniques, they may not be as stellar as predators. Still, the instinct to act all four phases is inherent in the nature of each cat.

• Cats are maternal: Because a cat is lonely and her territory will only provide prey for her and her young, kittens need to learn a lot before mom kicks them out of the house. Otherwise, there would be too many mouths competing for a limited supply of food. Not to mention all the different aromas that crowd the territory. The maternal instinct has to be strong to teach so much in a short period of time. Unlike pack animals that will share parenting, a cat can only rely on itself to successfully raise its young and perpetuate the feline species.

So when someone decides to have a cat as a pet, they need to realize that the cat has some pretty deep-rooted characteristics. Most just see a pack that doesn’t require a lot of attention (unlike dogs), that is basically clean, and doesn’t have to be housetrained. But then when a person’s logical sense of order and predictability conflicts with a cat’s basic natural instincts … the fur starts to fly !!

When a cat feels at home, it will rub its cheeks against prominent furniture, your pillows, or your leg. Most people find that quality endearing. She is really marking her territory that she shares with you. If you are stressed (due to a change or invasion of your environment, such as moving to a new home, or the introduction of a new pet or family member), or due to certain illnesses, you may feel the need to mark it. a little stronger territory, say with urine. In both cases, she is marking her territory, but only one mark is acceptable to you. The other may give her seizures and wonder why you brought her home in the first place. Your reaction will have a lot to say about you and how you assess the circumstances. It will say less about your cat, as it will only do what comes naturally to it.

It’s hard to believe sometimes, but cats aren’t really evil.

I know there are many who will disagree with me. But I have found that cats are just as loving, faithful, playful and need attention as any dog. They simply manifest those qualities in a different way that is unique to cats in general. Above all, I have found that with an understanding of instinctive feline characteristics, many of the problematic behavioral confrontations people have with their cats can be corrected, albeit with some commitment on the part of the person, or avoided altogether. Yes, you will have to be smarter than the cat. And being smarter than anything else takes a lot of work. In the end, cats are not evil, nor do they want to make your life miserable; they don’t try to get even, even when you think they should. They just do what comes naturally to them. Whether what they do is normal or not … that depends a lot on their childhood experiences. Something that even people have a hard time being. Normal, that is. Kitten experiences and how they relate to adult cat behavior will be discussed in the next newsletter. For now, take a little test. Without looking at your cat, ask the following questions:

• What color are your cat’s eyes and fur?
• Describe the quality of your cat’s coat, skin, teeth, and gums.
• What sex is your cat? Is your cat neutered or intact?
• How much does he / she weigh?
• How much do you eat and drink each day?
• When, how much and how often do you urinate and defecate?

If you can answer these questions, then you are on your way to really getting to know your cat and taking a big step towards a peaceful coexistence that you both want, for sure. Learning your instinctual urges will complete the picture. Then your life together will be remembered as a life of harmony. Not of contention or relaxation. Or worse with her looking at euthanasia or going wild.

Work in progress: Coming to Cat Lovers Gift World there will be a section titled Cat Behavior that will discuss the concept of the natural instincts of the cat and how they affect the cat in its relationships with people.