Understanding A Cat

CARE FOR CATS:CATS

19/2/09

22:32

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The Battersea code
with Bat & Zee

Understanding
a cat

CARE FOR CATS:CATS

19/2/09

22:32

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Understanding a cat

Hi, I’m Zee, and I’m here to teach you all about cats! We cats
are social creatures that like being around people and we make
wonderful pets.
We express ourselves in a number of ways but as we can’t talkin the same way as you, we can’t tell you when we are hurt or
frightened. Instead we use our eyes, fur, mouth, tail and scent
to communicate with you and other cats.
Us cats may sometimes surprise you with our behaviour, but
there is nearly always a warning and a reason for it. Learning to
understand some of the signals your cat gives can really help
you to have a good relationship with yourcat.
Cats are very good hunters who tend to hunt alone. Most cats
hunt at night as this is when our prey (e.g. mice) are most
active. Our senses are perfect for hunting as we can see better
at night than during the day, when we have to rely more on our
noses and ears. We also have very good hearing and use it
when we are hunting to help us find our prey.

Zee’s fantastic fact
Cats hearsounds three or
four times louder than people
– imagine how scary loud
noises must be to them!

CARE FOR CATS:CATS

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General do’s and don’ts

Do
– be gentle and quiet around cats at all times
– have respect for cats
– let a cat approach you in her own time

Don’t
– stare at a cat as she can find this very intimidating
– tease a cat – it’s not fair
–disturb a cat that is sleeping or eating as she may
not want attention or to play
– assume a cat will always want to play with you.
Like you, sometimes they want to be left alone
Zee’s top tip
Cats do not like loud noises
or sudden movements – it
will make them scared and
nervous. That is why it is
important to be quiet and
calm around them.

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Understanding a cat’s body language

We cats ‘speak’ using our own
vocabulary – our eyes, ears, fur,
mouth, tail and paws. These signals
can easily be misread by humans.
The more you can understand the
system we use to communicate,
the easier it is to understand our
behaviour. Over the next few pages
we’ll consider some examples of
how a cat uses body language to
tell yousomething.

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The relaxed and happy cat

Most relaxed and happy cats
will enjoy interacting with
people but there will be times
when we want to be left alone,
just like you do. Let’s consider
the body language of a relaxed
cat so you know the signs that
a cat won’t mind being stroked
or played with.

1,3

Zee’s top tip
Most cats do notlike being
stroked on their tummy so
do not stroke them there.

4

2

If a cat is showing these signals, it
should be safe to stroke or play with her,
but always ask the cat’s owner first.
If the owner is not there, do not stroke
or play with the cat.

holds eye contact with
1 She (this shows that she
you

4 Her ears are pointed alert.
forward, upright and

trusts you).

Hertail is
2 twitching relaxed and not
or swishing.

narrowed
3 Her eyes arethat she
(this shows
is confident).

Zee’s fantastic fact
Cats like to be stroked as it
reminds them of when they
were kittens and were licked
by their mothers.

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The scared cat

Zee’s top tip
Cats can become
aggressive when they are
scared. If you wantto stroke
or play with a cat, try and
call them to you rather than
approaching them.

Cats can find new situations
and new people scary, just
like you can. Look at the
signals this cat is giving and
try to remember them just
in case you ever meet a
scared cat.

1,2
4

If you do see a cat showing these
signs, do not approach her. The best
thing you can do is to ignore her and...