How A Cat Communicates With Its Owner

Cats generally have quieter and more subtle ways of communicating with their owners than dogs do. If you know your cat well you can usually tell how it is feeling just by looking into its eyes and observing its body language.

Here are some of the most common ways cats communicate with their “owners”:

Purring

A cat will often purr when it is feeling happy or contented. Although many people believe that cats purr only when they are happy experienced cat owners know that this is not true. Cats also purr when they are stressed or going through a traumatic experience. Cats have even been known to purr when they are giving birth or nearing death. Purring is also a way for a cat to show their affection.

Rubbing

Cats often greet their “friends” by rubbing against their legs. They also do this in order to attract attention. For example, you may be eating at the dinner table and your cat starts rubbing against your legs. Your cat is telling you something like, “Hey I am here and I would like a bite of that.” A cat may also do this when it is jealous of your attention given to another pet or even your child or spouse.

Meowing

Cats can vocalize more than thirty different meowing sounds. This is referred to as their vocabulary. How well developed your cats vocabulary becomes is dependant upon how much they communicate with others. A cat will communicate with other cats, humans, and even dogs. Your cat will actually learn how you respond to it’s meowing allowing it to develop in its ability to communicate with you.

Biting

While a cat will sometimes bite out of aggression it usually bites only in playfulness. So if your cat gently bites you while you are petting it or playing with it, it may be trying to tell you that it doesn’t to be bothered or it may just be playing.

Body language

Cats, just like humans, use body language to communicate their thoughts and feelings. Body language is things like how the cat walks, how it wags or shakes its tail, etc. The only way to fully understand your cat’s body language is to spend a lot of time with it.

Filed Under Cat Owner Advice 

Comments

One Response to “How A Cat Communicates With Its Owner”

  1. cat-lovers on April 2nd, 2008 3:59 pm

    For the most part I agree with everything written here about how cats communicate with their so-called owners and others.

    I would only add that many cats are different and it just takes really getting know them and their personality to be able to understand what they want and how they feel about things.

    Just pay close attention to your cat and you will eventually learn how it communicates with you

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