Pampered Dog Blog

Even after living in our homes for thousands of years cats still maintain an aura of mystery. They are generally less demonstrative than dogs, so their behavior is much harder to interpret. But as all domestic, and even wild, cats seem to exhibit similar behaviors, these actions obviously have meaning.

Understanding why your cat does the things he does is key to building a bond with your can, so in this article we’ll try to explain some of those strange behaviors to you.

One common behavior you’ve probably noticed your cat doing is to rub his head against objects. This could be a table, a TV stand or even your legs. When cats do this they are leaving a tiny trace of saliva on the object, effectively claiming it as their own.

You may also notice that if a stranger comes into your home, the cat will rub up against him. This is like a feline “hall pass”, a way of accepting someone into his territory.

This may also be the reason that cats are so often drawn to people who claim not to like them. Such a person will be at pains to avoid cats, so will carry no scent on them. Thus when they come into a cat’s territory, he’ll be keen to ensure that they are duly marked.

In the wild, cats often seek out high ground to survey their surroundings. A pet cat mimics this by lying on the window sill and watching the world go by. When he sees another cat, a bird or other potential prey. You’ll notice that he starts making strange chirping sounds and twitching his whiskers. This is a natural behavior triggered by the cat’s hunting instincts.

Cats are actually quite playful animals and many enjoy a game. But games are often a practice for hunting, and you’ll see this in one of their favorites games – the “kill”. The cat will grab hold of an object with its mouth and front paws, then kick out with its back paws.

Big predatory cats like lions use very similar tactics to dispatch their prey.

Cats have a broad vocabulary and communicate using meows, purrs, trills and a whole catalog of other sounds. One of the most peaceful sounds you’ll hear is a cat purring. It is usually assumed that cats purr when they are happy, and while this is usually the case, a cat will also purr if it is in pain. Be very aware if you cat purrs while seemingly in discomfort. Cats have a high pain tolerance and purring in this case could indicate a serious problem.

Find the perfect name for your new cat or kitten at Cat Names HQ.com. This site has a vast database of cat names, including a huge list of boy cat names.