What Your Cat Really Wants

In celebration of Respect Your Cat Day, epetsure is decoding some commonly strange behaviors that cats are known for doing that often confuse pet parents. If your cat has done something that made you think: what does my cat really want? This blog post is for you.

There are approximately ten million more cats in the United States than dogs, suggesting that the canine popularity over the felines is only a perceived one, and possibly with good reason. Cats have a longer short term memory than dogs, master nearly six trillion more operations per second than an iPad, and are practically mastermind communicators, making over 100 sounds compared to the measly ten that come out of a dog.

While cats spend one third of their awake hours on grooming, they can sleep through as much as two thirds of their life. Cats are notorious for jumping as much as five times their height, but are chicken when it comes to climbing down trees, and have to go at it backwards instead of head down. That probably explains the age-old story of the cat stuck in a tree.

With so many idiosyncrasies and quirks, it’s no wonder that the human brain is often left perplexed about cat behavior and feline psychology. So, here are a few tips on what your cat really wants.

Has your cat ever bonked its head against you? If yes, you may be wondering if you have a boxer kitty on your hands. Well, put away those gloves, what your cat really wants is to imbed its scent into you, claiming you as its own. This question also clears up any doubts pet parents have as to the who own who dilemma in the human-cat relationship.

Does your cat follow you into the bathroom or insist on coming in if you try to close the door? Apparently it’s with good reason. Cats are smart enough to figure out and remember that when you go in there, not only will you be staying a while, but you won’t be leaving until you’ve finished your business. What does that mean for a cat? It means your cat finally has your undivided attention and there’s nothing you can do about it, until of course your business is complete.

Some cats love sitting on your lap and snuggling, but what about when they stand with their butt in your face, lifted high up in the air? While you may be sitting there thinking, how rude, this is actually a cat’s way of shaking hands. Felines introduce themselves much like dogs, by sniffing butts. Therefore, next time your cat shows it’s behind, go ahead and give it a little pat or rub, acknowledging your cat’s eager greeting.

The bond pet parents form with cats is so important that feral cats, or cats that are born on the streets to stray mothers, are often turned away from because of their inability to connect to humans on any level. Most of them are not interested in human affection, touch, smell or voice. In fact, they often see humans approaching them as threatening and unwanted. These cats are often the ones who are most vulnerable to injury, illness and an untimely death.

The people at SpokAnimal saw the potential of these cats and started treating and rehabilitating feral, stray and otherwise un-adoptable cats, and placing them in neighboring farms to act as “Rodent Managers.” The organization, located in Spokane, Washington, has saved nearly 2,000 cats since June 2009, and the farmers couldn’t be happier with their newly cat-controlled rodent populations.

So, whether your cat wants to spend its days lounging in or near your lap, or be free as a lion to roam the open acres of a farm, it’s your job as a pet parent to ensure your cat lives a happy, safe and cat-terrific life.

For more information on your cat’s odd behaviors, be sure to like our Facebook page and tune in on #WhiskersWednesday for more on what your cat really wants, and other cat-related news.