Cats Are Masters of Communication

Pam Johnson-Bennett is perhaps the most well-regarded cat behavior expert in the world and the author of many helpful books about cat behavior. She coined a phrase that is particularly apt when discussing cats: They are “masters of communication.” Specifically, cats communicate through:

Scent

  Pheromones are chemical scents released through facial rubbing, scratching (the pads of cats’ feet contain scent glands) and urinating. Facial pheromones are “friendly” scents, so cats rub their cheeks against other cats, people and objects when they are feeling relaxed. By contrast, the releasing of pheromones in urine (urine marking) is an indication of stress, caused by other cats or another stressor in the environment.

Body language

  Cats communicate with their eyes, ears, whiskers, tail, hair and posture.

Vocalizations

  Cats make an impressive number of sounds to communicate, including friendly/welcoming sounds, which include purring, chirping, meowing and trilling; and sounds meant to create distance, which include hissing, spitting and growling.

Cat “attacks”

A cat owner states that every evening her cat “attacks” her legs about ten minutes after she arrives home from work. The cat grabs her leg as she walks by and holds on until she shakes him off. Sometimes the cat bites her leg, but not hard enough to cause pain or break skin. When we ask the client questions about the cat’s body language, she says that when she returns home from work her cat greets her with his tail and head held up high. He lets out a few chirps and he rubs his head and body against her legs.

Given this description, it seems that the cat is not actually attacking his owner. Based on the cat’s body language, he is happy and excited to see his owner when she returns home. His behavior is most likely play aggression because he’s under-stimulated after having nothing to do all day. The solution is to engage the cat in interactive play soon after the owner returns home from work.

Petting-Induced aggression

There is a common behavior in cats known as petting-induced aggression. While being pet, the cat becomes overstimulated or uncomfortable with where she’s being pet, how she’s being pet or the length of the petting. Seemingly out of the blue she bites or scratches the person petting her. But this behavior almost never happens without warning. The cat’s body language prior to this bite or scratch most likely indicated that she was no longer comfortable with the situation. The body language might have been subtle, but it was there. It could have been the swishing of her tail, the dilation of her eyes, a movement of the ears or whiskers, the bristling of her hair, a sudden vocalization or a glance back at the person. These subtle clues were the cat’s way of trying to indicate his discomfort before taking action.

This behavior issue is readily resolvable once the cat owner learns how to read his cat’s body language and to stop petting before the cat shows any signs of agitation. The cat owner should pay attention to where the cat is most comfortable being pet (typically on the head, chin and maybe the back), and limiting petting to these areas of his body. And, finally, the cat owner should figure out how the cat likes to be pet. Is it long slow strokes, shorter scratches or something in between? With this new knowledge of feline body language, the cat’s behavior is no longer an upsetting mystery. The owner might even have a greater appreciation for his cat and her great communication skills.

We’re now well on our way to appreciating that cats make sense. Their behaviors are typically easily understood once we understand their needs, and their effectiveness as communicators provides us with lots of clues about how they are feeling. Now we’re ready to explore how we can most effectively communicate with cat owners to help keep cats in their homes.