I recently spoke with a grandmother who was lamenting the fact that, due to safety…
Your Cat Is Talking. Are You Listening? 3 Tips for Understanding Your Cat.
At Train with Trust, we are always striving to help folks better understand our animal companions. This quick video of our foster kitten, Morgan, has some great information to help you understand what your cat might be trying to tell you. Here are 3 easy tips to help you read your cat’s body language.
- Stop and Look – before reaching out to pet or engage your cat with a toy. Take a moment to observe. What is your cat doing? What is going on in the environment that may be affecting your cat’s mood or interest in you?
- Observe key body signals – Tails, ears, eyes, fur posture and even whiskers will tell you a lot about how your cat is feeling at the moment
- Pause and listen to the response – If you have initiated contact with petting or play, stop after a few seconds and see how your cat responds. Repeat every 5-10 seconds and see how things change. You’ll be surprised how much your cat is telling you, if you take the time to listen.
Watch the video and read the description to learn how Morgan communicates with body language signals.
Thanks for watching and be sure to contact us if you have a cat or another pet who you need help to understand!
People often assume cats want to continue being petted when they have solicited attention or responded positively to petting previously. Cats can change their mind from moment to moment so we can be better friends to our cats by regularly asking permission and listening to the answer! Watch this kitten, Morgan’s body language as he responds either “yes”, “no thanks” or even a little ambiguously (I take these as a “no thanks” even in cats who are not especially prone to aggression.) Some of the cat body language signals here help me to understand that he is wanting to continue with petting. Slow eye blink, paw reach, cheek rub, leaning in to hand. Toward the end the exposed belly/”social roll” tells me he’s comfortable and happy, then he tucks his head and paw away as if to say, “thanks, it’s been nice, I’m ready to be left alone now”. So I did. Thanks for watching!
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