CAT BEHAVIOR
Social Behavior
Exploratory Behavior
Eliminative Behavior
Comfort Behavior
Sexual Behavior
Maternal Behavior
Parent-Offspring Behavior
Developmental Behavior
Play Behavior
Learning
Sensory Capacities of the Cat
a)
Hearing
Can hear frequencies as high or higher than dogs. Rodents communicate
in high frequency range, high frequency rustling or scratching
stimulates prey stalking, therefore linked to hunting behavior.
Humans hear up to 15-20, cats to 65 kilohertz with similar low frequency
hearing limits.
Mobile, funnel-shaped pinna. Reflects sounds (can locate sound source
within 5 accuracy at 1 meter). Pinna can rotate 180.
Can discriminate 1/5-1/10 of a tone. Mi of the 4th octave stimulates
defecation in kittens and is a sex stimulant for adult cats.
White cats with blue eyes are frequently deaf (color linked) except
Burmese, Siamese and crosses.
General activity similar to humans.
Antibiotics can damage auditory function in cats.
b)
Sight
Night hunters, good vision in dim light (6 times that of man), but can't
see in total darkness. They have a large reflective tapetum which
results in more light reaching the retina. As a result of the tapetum their
eyes glow from reflected light.
Cats have a great ability to dilate pupils, have a rapid pupil reflex, and have
acute motion sensitivity.
Cats locate prey by sound, smell, and movement. Consequently many
rodents freeze when chased.
Their ability to see is about 10 times less than man. Cats may see some
green, blue and perhaps red, but color vision is poorly developed.
Cats have a 3rd eyelid for protection and have a visual field of 200 degrees
with about half this being binocular. The cat's vision is relatively poor
at close range (most accurate at 30"+).
White, blue-eyed cats - deaf cats may be hyperalert. -Nocturnal vision in
these animals is also reduced because of partial absence of tapetum
area.
c)
Touch
Whiskers - Function of whiskers unknown. They likely protect the eyes. A
rapid eye reflex when the whiskers are stimulated. Cats can detect
small wind currents.
Cats enjoy petting on certain occasions.
Nose surface and foot pads are extremely sensitive.
Perianal massage stimulates urination and defecation in kittens.
Licking and nibbling is sexually stimulating for cats.
Friendly social greeting is tail, cheek and head rubbing, probably a type of
scent marking toward friendly objects. The initiator of cheek rub is
generally the best indicator of submission (i.e. kitten  mother  queen
 tom).
d)
Taste
Similar to dogs - no research done.
Palatability is based on odor, mouth feel and taste, in this order.
e)
Smell
Well developed at birth (establish preferred nipple).
Many times more acute than humans.
Important in behavior and identification: of place, other cats, etc.
Cats have a vomeronasal organ and may show flelimen when smelling
estrus urine.
Important in imprinting, nursing, etc. (removal of odor detection interferes
with nursing).
f)
Balance
Righting reflex is incredibly rapid if the body is horizontal (max. speed at
the 4th floor).
Superb climbers.
g)
Time
Biological clock equal to dogs.
h)
Direction and Navigational Ability and ESP (Extra Sensory Perception):
Cats have directional sensory capacity which is yet unexplained.
a)
Directional ability is less accurate the further from home.
b)
Homing behavior (navigational ability).
c)
Cats seem to be able to predetect the occurrence of earthquakes
(electro-magnetic or electrostatic).
i)
Heat Receptors
-
Temperature perception is highly developed at birth.
-
Adult cats can differentiate differences of .5 C with their nose.
-
The cat's face is about 1/3 as sensitive to radiant heat as the human
-
The trunk has a relative lack of sensitivity to temperature.
-
Cats can tolerate much higher and lower temperatures than man.
face.
Cats can tolerate extremes of skin temperatures. Humans show
discomfort by touching 112 F and cats at 126 F.
Social Behavior
Feline Communication:
The emotional state can be identified in cats, but it is more difficult than in dogs.
Sound
-
16 different patterns divided into three main groups
a)
Growl - hiss - (threat) attack, defense
b)
Vowels - articulated - care soliciting or goal frustration
c)
Murmur or purring - a derived infantile behavior related to nursing,
adult's purr is
associated with contentment. Exaggerated may drool or knead
(alternately push front paws
as seen in nursing or in sexual context)
d)
Purring ("like a smile")
-
Seen in cat, cheetah, puma, ocelot and tiger
Response to petting, mating and seen in both females and
kittens when nursing
-
Does not occur in sleep
-
Very frequent behavior but not always heard
-
Purring is a very regular, rapid, alternating activation of
intrinsic
laryngeal muscles and diaphragmic vibrations.
Facial Expressions
a)
Eyes
with excitement
Pupils usually constrict with offensive aggression and dilate
and fear.
b)
c)
d)
Ears
-
Forward: relaxed, exploratory, greeting.
-
Side down: aggression.
-
Back: Fear  aggression.
Head
-
Down: aggression.
-
Higher: fear and aggression.
Mouth and Lips
Body Language
passively
Cats lack of submissive body and facial expression, but will roll over
in play or for petting. Cats will crouch with ears back in a defensive
position,
particularly if cornered. In severe threat, cats will roll over on their
back in order
to use both feet and teeth.
-
Changes in signals occur more accurately in the face than the body.
a)
Tail
b)
-
Down: relaxed.
-
High: greeting, investigative, frustrated.
-
Arched down: aggressive.
Hair
-
Pilo erection: fear and aggression.
c)
Pupils
-
Dilated: offensive fear.
-
Constricted: defensive aggression.
Examples of Body and Facial Communicative Signs
a)
Offensive Aggression (attack)
-
Direct eye contact.
-
Pupils may be constricted.
-
Whiskers forward.
-
Head forward, body facing forward, tail straight out the back
for 1/4 of its
length and then turns sharply down.
-
The tip of the tail may wag.
-
Piloerection - hair up on middle or back.
-
Ears are up and turned out so the opponent sees the back of
the ears.
b)
c)
Defensive Aggression (is not submissive)
-
Does not necessarily inhibit the attack.
-
Crouched down (body parallel with floor).
-
Ears back, beside head.
-
Pupils dilated.
-
Piloerection over most of body.
-
If cornered, may roll over on back.
-
The defensive may counter attack.
Extreme Offensive and Fear
-
The "Halloween Cat" is seen when cats confront dogs, people,
-
Body arched up with a high side presentation.
-
Tail is vertical.
-
Piloerection of all the tail and body.
-
Dilated pupils.
-
Vocalize.
-
Ears may be back.
etc.
d)
Extreme Defensiveness
Greeting Behavior
Smell
-
Pheromones are a very important communication tool in cats.
-
Some cats show flelimen reaction.
Feces - some wild species of cats don't bury their stools at the edge
of their territory,
but bury within territory.
Urine - some male and a few female cats spray urine in response to
territorial competition
or anxiety. As in the dog, this marking behavior develops following
puberty. Estrus
urine attracts males as male urine attracts and stimulates estrus
females.
Estrus vaginal secretions - attracts and sexually stimulates male cats
and induces
estrus in non-estrus cats.
Anal glands are pheromone producing glands, but the function has
not yet been established.
Expressed in fright and may be expressed on the surface of the
stool. Anal glands rarely
cause clinical problems in the cat.
Dorsal tail glands - intact male cats may develop "stud tail". This
may be seen as a
loss of hair or open skin lesions (very rare).
Perioral glands, chin and glands below the ear produce pheromone
which are used to mark
familiar objects, people and other animals. Chin glands can develop
into feline acne.
Saliva is suspected to contain pheromones and is an olfactory
marking device.
Sweat glands on feet contribute to scent marking when scratching
and walking.
Territoriality
Cats are very attached to their environment and generally more
attached to the environment
than to people.
Males are more territorial than females (i.e. males more aggressively
defend territory).
Male's territory is much larger than female's, but both vary
considerably.
-
Minimum is .1 square mile.
-
Home range of males is 80 hectares (200 acres) and female is
13 hectares
(32 acres) in semi-wild location (farm).
-
The size of the territory depends on the availability of food
supply.
Social Organization
-
Non-linear dominancy hierarchy.
Very complex social organization which varies according to
population density.
space.
The social relationship among cats changes due to the availability of
Cats will generally not express dominance over food (except for
kittens) but may fight over
sleeping areas.
a)
Cats with a regular connection to a human household (farm)
Females (queens are polygamous)
kittens. Foreign
Females accept other females which are related or foreign
females are not usually tolerated.
-
Little social hierarchy is exhibited among adult females.
Most females raised in the environment remain, but
occasionally a few females
migrate because of conflict during the breeding season as
other environmental
stress (dogs, etc.)
Some females move out of their territory during heat periods
and thus reduces
incest.
In very large numbers of females with social stress and low
food supplies there
is less breeding success and fewer
litters raised.
-
May share a nest and care for kittens indiscriminately.
Males
More conflicts between males is due to competition for breeding and
establish rigid
territories.
As males reach puberty, they are harassed by dominant males,
especially if females present.
Many are driven out and form a loose social group of males without
females and thus live
together with little conflict.
By the age of 2 or 3 some of the outcasts challenge dominant cats
with females during
the breeding season and may win territory and females.
-
Males stay very close and guard females in heat.
Territory aggression becomes less as male reaches the periphery of
territory and
increases near sleeping area or den.
-
Expression of dominance is very dependent on time and place.
b)
Wild-(Ferral) Cats
Similar to above, except males and females may live a solitary
existence (except for
immature offspring).
There are social nocturnal gatherings at certain locations of
neighboring cats which
appear relatively peaceful.
c)
Household Cats
humans but is
household.
Cats may develop close social ties with other cats, dogs and
generally advisable to have only one cat per
Exploratory Behavior
Feeding Behavior
Cats readily become highly selective or develop diet fixation if not
fed a variety of flavors
and types of food as kittens or conditioned to a food and have a
drive to do so.
Cats generally prefer a new food to the one that they are familiar
with, if the new diet is of
equal palatability. If the new diet is less palatable, it will only be
eaten for a few days,
be rejected or eaten in small quantities. This behavior is considered
to be an inherited
survival strategy.
-
Cats can tolerate a variety of foods and diet changes.
Cats given free access to food will normally eat many discrete meals
and an average of 13
meals in a 24-hour period.
-
Diet preference shows great individual variation.
-
Coprophagia does not occur in cats.
-
Grass eating in small amounts is normal.
-
Long-haired cats get hair balls and may be considered normal.
Palatability is based on odor, texture and taste in this order. Taste is
still important in the
long term.
-
Palatability is increased by
a)
Warming diet to ±86 F to enhance taste and odor.
b)
Diets which are slightly acid.
c)
sweets unless
Diets which are slightly sour and bitter - cats do not appreciate
conditioned to them.
d)
Salt may increase palatability (brewers yeast or garlic powder).
e)
Moist diets are generally more palatable.
f)
and fish in this
Cats prefer beef, kidney, lamb, beef, horse meat, pork, chicken
order. Cats generally do not like the taste of cured meats.
Unsupplemented all meat diets are not balanced for cats or dogs.
They are very low
in calcium.
digestible.
-
Starch in cereal grains must be cooked in order for it to be
Cats generally do not compete for food (except as kittens.
Drinking Behavior
Cats drink very little water. Cats on canned foods (70-74% water)
may not need to drink for
long periods. Fresh water should be available. Cats drink more
water if it is fresh.
-
Some adult cats can't digest milk.
Eliminative Behavior
-
Cats are readily house-trained and have strong toilet area drive.
There is no universally acceptable kitty litter; some cats like dirt,
others shavings, etc.
The urine of male cats has a strong, unpleasant odor which is largely
eliminated by castration
or stilbestrol.
Elimination is stimulated by smell of previous soiled area, feeding,
drinking and exercise.
using the
House training of cats or kittens
Keep cat in a small room for a few days until one is sure that it is
litter.
-
Once litter is being used, allow more freedom.
-
Make sure the litter pan is in a quiet, accessible place.
-
Try to avoid litter which contains deodorizers.
-
May need a littler pan on several floors of a house.
Comfort Behavior
-
Resting - Thermoregulation - Grooming
Self-Grooming
-
Self-grooming starts at 35 days of age.
Household cats spend 30% of their time self-grooming or
grooming others in social
group.
1/3 of the body water loss is via grooming and equals water
loss through kidney.
-
Helps reduce external parasites.
-
Cleans coat.
from anxiety or
Self-grooming can be a displacement activity which results
conflict.
-
Petted cats frequently drool.
-
Animals that don't groom - sick or anxiety.
Resting and Locomotory Behavior
Locomotion
-
Walking appears at 3 weeks.
-
Walking a distance from nest and climbing at 4 weeks.
-
Adult type walking and running is seen at 6-7 weeks.
-
Complex motor acts are not executed until 10-11 weeks.
-
Cats can swim, but do not like the water and generally avoid
-
Cats lack the oily coat of dogs and the thick guard hairs.
getting wet.
Sexual Behavior
Male (the brain is sensitized at birth by testosterone)
-
At puberty (6-9 months) there is an increase in:
Wandering, night activity, spraying and fighting these activities also
increase in the breeding
season (February to September).
Males have slightly lower
androgen (testosterone) levels
in the late fall (November-December), and
therefore have reduced sexual activity.
-
Breeding Behavior
a)
Males will generally only breed on their own territory. It may
take as long as a
month before a male will breed a new territory. Thus, bring
females to males
for breeding.
b)
Males and females will refuse to breed if fearful.
c)
Males and females usually exhibit elaborate appetitive or
foreplay behavior.
d)
breed or accept
Males and females can be highly selective. Cats may refuse to
breeding personal preference.
e)
Competition may increase breeding.
f)
Male and female housed together for long periods may not
g)
Cats may nose each other, male sniffs genital area.
breed.
h)
Female rubs against male and may vocalize a "sex call" not
heard at other times.
i)
Female rubs floor with neck and chin, rolls over, makes a low
throaty vocalization,
crouches, exhibits lordosis, (front legs down) hind legs tread
and tail is held to
one side.
j)
Male mounts, may knead (alternate stepping on back legs),
bites female's neck.
k)
Copulation lasts 5-10 seconds - males may mate 15-20 times
per 24 hours - females
may accept several males.
l)
Immediately
excitement, pupil dilation,
after
intromission
female
exhibits
brief
loud cry, pulls away, may bite male, rolls on ground, grooms
and licks vulva.
Behavioral Effects of Castration (age group 1-7 years)
Reduces fighting, roaming and spraying with approximately 90%
effectiveness.
The most vigorous and not necessarily the most experienced
fighters, roamers and
sprayers persisted the longest.
-
The variation in effect is due to inheritance and learning.
There is generally a marked individual difference in the effect of
castration in cats.
A rapid decline in one behavior does not mean a rapid decline or any
change in another.
There is no relationship between age of castration and the rate of
decline in behavior.
Castration does not affect predatory or fear aggression, contribute to
obesity, but does
reduce activity somewhat.
Most cats stop breeding within 2 weeks, but a few experienced males
may copulate for as
long
as a year.
Females
-
Female cats reach puberty at 5-1/2 to 8 months of age.
Females are seasonally polyestrous and show peaks of heat from
February to July.
-
Females may only spray during heat periods.
Owners may think cat is sick when in heat: cries, rolls over, arches
back, pelvis up, tread,
restless and some loss of appetite.
If one rubs the lumbar area or holds skin on back of neck, a female
cat in heat will assume
a sexual receptive posture. The cat may also
tread.
-
Catnip may augment signs of heat.
-
Females in heat seek out males.
-
Heat cycles are usually synchronized within groups of females.
Effects of Spaying (Ovariohysterectomy) Cats
1.
Terminates estrus (sterile).
2.
Does not contribute to weight gain.
3.
Does not decrease activity in females.
4.
Does not affect predatory aggression or any other type of
aggression.
5.
Does not significantly change the degree of affection directed toward
people or other
animals.
Maternal Behavior
-
Partly learned and partly inherited.
Behavior during Parturition
As queening approaches, there is increased licking of breasts, anal
area and vulva.
The queen lies down, strains, and there is increasing frequency of
contractions.
As kitten protrudes from vulva, she bends her head between the hind
legs and bites open
placenta and tugs on membranes.
-
Chews cord off - eats placenta.
-
Cleans kitten and own genital area and cleans up nest.
Licks urogenital area of kitten to stimulate urination and defecation
and ingests them.
-
Range of delivery time is thirty seconds to fifty minutes.
-
Labor can be stopped by excitement or anxiety.
Parent-Offspring Behavior
Stages of Nursing-Suckling Behavior
a)
The first 3 weeks (queen initiates all nursing)
Kittens usually nurse within two hours of birth; some may not
nurse until delivery
is completed. Teat is found by kitten being attracted to
warmth. First few days
the queen spends most of the time nursing and in nest.
b)
3-4 weeks
The young have all their senses and leave the nest. The young
initiate most nursing.
c)
4 weeks to weaning (6-10 weeks)
The young initiate all nursing and queen increasingly avoids
nursing. The young
normally show a decline in nursing activity. Cats don't
regurgitate for kittens at
weaning as some dogs do but bring prey to
nest.
Kitten-Queen Behaviors
-
Retrieving of kittens by queen is based on vocalization not on sight.
-
Most cats will move young if nest is unsatisfactory.
-
Nest changing is strongest at 2 days and at one month after birth.
-
Kittens leave nest to deposit feces at 3 weeks of age.
Young, overly dependent or nervous cats may abandon or eat young
if the territory is invaded
or disturbed.
Cats readily adopt young of other litters and of other species,
especially in the first week after
parturition.
Grooming of Others (All Grooming) (Care Seeking)
-
Social approach, lick, rub noses and tails, etc.
Queens rarely retrieve young by licking, they pick the kittens up by
the neck and carry them.
-
Licking is not submissive but social grooming and greeting.
Kittens have a strong attachment to queen (seek warmth, food) crawl, root and suck until
4-6 weeks when they become more
independent.
Some kittens maintain care seeking drives into adulthood and are
directed toward humans
if socialized properly.
Developmental Behavior
Sensory Capacities of Kittens
Smell is well developed at birth which facilitates
bonding, etc.
finding
mother,
The immature brain has an anaerobic metabolism (glycolysis), thus
the kitten can be
in the birth canal for long periods and thus, it is
difficult to drown kittens (20 minutes); it
takes up to 20 minutes for
them to die.
Kittens, like puppies, can't control body temperature well until 2
weeks of age.
-
Eyes, ears open at same time as puppies.
Handling Effect (same as puppies)
Maternal Handling Effect (same as puppies)
Socialization of Kittens (same as puppies)
Early Separation of Kitten from Queen and Litter (2 weeks)
-
Kittens showed long periods of distress crying.
-
More randomly active in life.
-
Slow learners.
-
More fearful, aggressive, cautious.
-
More sensitive to stress.
Socialization to Peers (4-6 weeks)
Kittens should stay with queen or littermates until 5 or 6 weeks of
age. Kittens left with
queen until 6 weeks of age are more active, inquisitive and more
emotionally stable.
Socialization to People and Environment (6-12 weeks)
Kittens generally do not make good pets if not socialized to people
until after 12 weeks
of age. These kittens would be wild and difficult to handle. There
are two types of
inherited temperaments recognized in cats--those difficult to
socialize to other species
including man and those readily socialized.
Fear Period
-
50 to 70 days (approximately 8-10 weeks)
Seen as an increase in human avoidance and reduces at 10 weeks if
kittens are socialized.
Juvenile Period - ends at puberty
-
Continue socialization.
Adult Behavior
-
Male at 5-1/2-9 months.
-
Female at 5-1/2-8 months.
Biological Rhythms
-
Sleep 40% of the time.
-
Rest 22%.
-
Hunting 15% (feral cats hunting 35%).
-
Grooming 15% (30% if confined in household).
-
Highest activity level is 6-9 p.m.
Play Behavior
-
Why play is exhibited is largely unknown.
Play is spontaneous performing involved motor acts that appear to
be without immediate
benefit and seem to be rewarding.
-
Play behavior aids sensory and motor maturation.
There is marked variation in the amount of play exhibited between
different litters.
-
Queens can influence the amount of play shown by their kittens.
-
6 week old kittens play 10% of their time.
weeks.
oriented.
Play is observed mostly from 4-16 weeks of age and peaks at 11
Stalking and prey seeking behaviors increase with age.
Play aggression is mainly seen in males which are more attack
Play postures can take any one of: offensive, defensive, prey attack,
prey catch, stalking
and roll over positions (play-soliciting).
Play may continue into adulthood, particularly if littermates and
mother are kept together.
-
Play aggression can mimic any aggression.
-
Individuals in play may seem to hallucinate (i.e. chase).
skills, etc.
Contributes to:
physical fitness, coordination, learning, hunting
Learning
-
Observational (copy)
More significant in kittens than puppies, i.e. hunting, prey
catching. Not seen in
adult cats.
-
The learned behavior may not be exhibited until later in life.
-
Cats can be conditioned
With positive reinforcement (i.e. shaping and successive
approximation) but has
limited value and is slow to
accomplish.
-
-
Avoidance Learning
-
A behavior is prevented by an association with a fear stimulus.
-
Yelling, throwing things.
-
Pick up by neck and shake.
-
Spray bomb - sound and smell.
-
Distasteful.
Punishment is of little value in training cats.
-
May lead to owner avoidance.
-
Punishment should follow the same rules as recommended for
-
Punishment may only stop the behavior when the owner is
dogs.
present.