Indeed, some keys show you how to understand a cat. Here, cat owners can learn about their cat’s behaviour and improve rusty understanding of their pet’s sounds and signals.
As the saying goes, cats have a lot to tell you. And they share the same emotional qualities with people. Therefore, the chances are that your cat has tried to share with you how it is feeling or what it wants. Ignorantly, many owners neglect the adorable meows and other signals of their cats. If only they know how to understand a cat is not as difficult as rocket science. It is as simple as ABC.
Below are tips on how to understand cats. To do that, we will be highlighting some of the cat’s common gestures and what they mean.
Vocal communication with your cat
This has to be the first step on how to understand a cat. Because contrary to the age-long misconception that cats are independent and do not communicate, the truth is cats talk. They vocalize and gesture their feelings. Cats’ most common dialect is, of course, those adorable meows in their shelter. And yes, that sound is your feline saying “Hi!” to you. How about the purrs? Your cat’s purring is how to know a cat is happy and that it loves you.
But when you find your cat hissing and growling, you can think of it as a human crying. Their hiss is how to know a cat is in pain. When you hear a faint meowing that you can barely pick, your furball is probably dehydrated, exhausted, or hungry. Clearly, it is essential to understand cat meows.
Body Language
Like you, your cat is well skilled in speaking with its body. So, you need to know how to understand a cat’s body language. One of those parts often used in communicating with you is the ears. When your cat moves its ears forward, it is expressing interest and excitement. But if its ears are tilted backward, then your cat is either irritated, threatened, or distressed.
Apart from the ears, the way cats do their eyes also helps with how to understand cats. When your furball constricts its eyes by narrowing them, then it is afraid or offensively aggressive. Your cat’s enlarged pupils (the black part) signify that something has caught its attention. And you might have noticed your cat wink or blink before. The cutie is just air-kissing you.
Another body language you need on how to understand a cat is the unspoken words its tail is saying. If your cat’s tail is kept straight up, it is in a happy mood and getting ready for interaction with you. But if the tail is puffed up with its furs standing up, then it is terrified. If you notice that the tail is tucked away between the legs, your kitten is perhaps nervous.
A familiar gesture among cats is their arched back. Here, the interpretation is two-faced. If your cat is playing, its furs are flat, and it arches its back, then it is calling for a cuddle or scratch behind its ears. But if the cat has its hairs raised, just back off. This furball is frightened or angry. And while your cat rubbing its fur against you means it loves you, notice when it also does the same to the table or chair. This gesture is how it marks its territory.
Final Thoughts
Your cat is a ready talker. The behaviours mentioned will help you to respond well to your feline explorer if communication in your relationship has only being monologue so far. And if you can readily pick some of its gestures and interactions, this will help you become more fluent.
