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The Cat’s
Temperament
Cat’s temperament is usually
compared to the behavior of another pet – the dog. The
faithful, tractable and sometimes even servile nature of the
dog seems
more acceptable for people than the self-willed and to some
extent uncontrollable temperament of the cat. Only after understanding
the specific character of the cat, can one start loving this
remarkable animal.
The relationship between a man
and the domestic cat is very specific. The animal understands
very well that the proprietor looks after her and provides
for a favorable way of life. Nevertheless the cat manages to
keep
her individuality, the care, which she gets, does not turn
her into a slave and does not impair her personality.
In the process
of domesticating besides the need of food, another need has
also arisen – close
relationship with man: caressing, stretching in the lap when
she has such a wish or mood. It seems that only wild or semi-wild
cats (e.g. ownless ones) do not have the need of such human
attention.
If a cat, which has been bred
at home, is deprived for a long time of daily communication
with
people and contacts with her proprietor, in spite of the perfect
way of life, will inevitably get a feeling of inefficiency
and aggrievance and in more severe cases neural disorder.
That’s why when you spare
time of your daily life for your pet, you have to remember
that it is not enough only to feed and comb the animal, you
have to talk to it. “Talk” to the cat with a gentle
and friendly voice. Mind that you can say what you like – nevertheless
her will not understand most of the words pronounced. The main
thing is to talk to her! If your talking is accompanied by
caressing, gentle stroking – you have to know that for
the puffy creature these are the best moments of the day.
Cats communicate
with each other with the help of different sounds, almost
unnoticeable changes
in the appearance or in the eyes, and when it is necessary
in the curve of the body or certain parts of it. The sounds
in the cat’s “vocabulary” have specific meaning.
Cats try
in different ways to make contact with a man, to tell him
their “opinion”,
intention, mood or desire. If the man accepts these symbols
correctly, a close and perfect relationship will arise between
him and the animal,
a complete mutual understanding will appear.
Here we will
give you short “dictionary” of
cat’s “symbols”.
- The cat rubs hear head
in the man’s
body – love,
devotion, open-heartedness, thirst for caresses or a sign
of relaxation;
- Raised ears – curiosity;
- Ears bent backwards – warning,
protectiveness;
- Ears close to the head – readiness
for an attack;
- The animal is looking
carefully around, then thoroughly licking its fur – complete
or false calmness;
- Narrowed eyes – calmness
or sleepiness;
- Purring – calmness;
- Discontented purring – a
feel of pain;
- Purring which reminds
of growling – dissatisfaction;
- Mewing – greeting
and sometimes request;
- Mewing with interruption
and shade of screaming – respond
to human behavior or voice;
- Wailing – spite;
- Interrupted cry – fright;
- Quiet purring which ends
with dissatisfied growling – patience has limits;
- Hissing and hurtling – readiness
for defence, giving notice to the target of attack;
- Restrained growling of
cat feeding its youngsters – protecting
little ones of possible danger;
- The same but ending with
rising intonation – warning
man or another creature not to come close to the pusses;
- Caressing man with its
paw – intimate
adherence, tenderness;
- Curved back – threatening
the enemy, the cat is very irritated and ready for defence;
- Flapping its tail – anger;
- Drooping tail – fatigue;
- Drooping tail for a long
time – disgust
and disappointment ;
- Gentle flap of the end
of the tail – interest;
- Slow curving of the whole
tail – doubt
if the contacts of the animal with a certain person will
end in peace and quiet;
- Strained tail of the animal
which from time to time shudders – warning;
- The tail is taut backwards
and is kept still – readiness
for attack;
- The tail is raised upwards – satisfaction;
- The tail is raised but
its end is loose – joyful
excitement.
Besides the above-mentioned
symbols, which are used by all representatives of cats, each
cat also
uses her own symbols with the help of which she makes contact
with those around. That’s why each proprietor can add
to this list his personal observations.
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