Chat to Your Cat: Lessons in Cat Conversation - Softcover

Braun, Martina

Softcover

ISBN 10: 3861279665 ISBN 13: 9783861279662

Publisher: Cadmos Equestrian, 2009

Synopsis

Cat language is both complex and multi-faceted: cats do much more than just miaow, hiss and purr! Find out what your little tiger is really saying with all its many different sounds, facial expression and gestures, body posture and little behavioural quirks. Once you understand your cat better, you can get to grips with some of the typical problems of living together, and develop an even closer bond with your moggy. It contains: the whole range of cat sounds, from purring to wailing; facial expressions, gestures, posture and body language; how cats live and socialise; the territory of outdoor and indoor cats; conflict behaviour under stress; and play behaviour and hunting for prey.

About this title

About the Author

Martina Braun is a qualified animal psychologist who specialises in behavioural therapy for dogs and cats. She lives with her cats in Basel, and has her own animal psychology practice

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Chat to Your Cat

Lessons in Cat Conversation

By Martina Braun, Andrea Höfling

Cadmos Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2009 Cadmos Books, Great Britain
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-3-86127-966-2

CHAPTER 1

The sounds

When thinking about communication between living beings, that in the form of sound often springs to mind first. The term 'communication' (Latin, communicare: sharing, conveying, participating, acting jointly, uniting) is the comprehensive term for a mutual exchange of thoughts and feelings, not just by using sound (acoustic), but also via body language, gestures and facial expression (visual) and depositing odours (olfactory).

When individuals communicate, they relate to each other. The reaction of one depends very much on the actions of the other, and vice versa. This highlights the importance of communication in establishing common ground and avoiding serious conflicts. The tools available to the cat for this purpose are manifold. Bearing in mind what effective hunters cats are, any misunderstanding can create the risks of serious injury to both parties. In fact, it is the large number of subtle nuances and facets the cat has at his disposal that make it so difficult for we humans to interpret them correctly. Let's start with the one aspect of language through which humans understand each other best: communication via sound.

In the past, many efforts have been made to count and classify the individual sounds that cats produce. We now distinguish between six basic sounds: purring, miaowing, level one hissing, level two hissing, screaming and growling. Further scientific research has concluded that domesticated cats have 16 different sounds at their disposal, and has categorised them into three different groups:

• Murmuring (sounds made while the mouth is closed);

• Vocal sounds (for communication purposes with the cat's human, produced while the mouth is being gradually closed); and

• Sounds of high intensity (sounds produced with an open mouth, while the size of the mouth opening varies). This is mainly reserved for communication with other cats.

The different sounds are not always easily distinguishable. When a cat is cornered by a human or by a pushy cat, he may start showing his displeasure by sounding an irritated miaow. If that's not enough, this miaow may seamlessly merge into a hissing or growling sound, and if the tormentor still doesn't back off, the whole thing may escalate into an angry rumbling. The type as well as the intensity of the sound varies according to the situation, and the transition from one sound to another is flowing. As a result, any attempt to list these sounds, including the one that follows here, can only be a rough outline of the acoustic communication signals of which a cat is capable.

Whimpering

The first sound that a kitten makes is whimpering, which serves to trigger the mother's maternal affections and care. The feline behaviourist Paul Leyhausen has proved that the maternal action of carrying kittens back to the nest can only be triggered by the kitten's whimpering sounds. If a kitten has fallen out of the nest and is crawling about, but doesn't whimper, the mother takes no action. Only when the kitten sounds his 'meeeh' will the mother carry him back. Why? Well, bringing up kittens is a strenuous activity, for both parties. In order not to needlessly waste energy and effort, a clear marker or trigger is necessary. The whimpering puts a lot of stress on the little lungs, so this guarantees that a kitten only whimpers when it is absolutely necessary. The mother's behaviour is adapted with according efficiency. She will only carry him back to the nest when he cries for help.

Like purring, these initial, very early sounds belong with the group of 'vocal touch sounds' and are primarily designed to build and reinforce social attachments. You could say the animals use a 'vocal' touch either when the physical touch is absent, or in order to reinforce it.

Purring

The kittens' first purring sounds can be heard, albeit very quietly, almost straight after birth when they suckle from their mother. A kitten is able to swallow, suckle and purr all at the same time. By using this particular vocal touch sound, he conveys to his mother a sense of well-being. This way she knows that the little one is well without having to get up and thereby perhaps interrupting the feeding process. The purring is answered. The mother also purrs while she is nursing her young. In doing so, she soothes her offspring, as well as herself.

All cat-like animals (felines) have the ability to purr, not just domestic cats. Adult cats living in the wild purr almost exclusively when they have young. The domestication of the cat basically led to a permanent state of adolescence. As a result of living with humans, our domestic cats have kept their ability to purr, and to signal well-being, into adulthood.

Purring is a vibrating sound at a low frequency between 27 and 44 hertz. Cats also purr when they are in pain, and when they are sick or dying. Therefore it is assumed that they have the ability to calm themselves by purring. Adolescent cats that are playing with other adult cats sometimes purr in order to emphasise the peaceful nature of their playing towards the superior playmate, and to calm themselves. Only extremely anxious and frightened cats, or cats in an extremely aggressive mood, don't purr.

By the way, there is a good reason why kittens are born with hair, but blind and deaf. If they were already able at this point to perceive all the stimuli of their environment with their eyes and ears, they'd be frightened and confused, maybe curious, but definitely distracted from the main issue: suckling. Their life would be over in a matter of hours.

At birth, the only functioning senses that healthy kittens have are touch and smell. In order to prevent the kitten from getting too far away from the nest and wasting vital energy during his search for mum and the protection, warmth and milk she offers, he will crawl on his tummy in small circles, usually in an anti-clockwise direction. He realises he has found her when he can feel her warmth (tactile) and smell her milk (olfactory). By swaying his head gently from side to side, the kitten searches the skin surface of his mother's tummy (sense of touch) in order to locate the prominent teats that he takes into his mouth to suckle. At the same time, the tiny paws left and right of the teat begin to tread and massage rhythmically. The treading action stimulates the flow of milk. This infantile instinctual action survives into the cat's adulthood when human and cat are living together. The cat will use it when jumping on a soft surface, or when jumping on to your lap for a cuddle, by stomping around with his front paws, before happily settling down.

Even if the claws sometimes sting a little, this is a token of the cat's trust in you, and it would be wrong to chase him off or punish him because of it.

Cooing and chatting

All cooing sounds serve as a friendly greeting between familiar individuals, either between cats or between cat and human. If the cooing is accompanied by a quiet miaowing, this is also called chatting.

As early as 10 days after the birth, the mother cat begins to coo upon returning to the nest, and it can therefore be assumed that this sound may also be categorised as a social 'vocal' touch. The mother stays by the side of the nest and begins to coo persistently until her kittens wake up and start their characteristic whimpering. After a few days, the mother will expect the kittens to come crawling towards her in response to her persistent cooing.

Sometimes you can overhear cats that are very close and familiar with each other having a 'chat' using variations of this cooing, which are unique to these two individuals. This is called dyadic dialect (Greek, dyade: twosome). Similarly, you, being a trusted and familiar human being, as well as an esteemed tin-opener, will also be greeted by your moggy with a friendly cooing sound.

Mouse and rat call

The mouse call that the mother uses upon bringing her kittens their first mice at the age of four to six weeks is a slightly more guttural version of the cooing sound. With this adapted cooing sound, she signals to her kittens that she has brought them something exciting, and beckons them to come closer to see what it is.

My own 'big game huntress' Anima will announce from afar that she has been successful, and that she is approaching the house with a mouse. For well-practised owners of outdoor cats, this is the signal to quickly shut the doors to all bedrooms and living rooms! Unfortunately, this call does not give you any clue whether this mouse is already dead or whether it will be darting around your flat in a very lively manner indeed!

We owe one further amazing observation to Paul Leyhausen. He delivered the proof that cats really do have the ability to use linguistic terms. Previously, this ability had only been attributed to primates and, of course, humans. He overheard mother cats that brought their kittens a rat – or perhaps even some rat portions, which may be much smaller than a whole mouse – utter a shrill, often drawn out scream that was quite different to the cooing mouse call. This is called the rat call.

Even to a fully grown cat, a rat is a dangerous prey, able to defend itself, and the kittens display a prompt reaction. When they hear the mouse call, they will approach without hesitation and show a keen interest. The rat call on the other hand brings about clear signs of distrust and caution in the kittens, who will only approach slowly and with a crouched body posture. The kittens obviously understand the difference between the two calls without having experienced the meaning for themselves.

Hissing

The hissing sound also develops early, although very young cats make it without blowing out air. They open their little mouths about halfway and make the facial expression that traditionally accompanies the hiss. The perfected version of this will later look like this: the upper lip is lifted and the tongue, particularly at the sides, is curved upwards almost to the roof of the mouth. This enables the cat to breathe out sharply, which produces the typical hissing sound.

Close up, this expulsion of air can even be felt. This is the reason why cats find it unpleasant and off-putting to have someone blow into their face, a fact we can use for the purpose of upbringing. But please, only use this in order to fend off excessively rough physical behaviour that is getting out of control, when your cat is using his claws during play, for example. Used too often and incorrectly this disciplinary measure can make the cat scared of humans who appear to him to be like gigantic cats.

The more emphatic the warning, the more seriously it is taken. With this voiceless sound, the cat threatens his adversary not only visually, (facial hissing expression), but also by touch (blowing air), as well as acoustically (hissing sound). It is the last chance to avert a hefty whack with a paw.

Spitting

The spitting sound is produced by the expulsion of air in sharp and explosive blows. It is a warning sound, and its exclusive purpose is to impress and baffle a non-feline adversary in order to gain time for a quick getaway, or to reach a more favourable position. The spitting is not used for communication between cats. It is often accompanied by an arched back.

Growling

We're all familiar with the menacing sound of a growl, not only from cats, but also from dogs and even rabbits! There are certain signals that are understood by all species – even humans. This type of communication is inter-species. It makes sense, because it is used when basic sentiments are involved, such as warning, defence and fear. As a secondary characteristic, it can often be observed that an animal will make itself appear larger by making its fur stand on end, walking on tip-toes and arching its back, to deter and deceive an adversary – for example, birds puff up their feathers, dogs and cats make their fur stand on end. If a cat feels seriously threatened or cornered, the hiss may turn into a growl. It is advisable to take a growling cat seriously, because this way he signals unambiguously that he will go on the attack, if necessary, and that he will also bite.

The depth and fervour with which even adolescent cats are able to growl is amazing. Growling is not necessarily reserved for emergencies. When cats play with each other they'll test the effectiveness of their growl on their playing partner – even if the disputed object is only a toy mouse or a mundane bluebottle.

Rumbling

Rumbling is usually used by adult cats as part of inter-feline communication, usually only when another cat becomes too pushy. It is a vocal increment of the growl and is used as a warning: 'That's enough! Stop, or there'll be trouble!'

Chattering

The meaning of the chatter has not yet been fully explored. Cats display this behaviour when they concentrate on a prey that they very much desire, but can't reach. The mouth is slightly open and the cat chatters, stutters or bleats. It is probably some kind of a displacement activity (see on box here ->).

By the way, a cat sitting behind a window pane chattering with dedication whilst observing a bird, or grumbling whilst observing another cat, may very well be in the process of bottling up a motivation that is not acted upon, and he should not be touched in this situation. The cat may redirect his aggression, turn around with the speed of lightning, and lash out at the hand that's cuddling him. A cat that is in the middle of such a 'virtual' hunt or duel (conducted only with the eyes) is enormously tense, and does not expect to be touched. This means strictly hands off; whoever gets a whack with a paw in this situation only has himself to blame.

Miaowing

Cats open their mouths wide in order to miaow, and then close it again slowly. This creates high pitched, vocal sounds that can vary a lot. There is no cat owner in the world who won't recognise the demanding miaowing when the food bowl is empty once more! Should the human not react as speedily as possible – at this point I find the cat's proverbial patience sadly absent – the whole tonal range is employed, from dirge-like moaning to nagging and ranting!

My British short-hair tom Mogli is a lovely, soothing exception, because he limits his begging attempts to an almost hummed 'Mmmmhhh', similar to nursery school children learning the alphabet. 'Mmh, what a nice cake!'

The cat's vocal repertoire seems without limits. Do you know the 'Hello! Anyone at home?' call? You hear this when you have inadvertently forgotten to unlock the cat flap, and your cat is demanding to be let in, first in a friendly, but later in an increasingly resolute tone of voice. I can only recommend that you react promptly, because on one such occasion one of my cats dismantled the entire cat flap without much ado! Or do you know the annoyed miaow that is sounded sooner or later during a brushing session, telling you in unambiguous terms: 'Leave me alone! I'm pretty enough.' I'm sure you could add to and embellish this list with endless examples!

One problem I get asked about relatively frequently is an increase in the really nerve-racking type of miaowing, sometimes in the middle of the night or at an unsociable early hour, or with cats who are getting on a bit. This is a problem that should be investigated further. Cats who are deaf can't hear themselves, and tend to miaow excessively loudly.

The senses

When cats get older, the performance of all their senses will decline, and this change sometimes makes them feel very insecure. You should be aware in this context how exceedingly well the cat's sense organs work under normal circumstances.

(Continues...)

Excerpted from Chat to Your Cat by Martina Braun, Andrea Höfling. Copyright © 2009 Cadmos Books, Great Britain. Excerpted by permission of Cadmos Publishing Limited.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

Edition details

• Publisher: Cadmos Equestrian
• Publication date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 3861279665
• ISBN 13: 9783861279662
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 80