Communicating with the cat: getting to know each other
Are cats able to understand us?
The domestication process has allowed cats to spend many years by our side and this close bond has favored mutual communication. Cats are not only capable of feeling emotions such as joy, fear, sadness, anger, disgust, surprise but can also recognize when family members are sad, angry or happy. Cats are able to observe the movement of the Pet Parents’ facial muscles and listen to the tone of their voices to interpret what they feel.
Cat communicates through emotions
Stimuli that come from the external environment (such as seeing an object, the perception of a sound, a caress) or from inside the body (for example a memory) can trigger an emotional response. This response causes a physiological reaction (such as pupil dilation, an increase in the hear rate, the emission of pheromones) and behavioral response (changes in facial expression, posture, tone of voice).
By observing the face, body, and tail of the little cat, it is possible to understand if the cat is relaxed, scared, or angry:
- The relaxed cat: the ears are "soft and drooping" on the sides of the head, the eyes half-closed, the pupils slit, the muscles of the body are not contracted, the tail hangs "abandoned".
- The frightened cat: the ears are lowered to the sides of the head, the eyes wide open, the pupils dilated, the muscles of the body in tension, the tail retracted under it.
- The angry cat: the ears are erect or folded back, the eyes wide open, the pupil slit, the contraction of the lips can uncover the teeth, the body's musculature is contracted as the tail is in tension and moves rapidly.
- The tones of the cat’s meows also communicate information about the cat's current emotional state:
- The trill exclaimed when the Pet Parent returns home and accompanied by a straight tail pointing upwards transmits a greeting message.
- The quiet meows indicate the desire for cuddles.
- The hisses and growls tell us that the cat is afraid or angry.
Also if the cat licks the lips or the tip of the nose, yawns or pants, it is a sign that the cat is uncomfortable.
It is necessary to
respect the messages the cat is sending us so that iit feels understood and safe. Knowing the cat’s common behaviors allows the human family to adapt. For example, if during cuddles family members observe that the cat has dilated pupils, eyes wide open, licks the tip of the nose and moves its tail, they must interrupt the contact and leave the animal calm since it is uncomfortable. By doing so, the cat will not avoid contact in the future as it is certain to be understood and not forced.
Cat communicates through emotions
The cat displays some emotional messages by
depositing pheromones. Pheromones are chemicals secreted by glands located in the skin of the cat's body such as the breast area, the face (between the base of the ear and the chin), the interdigital spaces, the pads of the hands and feet.
Human beings are unable to perceive pheromones therefore this method of communication is unfortunately not understandable by the Pet Parents.
The
female cat separates the pheromones of satisfaction between the breasts after the kittens are born in order to reassure and comfort them. Scratches are made with the hands (from top to bottom or horizontally) close to a resting place (for example the sofa or kitchen chairs) or passageways between the inside and outside of the house ( for example the jamb of the door - window).
Scratches perform the function of communication through the combination of visual signals (the signs of the nails) and chemical signals (the pheromones excreted by the interdigital glands). Through this behavior, the cat indicates that the resting place is "busy" and that the "passageways" are strategic points.
Facial pheromones are deposited by the cat when it rubs the side of the face on objects (for example the legs of the table and chairs) and on living beings that are part of the family (for example the Pet Parents, dogs or other cats). By doing so, the little cat gets to know them and bjects and living creatures no longer represent a danger.
The alarm signals are represented by pheromones generated by the glands placed in the plantar pads of the hands and feet as the perception of these molecules by the cat causes avoidance and escape.
