Just like dogs can be given to chasing their own tails or chewing on sticks, we cats also have a number of behaviour patterns that humans may not always find comprehensible. That’s the reason precisely for this post about how to interpret cat behaviour, so that you will be able to understand why your furry friend does what it does. I’m sure you’ll find more than one of these surprising!
Expert kneaders or masseuses
How many times have you seen your cat kneading soft surfaces like a pillow, another cat or a dog or even your own self. Kneading is a very common type of cat behaviour that we learn when we’re baby kittens on kneading our mother’s body to get more milk.
Then when we’re older, we continue using this gesture whenever we feel at ease and contented. In fact, you may have heard us purring many a time whilst we’re kneading, so we associate this with feelings of relaxation and well-being.
Besides, we also use kneading to mark things. When we like a piece of furniture a lot, when we like another cat or our humans a lot, we tend to mark them with our pheromones so that other cats will know that they are our property or part of our pack.
Although it’s true that this kneading gesture is often confused with being a show of affection (no, it is not), it is indeed a sign of trust that you cat has in you and an expression of how at ease it feels being there with you.
Masters of giving strange gifts
If you have a cat and let it out to go exploring from time to time, you have more than likely encountered a rather special little gift and your cat standing beside you staring up wide-eyed at you. By “special little gift” we mean any type of insect or small animal that your best friend has been so thoughtful as to bring home dead to you.
Although this be a gesture you humans may find unpleasant, the truth of the matter is that, for us, it’s a sign of affection, respect … and a way of showing you that you are totally clueless when it comes to hunting. … now I’ll explain why;)
We cats are expert hunters and no matter how much you domesticate us, the hunting instinct is still very much engrained in us, and we just adore stalking prey. It’s inherent to our nature and is something you must accept.
When we live with humans, our humans then become part of our pack, and so we must take care of them. So when we see that our human is incapable of hunting, since we’ve never seen you bring home even one measly little critter, we decide that it’s important that you learn to hunt, and so we bring you these gifts so you’ll see how it’s done and you’ll be well-fed.
So, this is indeed a sign of affection and respect on our part, given that another of the reasons why we bring them home to you is to show you our recognition of you as being leaders of the pack.
So, the next time your cat brings a dead animal home to you, don’t scold your cat for doing do because you will confuse it. Your cat is just trying to give you a present and show you how to survive by hunting, so showing a little appreciation wouldn’t be too much to ask of you, don’t you think?
