Anneleen Bru (°1985) is graduated from the University of Southampton (UK) with a MSc in Companion Animal Behaviour Counselling and founded the company Felinova Animal Behaviour Consulting in 2008. “Our mission is to bring an optimal harmony between cats and their owners, because we love happy cats and happy owners!”, says Anneleen, owner 5 beautiful sacred birmans herself, a breed that conquered her heart when she started breeding them at the age of 18.

About Felinova

We provide cat behaviour consultations all over the Flanders region in Belgium, regarding all unwanted behaviors such as house soiling, spraying, intercat aggression, aggression towards owners, fear and anxiety, socialization, pica and general unwanted natural behaviors.

Felinova also offers courses on many different subjects such as behaviour, behaviour problems, welfare, training, enrichment and health. Cat owners as well as cat professionals from all over Belgium come down to the Felinova Academy to educate themselves about cat behavior, in order to spread scientifically based information about cat behavior.

Next to cat behavior, Anneleen also specialized in zoo consulting and training, working with larger mammals such as giraffes, many different species of monkeys, hippo’s, big cats (lion, jaguar, Amur leopard).

Website: www.felinova.be

Phone: +32 (0)486 17 80 98

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Felinova

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Felinova

Clients plead, “I just want to know what my cat is going through. What can I do?” Good question. We still don’t know much.

However, we watch the changes in their manner, from their reactions to the loss of another cat, whether friend or enemy, when it comes to sleeping, playing, eating, eliminating, just being, to status readjustments in a multi-cat home. There are changes and there are responses.

Some cat experts believe it unlikely cats mourn the way humans do.

Dr. John Samuelson, President, AZ Veterinary Medical Association: “Is the cat wandering around the house feeing sad? Or thinking, ‘Score! I’ve just doubled my territory!”? The fact they’re not pack animals means they’re less likely to mourn, because they’re not social to begin with.

Another well-respected vet, who asked not to be named (Nobody wants to hear this, and nobody wants to be the one to tell clients this) believes, “The only grieving cats do is when their babies die—for perhaps six or seven hours. There is no true empathy for each other. A dog cares who they’re with. A cat cares about where they are—they protect their turf.”

These views represent those that many vets maintain.

Others believe cats mourn, and quote statistics to back it up. In 1996, the ASPCA’s Companion Animal Mourning Project found that 46% of cats ate less than usual after the death of a companion cat. Around 70% showed a change in vocalization pattern. Many slept more, and changed the place where they usually slept.

Prof. Nicholas Dodman, Program Director, Animal Behavior Department of Clinical Sciences, Tufts U. Cummings School of Vet. Medicine. was vehement. “They grieve! I ’ve seen it many times.”

JE: Why do some vets still believe they don’t? That because cats are not a pack animal, they don’t have empathy for one another, so believing they mourn is anthropomorphizing?

ND: That’s unknowledgeable and they haven’t kept up. ‘D’ in animal behavior! It’s ‘50’s thinking. There was a movement in the 1950’s, real scientists don’t attribute feelings. Just because they speak in a different language to ours doesn’t mean they can’t feel what we feel. There’s nothing special about cats that they wouldn’t feel…wouldn’t grieve.

JE: According to the “Mourning Project” , more than half the cats became more affectionate, even clingy, with their owners, when they grieved.’

ND: I have not seen that. If they are mutually bonded to another animal, they will go into depression. Life seems gray. They lose interest in life. I had one cat who wouldn’t eat, after his friend died. He developed hepatic lipidosis—went to ICU at Tufts, and on verge of dying. They narrowly pulled him through.

In addition to lack of appetite and loss of interest, as stress hormones, such as cortisol, are released when cats mourn, hair loss (often because of over-grooming, as grooming is self-comforting, and feel-good endorphins are expressed) can be common. It’s been theorized that as a cat’s own smell is comforting as well, the urinating in inappropriate places may also be a kind of self-reassurance, as the cats feel stressed.

Many experts note a three-stage grieving process: the first shows itself with vocalizing, pacing and searching. The second: the cat is listless and disinterested in whatever is going on around him. The third stage is a kind of acceptance, although perhaps not in the human sense. This is where we’ll find cats truly “coming into their own” in their character; becoming friendlier, more active, more…individual, if the passing cat had previously dominated him, for example.

The death of a cat leaves not only a change, but a hole in many cats’ lives. Some experts feel a cat’s notion of death is that of a child’s—the state of permanency is unfamiliar. Yet clients have noted that when a cat is around the body of the deceased cat, there was less “mourning”; did they make a link between killed prey and a dead friend? Was there therefore a kind of resolution to that death?

I wonder about a difference in smell to and of an ill or even dying animal There must be that percentage of a second, after all, that cats recognize each other by smell before the sight, which would explain the phenomenon of scrapping with a previous friend-cat newly returned from the vet’s clinic; that cat is a stranger to the one left at home. In addition, they have such a strongly-developed sense of smell that the lack of the specific cat’s scent in the home is surely noted. Yet, when a cat is taken to the vet’s to be put down, cats, like children, can wait for him to return..

When it’s your child, that’s another matter. I’ve seen many mother cats whose kits were permanently, prematurely removed (through death or inappropriate selling), continue to look for their children for weeks at a time, while wailing and pacing. They displayed mental pain. That wail had a different sound than that of a mourned mate: it was more protracted and anguished-sounding.

While some cats seem to mourn—-hunting for them, searching, reacting for months, others get a fresh start when a warring feline departs. They don’t seem to even mourn. They find their own personality once more, and can play, dash, show renewed confidence and renewed bonding with their humans.

For some cats who are no longer the suppressed ones, the ‘low cats on the totem pole’, you can practically see them do cartwheels (catwheels?) when the previously dominant cat has passed. There is either a jostling for top position (first to eat? Taking over the humans’ bed or the velvet armchair in he sun? A cat’s hierarchy is more fluid than a dog’s, but hierarchy it indeed is.) A new proverbial lease on life awaits.

WHAT CAN WE DO?

We can be there, with more love and more play. BUT don’t force it. Cat sets the agenda. (Otherwise, that could add even more stress if, let’s face it, the cat doesn’t desire it.) Keep indoors if Shadow’s mate was outdoors, and Bella is searching for him. Other than that, keep the routine—routine. And remember that your stress—your misery—can affect her. Keep an eye on the situation, and watch for any changes. Mourning can last for days, weeks or more. Treats, toys, and unforced attention.

Don’t be too hasty in removing the deceased cat’s things—that smell may be comforting, and can possibly help the others ‘transition’, as it fades.

Let the surviving kids work out their rejigged social ranking themselves. We’re human, after all; even the most savvy of us will miss subtle body language and scent signs that only a cat can know.

For how long does this grieving process last? Of course it varies—it can be, in my experience, from a couple of weeks to several months. I’ve seen shorter and I’ve seen longer. At some point, you may want to discuss the idea of short-term anti-anxiety medication with your veterinarian. Nobody likes drugs, but there is a real place for them , as there is for humans, sometimes, when it comes to calming the suffering.

Get a new cat? Not so fast.

First: give yourself time to process the loss. And make sure you’re not trying to replace the loved one who has died. No cat should be put in this position: she has her own personality, her own needs, own character.

Maybe you shouldn’t. Maybe the remaining cat has come into her own—and seems quite, quite content being the only one. Perhaps she has, indeed, found herself. Perhaps the several remaining cats have settled into a new grouping, even blossomed with that, and a new cat would only disrupt that. They also don’t need the stress of a newcomer, especially now. Maybe you have enough cats; Veterinarian-behaviorist Bonnie Beaver indicates that with more than five cats, you’re asking for behavioral problems; in my clients’ experiences, it’s more than four.

Consider your own life. Do you want more freedom for activities that fewer cats—or even no cats—would make possible? Perhaps you can foster, instead. Will a new cat outlive you? Consider an older cat, perhaps.

How soon? When you truly feel ready. Take time to process the loss, don’t just knee-jerk. I don’t know if I’m typical, but I waited a couple of months before getting another cat after my beloved Savoy died. I adore Grace, but realize it took me a little longer to truly bond to her because of that.

Consider this subject a thrown-down gauntlet. Needs research, not just anecdotal narratives. I’m hardly pooh-poohing those; how much research has been instigated by just that? Personal experiences are often what we have to go by.

But cats should come with a warning. ‘This individual feels. Hurts. Respect that. Take care of that’ We need to anticipate, recognize and be able to help console and reassure them when they’ve lost someone. After all, we need that—don’t we?

Photo credit: Shira Gal

You see, even though we adopt a single dog that dog will typically get to go to the dog park, take walks and see other dogs, go to doggy day care, take car rides or go on trips to friends’ houses with other dogs, etc. When we adopt a single kitten and keep it responsibly as an indoor cat, it never gets to interact with its own species. That would make anyone a bit off wouldn’t it? Imagine you raised a human child in a room all alone it’s whole life and then decided to drop that child off at college, how great do you think that kid’s social skills are going to be? Well, that is what it is like for a kitten that spent its first year as an only kitten and then you decide you love cats and want another one and wonder why the introduction process is going so poorly! The typical Tarzan Syndrome cat often starts out as a good will adoption. College student wants a pet that can deal with the crazy hours and lifestyle. They go out and adopt a 5-6 weeks old kitten and bring it home, love it, and play with it with their hands!! Then they wonder why it bites them all the time and attacks their feet! This kitten has now left the litter and doesn’t see another cat for a year or more. Then, in comes kitty #2. They’re cats they should like each other right? After all, they are almost exactly the same, they are cats! Wrong!

Again, there are exceptions to every rule. But if you adopt a pair of kittens they can learn from each other. They learn how to play, hunt and stalk each other. They learn when they bite too hard they get bitten back, or smacked and they learn boundaries this way. No dog, human or other animal can properly teach a kitten these behaviors-the power of their own strength. Nor should they be allowed to as a dog trying to teach a kitten that play was too rough could result in injury or worse. So what if you really can’t afford two kittens? Well, that is where Kitten Kindergarten comes into play! This is becoming much more common across the country, just as puppies have training classes, kittens need them too! Keep in mind that 2 kittens really aren’t much more trouble than one however, in fact, take it from me, it is easier. They entertain each other, sleep together, and hang out together when you are not home. I think they also stay out of trouble because they have each other resulting in less boredom and frustration type behaviors.

If you really only want one cat I encourage you to look for a cat that needs to live as an only child. These cats are extremely hard to place these days as so many families have more than one cat. These only cats are also miserable in a shelter environment and it is really such a good deed to adopt one if one is really what you want and know you can afford. I am simply encouraging that you do not create an only cat by going out and adopting one single kitten and creating “Tarzan”.

So what do you do if you find yourself with an “only cat” living in a multi-cat household? The absolute most important thing is to provide an environment of plenty. This means more than enough litter boxes in different areas of the home, and feeding stations, water bowls, scratching posts and vertical space should all be spread out. The cats should be able to get to everything they need without having to bump into one another. This is called successful avoidance. If one cat stalks and hunts the other that is a whole different problem. But if you introduced them slowly and positively and gave them a reason to like each other and they are still hissing and spitting at each other but not hunting each other than an environment of plenty is extremely helpful. Think about it from the human perspective, if you have a roommate you didn’t like would you want to share the same bed, toilet, and eat candlelit meals together? NO! So don’t make your cats eat together either! Cats are not family style eaters to begin with. That is a great way for one cat to not eat. Put one bowl upstairs and one bowl downstairs, litter on every floor and make sure those boxes are open and inviting so no one can stalk the other. Height is power and comfort so be sure each cat has high places they can perch. If the problem is really severe you may need to enlist the help of a behavior consultant, your veterinarian, anxiety medications, etc. The best way to avoid this problem is to NOT create it. If you adopt an only cat that the adoption group says needs to live as an only cat, then don’t adopt another cat a year later! If you adopt kittens, adopt two! Better for the cats and double the fun for you!

What factors lead some cats to develop behavior problems? And what effect does early experience have on kitten behavioral development? There are still many elusive and unanswered questions, but a new study brings us a little closer to understanding some of the relationships between age of spay/neuter (s/n), household variables (such as number of other pets, use of punishment), kitten personality factors (such as fearfulness) and report of behavior problems by owners.

“Development of behavior in adopted shelter kittens following gonadectomy performed at an early age or at a traditional age” (well that’s a mouthful) by Porters et al. (in press at the Journal of Veterinary Behavior, 2014) examined the relationship between time of s/n (either at 2-3 months or 6-8 months) and report of both short-term and long-term behavior issues. Previous studies have suggested no problems, increased shyness in early-neutered kittens, or increased aggression and less affection in late-neutered cats. Hmm, well that’s a whole lot of mixed messages. The goal of the current study was to address some of the weaknesses of previous studies, which suffered from small sample sizes, lack of long term follow up, lack of random assignment to groups, and reliance on owner recall rather than frequent surveys of current kitten behavior.

The current study started out with a large sample size of 800 shelter kittens in Belgium, which were randomly assigned to either prepubertal gonadectomy (PPG, neutered at age 2-3 mos.; n=533) or traditional age gonadectomy (TAG, neutered at age 6-8 mos; n=267). All kittens were either neutered (PPG) or microchipped (both groups) at 8-12 weeks of age. At this time, kittens were rated as friendly, shy or frightened. More than half of all kittens were adopted into homes with other cats or kittens.

After adoption, owners were surveyed at 2, 6, 12, 18 and 24 months to track behavior issues and other household factors. Unfortunately, there was a pretty huge dropout (which is not uncommon in longitudinal studies), whittling things down to a pittance of 70 surveys at the end.

Surveys inquired about the presence of behaviors, such as negative relationships with other pets, litterbox avoidance, fearful behavior, aggression, solitary behavior, hunting, sexual behavior, activity levels and attention seeking behavior. These behaviors were classified into “potentially undesirable” (owners reported a behavior problem, but said it didn’t bother them) or “undesirable” (owner reported that the behavior problem bothered them).
The survey also asked adopters about their use of punishment, time spent alone by the kitten, how often they cleaned the litterbox, use of enrichment, and the routine in the household.
Given that the main purpose of the study was to determine if time of s/n affected behavior problems, the big reveal is that no, there was no clear statistical impact of PPG/TAG status on any of the behavior variables at any point during follow up. However, some other interesting findings were revealed…

Short-term findings

Upon the first survey (two months after adoption), 470 out of 480 adopters reported some potentially undesirable behaviors, most commonly play-related aggression, fear and destructive behavior. Um, that’s 97.9%!!! Basically, there were 10 well-behaved kittens in the study, and male kittens tended to show more potentially undesirable behaviors than female kittens. However, owners did not seem to feel these behaviors were disturbing, perhaps dismissing them since kittens are so ridiculously cute, it’s just not possible to get upset at their naughtiness.
There were some other variables associated with the presence of these behaviors. First of all, use of physical punishment was related to a greater likelihood of housesoiling (note: we have a chicken and egg problem here, we don’t know if physical punishment leads to an increase in housesoiling, or if housesoiling is a behavior problem that people are sadly more likely to respond to with physical punishment). Verbal and/or physical punishment were both related to the presence of fear, destructive behavior and play aggression. Single cats were also more likely to be fearful and play aggressive, and fear and housesoiling were also related to kittens spending less time with their owners.

Long-term findings

At all other periods of the follow up surveys, anywhere from 89.5 - 98.6% of cats displayed at least one potentially unwanted behavior. As kittens grew into adults, owners were more likely to find those behaviors problematic. Punishment was correlated with more aggression, but less fear. I wonder if this is because owners are less likely to use verbal or physical correction with fearful cats, because they either view them as more sensitive or less willful?
Single cats were still more destructive, and fearful kittens were more likely to be fearful adults and more likely to have problems with housesoilling. People were also more likely to perceive housesoiling as problematic, compared to other behaviors. Interestingly, while too many cats in a territory can cause social stress, which often leads to housesoiling, authors of this study reported that when multi-cat households reported housesoiling, it was related to having less litterboxes than cats.

What did we learn?

So what can we conclude from this study? There is a lot of rich data here to mull over, and obviously more questions for the future.

1. First of all, I’m thinking cat owners need a lot more behavioral help than they are getting. If almost all cats are showing potentially problematic behaviors, we either have an awful lot of naughty cats out there in the world and/or a lot of owners who don’t know how to remedy these behaviors. Guess that’s a bit of job security for cat behavior consultants like myself.
2. Punishment is correlated with problem behaviors in cats. This has also been demonstrated with dogs (both in the presence of and number of problem behaviors). Again, this doesn’t show causality, but may be dependent on the type of problem (owners were more likely to say that housesoiling is problematic, so perception of severity of the problem may be a factor) or even the personality of the cat (fearful or not). I also feel like I have to say for the record that most behavior experts agree: punishment is not considered an effective means of changing problem behaviors, and is not without its own adverse side effects (see here and here).
3. Growing up as a single cat may make kittens more likely to exhibit problematic behaviors as adults. Adopt a pair!
4. Early spay/neuter does not appear to have a negative effect on behavior. While there are some questions about the health effects, this study suggests that early s/n is a good way to prevent unwanted kittens without adverse behavioral impacts.

This study also highlights the difficulties in doing this type of research – the fact that it’s hard to get owners to comply with two years of follow-up – makes it hard to know for sure if 98% of cats are naughty, or if owners with well-behaved cats are less likely to follow up with the researchers! It also suggests that there are many factors that might contribute to problem behaviors in cats…and that there’s plenty of work for us researchers of the human-pet relationship to do!

Marilyn Krieger is a Certified Cat Behavior Consultant and owner of The Cat Coach, LLC®. She also served as the Cat Division Chair of the IAABC and is a former member of the BOD. Marilyn solves cat behavior problems nationally and internationally through Skype, phone and on-site consultations, working directly with clients as well as through veterinarian referrals.

Marilyn, an award-winning author, writes behavior articles for Catster and the monthly behavior columns for Cat Fancy Magazine. Her book, Naughty No More! focuses on changing unwanted cat behaviors through environmental management, clicker training and other force-free methods.

In addition to consulting and writing, Marilyn teaches classes and lectures nationally on cat behavior. She frequently guests on television and radio programs, providing valuable insights on cat behavior. She was featured, along with her Bengal and Savannah cats on Animal Planet’s Cats 101, showcasing clicker training and talking about cats and using force-free methods to change unwanted behaviors. CBS has aired segments that featured her along with her cats as well. Marilyn was also the cat behavior advisor for a program aired on National Geographic. She and her cats have been filmed for segments that aired on KPIX, ABC, KGO as well as other television venues.

Marilyn is frequently interviewed on numerous AM/FM and internet radio stations. She is a regular guest of Ronn Owens on KGO Radio, where she enjoys answering questions from the audience and conversing with the host.

For articles and more information, check out Marilyn’s Facebook page and The Cat Coach, LLC

Redirected aggression is one of the most common forms of aggression among cats living in the same household and can be a challenging problem to resolve. Redirected aggression is when one cat experiences something that instills fear, is over-stimulating or highly arousing and they redirect their frustration, aggression or fear onto whoever is closest. This could be the family dog, another cat or even a human. Redirected aggression is most common in households with five or fewer cats. It rarely occurs in homes that are very saturated in cats.

A common scenario would be an indoor cat looking out a window and seeing a neighbor’s cat in the yard, they want to get that cat, but they can’t so they’re frustrated, heightened and aroused. Then, their feline housemate walks by and the aroused cat turns and lashes out at their buddy that they’ve been living with harmoniously for years. This could even be a littermate or best friend. Then every time they see the “victim cat” the aggressor remembers that state of heightened arousal and attacks again all the while leaving the victim extremely confused and fearful. Sometimes this can be fleeting but in more cases than not the aggressor cat continues to attack the victim during almost every interaction they encounter. Before you know it you have a fearful cat that is hiding and having trouble accessing their basic needs like food, water and litter and the aggressor cat is taking every opportunity to beat up the victim.

In most cases we never know the actual trigger for the redirected aggression. Every once in a while we get lucky and the owners witnessed something but most of the time it seems as though this type of aggression happens completely out of the blue. However, there is almost always a reason for it. If your cats who have previously gotten along well are experiencing sudden outburst related aggression that is confusing to you and has no rhyme or reason they’re more than likely experiencing redirected aggression. Another common example is two cats sleeping on the sofa and something scary happens on T.V. such as some loud screaming kittens or a painful animal crying out, this could also result in redirected aggression. Another great example is a cat walking through the kitchen and a fruit bowl falls off the top of the refrigerator crashing to the ground, ceramic breaking everywhere, grapefruits and oranges rolling on the floor. The cat bolts in fear under the bed. The human runs to comfort their cat feeling terrible that this just happened and the cat is lunging and hissing at the human. The cat now thinks that the human was associated with the event of the fruit bowl falling and now the cat is fearful and aggressive towards the human. The human would have been better off allowing the cat to retreat and not follow to comfort it; this concreted the cat’s perception that the human was involved with the loud crash. The victim of redirected aggression does not need to be another cat it could be whomever was closest to the scary or arousing experience. On this note, this is exactly why corrections or punishments such as squirting your cat with a water bottle should either not be done at all or done on the sly, so they do not associate the human with the act as it can instill fear and create a negative association with that individual.

The absolute best thing to do if you are experiencing redirected aggression or aggression for no apparent reason is to completely separate your cats for a couple of days. You can alternate which cat is confined so no one feels punished but just do not allow them to see each other at all. Then use positive reinforcement by having the cats spend just a few minutes together over something motivating like a special treat or favorite toy and then put them back behind solid doors again. It is best to separate the cats immediately because the more experiences they have being aggressive with each other and the victim being attacked the more compounded negativity we have to overcome. If after a few days a positive reinforcement reintroduction is not successful it is best to contact your veterinarian or a certified cat behavior consultant. These problems can be extremely challenging to rectify and oftentimes we need to enlist the help of some behavior modification medication in efforts to calm everyone down and allow them to learn to associate each other with something good again. I have personally found redirected aggression cases to be some of the most challenging to take on and have had cats need to live separate for as long as a year before they could be loose in the house together again.

Redirected aggression should not be taken lightly and the cats should not be allowed to simply “duke it out” as this will only result in more compounded aggression. When these cases go untreated and the cats are allowed to “work it out” themselves this often results in some house soiling problems because now the victim cat cannot easily get to food, water or litter and starts urinating and defecating in other places in the home. The victim often loses weight because they cannot get to food. Additionally, you may also notice stress over-grooming and symmetrical bald patches on your cat, this occurs because cats groom to comfort themselves when stressed. An environment of plenty is always important to consider in any home with multiple cats. If your cats are experiencing redirected aggression it is imperative that you have multiple locations for food, water and litter to make it as easy for the cats to get to their basic needs as possible.

Ingrid is a Certified Cat Behavior Consultant (CCBC) through The International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC). She is also employed at Paws Whiskers and Claws, a feline only veterinary hospital, as a veterinary technician and feline groomer. Ingrid has been working exclusively with cats since 1999. Ingrid operates Fundamentally Feline, providing both in home and phone consultations for clients experiencing behavior challenges with their cat(s). Fundamentally
Feline publishes educational blog content for clients as well as managing Facebook and Twitter pages. In addition to behavior consultations, Ingrid also
makes her own line of feline foraging toys, scratching posts and scratch pads, and litter boxes. Ingrid and her husband Jake will also design and install
custom built vertical space for families.

Perhaps one of the most exciting opportunities was her home, cats, and environmental enrichment expertise being featured on Animal Planet’s Cats101 show, the episode featuring the color-point short hair. Ingrid recently filmed for the website WebMD and created educational videos on proper litter box maintenance and on the prevention and management of hairballs. You may view these segments on Fundamentally Feline’s website. She is also a writer for the IAABC’s Cat Blog. Most recently she has been appointed Co-Director of the Paw Project Georgia chapter, working towards ending the cruel practice of de-clawing cats.

Ingrid’s home was featured in Cat Fancy magazine’s 2008 “Home Issue” showcasing all of the feline friendly accommodations that she and her husband have made to their home. This spread illustrates the aesthetically pleasing ways you can provide for your cats innate basic needs while still having a home the humans can enjoy.

Ingrid currently shares her home with husband Jake, twelve cats and Elsa, a rescued Burmese Mountain Dog.

Ingrid Johnson, CCBC

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Petting induced aggression, over-stimulation, petting intolerance, hypersensitivity to touch, short fused personality-call it what you will all of these terms mean your cat is not so touchy-feely! Similarly to some people, some cats just want to be with you but not constantly touched or pet. I’m sure we all have a friend out there that wants to hug you every time you see them but perhaps you just saw them yesterday and you don’t feel the need to hug them! Cats can be the same way and there’s nothing wrong with that.

The key to managing and dealing with your over-stimulated cat is to recognize the signs that they are growing displeased with the petting. If your cat is sitting beside you on the sofa and you’re petting them and you see their tail start to flick and switch back-and-forth in an agitated short, quick, motion or you see their ears go flat or their skin ripple, twitch and roll then stop touching them! I call this the equivalent of the kitty heebie-jeebies. These cats often want to be with you but not necessarily be touched the entire time so that means if on the fifth stroke you would normally get swat or bitten stop at three. The key with these cats is to always leave them wanting more. In other words, stop before you push them to the point where they feel the need to lash out at you. They don’t have any other way of saying, “that’s enough, thank you”. So the cat either gets up and walks away, swats at you or bites you. The problem is that many people don’t recognize that the cat has given you many warnings prior to one of those three things happening, you just weren’t listening!

Another great tip for these cats is to simply find other activities to bond with them. Most cats that have petting intolerance also do not like a lot of brushing or grooming. Find ways to spend time with your cat such as interactive play via a lure toy instead of constant touching. Even cats with petting intolerance usually enjoy a good chin or cheek scratch, so stick to the head when petting.

Additionally, I find that many cats with this problem are also obese and they never get to touch down their own back with their own tongue while grooming themselves. So when we pet them down their back it’s a very sensitive area since it never gets touched in their self-grooming process. Part of the beauty of having a multi-cat household, as so many people do these days, is you may have one cat with petting intolerance and others that love affection and relish and it. Accept each individual for who they are and try not to make them something they are not.

Sleeping is also a vulnerable position for the cat. This is an obvious time when they could fall victim to an attack by another predator or a rival cat. Remember that even your pampered indoor house cat, is still a cat! The cat is a species that is both predator and prey. Instincts override all of the comforts we provide and all of the amenities they enjoy. So the next time your little love bug decides that curling up on your lap is the best place to sleep or snuggles into bed with you at night, that’s a compliment folks!

Which brings us to another perplexing and often misunderstood feline behavior, the belly, to rub or not to rub, that is the question isn’t it? So many clients carry over our knowledge from the dog, a species we as humans have lived with much longer than we have lived with cats. We know more about the dog as a whole, their social order, their body language etc. After all, we domesticated them intentionally to meet our needs. So often I hear, “my cat is belly up and showing me submission.” Submission, however, is not a common component in a cat’s behavioral repertoire. They will typically retreat, otherwise known as “flight” or stand their ground and engage otherwise known as “fight”.

So do you touch the belly or not?? The answer to this can be variable. Other body language needs to be observed to help make this decision as does the surrounding circumstances. It could be an indicator that your cat is feeling relaxed and in a loving mood. Perhaps your cat enjoys belly rubs and you are ready know how and when to interpret their wishes based on previous experience. If their ears are pointed forward and erect and their pupils are not dilated, the tail is calm and not flicking, then the coast is likely to be clear. It is also important to note that some cats, when feeling safe and secure, will sleep this way, again, showing trust and comfort, but are not interested in having this very vulnerable place touched. The most common and instinctual reason for belly exposure is when two cats are engaging in play or about to have an altercation. The cat that flops onto its side exposing its belly is NOT being submissive; it is exposing all of its weapons. The cat that is in standing position best watch out because it is about to get greeted with teeth and four paws full of claws! If the ears are flat back against the head, the tail is flicking from side to side and your cat seems wound up and agitated, it probably is, and sticking your hand in the mix is not recommended. Respect this; this is not a funny way to play with your cat. Instead, stuff a kick pillow or other large toy in their belly and let them attack that!

In fact, this is one of the most common problems of learned aggression. Cats that are allowed to play with hands and feet inappropriately continue to do so throughout life and it can be a very challenging problem to resolve. Many are euthanized every year simply because someone taught them to “play” this way. It is not cute or funny. This type of play typically starts when the cat is just a kitten. Acting ferocious seems cute and entertaining, but when that cat is a full grown 12 pound carnivore, that does not know the power of its own bite, it hurts, a lot! This is one of the most common reasons clients seek my behavioral help and it could all be avoided if we just played with our kittens with toys instead of our hands.

Since the cat has now surpassed the dog in popularity it is imperative that cat guardians learn more about these normal behaviors so that we can all “speak the same language” and communicate better. It will create understanding instead of misinterpretation that can lead to so many negative assumptions. Please take the time to understand your cat, and what they are trying to tell you. If you are unsure, please ask I am here to help!

The study has generated a fair amount of attention, and some misleading (or just ridiculous) headlines, such as:

• Your cat is only PRETENDING to ignore you: How cats can understand their owners’ voices but play dumb as a form of survival
• Researchers: Cats Recognize and React to Owner’s Voice (When They Feel Like it)
• Cats showcase facial and voice recognition of their owners
• Study: Cats may not be as aloof as they seem
• Asshole Cats Acknowledge Your Existence in Imperceptible Ways

Note that most of these headlines play into the stereotype of cats as aloof, independent and well, just jerky (something I think most cat owners would argue is not exactly…errr…accurate). So what exactly did the researchers do and find? Do you agree with their conclusions? Or those of the media?

Twenty cats participated in the study. Each session had five trials. The experimenters played the sounds of three strangers calling a subject cat’s name in a manner similar to the owner, matching for sex, tone and other phonological elements (trials 1-3). Then they played a recording of the owner calling the cat’s name (trial 4), and lastly, played the sound of a final stranger calling to the cat (trial 5). The expectation was that cats would habituate (show less responding) to the sound of their name as the three strangers called their name, but if they could recognize their owner’s voice, they would show increased responding on that fourth trial.

The experimenters videotaped the cats during the presentation of the sounds, later coding for behaviors such as ear movement, pupil dilation and vocalization and magnitude of the cat’s response. Head and ear movements were the most common responses of cats to hearing their names called by their owners.

Fifteen of the 20 cats showed habituation to having their name called by three different strangers. Habituation is a decrease in responding to repeated presentation of a stimulus (Domjan, 2009). The five cats who did not habituate were dropped from the rest of the analysis. Results showed that cats who “habituated” were likely to show less responding at the third strangers call, and that their responding increased when they heard their owner’s voice. However, response did not decrease on the fifth trial, to the sound of the fourth strangers’ voice.

So are you convinced that cats recognize their owner’s voices? There are some potential issues with the study that leave me less than completely bowled over. A typical habituation experiment repeats the same stimulus until the subject (human or animal) stops (or significantly reduces) responding. Perhaps the effects could have been easier to find if the calls were not each from different people. In this experiment, since each trial had a different voice, there may have been some “dishabituation” on every trial due to the fact that every stimulus was actually different. Since 25% of the cats in the study did not habituate, it may have been more effective to increase the number of habituation trials before testing the cats.

The actual number of behaviors observed was very small – the cats showed an average of one or so behaviors in response to the third voice (indicating habituation) but only an average of around 1.5 behaviors in response to their owner. This was also less responding than on the first trial, which averaged two behavioral responses. While the difference between the responses on the third trial and responding to the owner’s voice was statistically significant, in that it showed a higher level of responding than expected by chance to the owner compared to the third stranger, I will let readers decide whether they feel this is a strong demonstration of owner recognition.

Given the low number of behaviors demonstrated by cats in general, the experiment could have also included a baseline condition to see the normal level of these behaviors in cats (ear twitching, head movement) in the absence of any auditory stimulus. Perhaps cats already perform these behaviors at around the same rate (1-2 behaviors) without having their name called.

Finally, I would suggest that there may be better or other measures of responding to human voices. Other studies have used approach (to speakers when a sound is projected) as a measure of response to auditory cues.

The authors concluded that the cats responded to their owner’s voice, although only through orienting behaviors (and not via vocalization or other body movements). They said this contrasted with dogs, because dogs understand social cues including pointing gestures and facial expressions. My main problems with this conclusion are that the experimenters didn’t examine either of those behaviors in this study, so it seems erroneous to include that in their conclusion; and researchers have already found that cats can use human points to find hidden food (Miklosi, Pongracz, Lakatos, Topal, & Csanyi, 2005). They then conclude that there are differences in the human-pet relationships of cats and dogs, and ground this in the framework of cats’ self-domestication.

The media conclusions are a bit concerning – the study did not examine facial recognition (“Cats showcase facial and voice recognition of their owners”), and “playing dumb as a form of survival” was not addressed, aside from noting that cats have not been domesticated to “take orders” from humans, unlike dogs. This demonstrates the importance of going to the source literature whenever possible (even if you’re reading my blog posts).

While this study is far from perfect, it does contribute to the current (and greatly lacking) area of study on cat-human relationships and social cognition in domesticated cats. I’d love to see more research on cat-human interactions, looking at other modalities of recognition and response. It does demonstrate some support that our voices are just one of the possible ways that our cats recognize and become attached to us.

References:

Domjan, M. P. (2009). Principles of learning and behavior. Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth.

Miklosi, A., Pongracz, P., Lakatos, G., Topal, J., & Csanyi, V. (2005). A comparative study of the use of visual communicative signals in interactions between dogs (Canis familiaris) and humans and cats (Felis catus) and humans. Journal of Comparative Psychology, 119(2), 179-186. doi: 10.1037/0735-7036.119.2.179

Saito, A., & Shinozuka, K. (2013). Vocal recognition of owners by domestic cats (Felis catus). Animal Cognition, 16(4), 685-690. doi: 10.1007/s10071-013-0620-4