Why do Cats?????? - by Sunny Thornton

Our cats give us so much companionship, love, amusement and sometimes,
"paws" for thought. Why do they do some of the funny, wierd, or simply
cat-like things that they do? Some of the most common questions are......

WHY DOES MY CAT INTERRUPT MY PHONE CALLS?
Unlike small children, cats are not interrupting out of jealousy, or the need
to be the center of your attention. Your cat actually has no idea that you
are talking to someone else, on the other end of "that thing" - he hears your
voice and assumes that you are talking to him, so he jumps into your lap,
rubs on you, meows, etc. in response!


WHY ARE CATS SO CURIOUS?
By definition, a cat is a hunter/explorer. He needs to satisfy his quest for
the unknown.


WHY DO CATS SWISH OR LASH THEIR TAILS?
One reason for swishing is to gain balance before leaping. Another, is to
"hypnotize" his prey. If the prey becomes perfectly still, the cat cannot
see it......by swishing his tail, the cat can cause even a slight movement
in his target, which he can then spot, and descend on.
If his tail waves gently from side to side, this usually means your cat is
showing contentment. If he sits quietly with his tail flickly in a regular
rythm, he is most likely concentrating on something of interest. True lashing
is a sign of anger. It signals irritation to let you know that the cat is
upset.


WHY DO CATS SUDDENLY GO OFF AT TOP SPEED?
Just as with humans, pent up energy sometimes overflows. Cats however, are
noctunal creatures with a natural need to hunt. Even in a home situation
where there is nothing to hunt, or no need to hunt, you cat will feel the
impulse anyway. At full tilt, a cat clocks an amazing 35 mph and covers 3
times the length of his own body in one leap!


WHY DO CATS RUB AGAINST YOUR BODY?
When you cat rubs his head, or side of his chin against you (or the
furniture) he is leaving his scent on you - marking you as part of his
territory. He uses the glands in his forehead and around his chin & mouth
to deposit chemicals known as pheromones. Cats can tell how long ago a scent
was left, and how much they need to heed the warning.


WHY DO CATS KNEAD?
Your cat's purr, followed by his "kneading" on some soft part of your body
is called "milk-treading". When you are relaxed, and sit quietly, you are
giving your cat the same signal that he got from his mother as a kitten -
that it was OK for him to suckle. A nursing kitten instinctively uses his
paws to draw out the milk - gently pushing his mother's stomach to increase
the milk flow. When older cats behave this way it is a good sign that they
feel content, secure with you, and probably are reliving their kittenhood.


WHY DO CATS HISS & SPIT WHEN THREATENED?
As odd as it sounds.....they are imitating a snake! The sound of a cat's hiss
is almost identical to that of a snake's hiss - and they snake is one of the
most feared creatures in the animal kingdom. Hissing is actually quite
common in most land animals. When your cat hisses, he opens his mouth about
1/2 way, draws back his upper lip and wrinkles his face. As he does this,
he expels breath so hard that you can feel the gust of air if you are close
enough. The moisture released at this time is called spitting. This,
combined with his unnatural facial expression is usually enough to scare
off any enemy.

Of course, there are many other behaviors that we all notice, so we can
revisit this topic at another time. If you have any questions regarding
your cat's behavior let me know. If I can't answer you myself, I will
check with a vet or other expert to help you.

Till next time.............Sunshine

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