Cat Behavior
 | "Cats sleep usually 2/3 of their lifetime. That's totally normal behavior." |
Cat behavior should be divided into normal or instinctive behavior and abnormal behavior (which is another topic for discussion).
Normal cat behavior would include the following:
An obvious one is that cats tend to like high places. Two of our cats like to sleep on the beams of the pergola above our lanai, which is at roof level. Science tells us that they do this because they like to watch from above, they feel safer there or because they are higher in the hierarchy.
The hierarchy is obvious when Sati wants to have the dry spot when it rains and Krsungi gets booted out. Bhima is definitely 'king' of our little cat hierarchy but interestingly enough; he never seeks the high spot. He exerts his supremacy when it is petting time and all the girls know that they have to take a number when he is around.
Cats usually land on their feet if they fall. However, even though the cat will be able to land on its feet when falling from higher places, the body will not be able to absorb the shock and will probably lead to injury or possibly death.
Bio-mechanic studies show that cats actually use their tail to right themselves. Kittens will be able to right themselves after 5-7 weeks. If you are living up high, make sure the windows and balcony are screened. Usually a cat will not fall, unless it gets startled but it's best to play it safe, as they have been known to fall from apartment building balconies and windows.
A cat's hearing is very good. They can hear sounds humans can't and are able to distinguish and locate them very precisely. Often, some unknown thing startles our cats, sometimes they even scramble off suddenly and we are left wondering, "what just happened here?" A cat's sense of hearing is still very active when they are sound asleep, but they will only react with their ears unless they perceive some danger. If it is ears only, their body is saying, 'Don't bother!'
Sense of smell is sometimes more important for a cat than their sense of sight. In our case, we have a neighborhood cat that sometimes comes to visit and tries to eat from our cats' bowl. We have to clean the bowl afterwards, because our cats don't want to eat out of it if the neighbor cat has been there.
Cats like to rub against objects and people. This is in part to leave their scent. This is like marked territory, which is also achieved by scratching on something.
Bhima for example, likes an old slipper that my husband used to wear. He likes to play with it and sometimes sleeps on it. I would LOVE to get rid of that old slipper that is always lying around on the patio but he likes it so much that I haven't had the heart to do it. Not yet, anyway…
In our case, our cats have accepted us as their parents and especially in times when they are not feeling good, we will give them something that has our scent on it. We gave Bhima our old comforter to sleep on when he was sick and it seemed to make him feel calmer. He sat in the middle of that thing all puffed up around him and just purred.
Cats also sleep a lot (some say up to 2/3 of their lives). We see Bhima and Krsungi dreaming sometimes - we can tell from the jerking movements of their legs and erratic tail motions. Obviously they are having some kind of active dreaming.
If a cat sleeps more than usual and always looks sleepy, it is probably a sign of some illness. If older cats are not sleeping much, this can also be a sign of illness. Check with your vet.
Purring is an instinctive behavior. It is usually a sign of contentment, although cats also purr when they feel stressed out. Perhaps it is calming to them. When one of our cats was sick, the vet told us that his purring was a good sign. It's a healing mechanism for them and cats that purr heal better and faster than cats that don't. They have a better chance of pulling through an illness if they purr.
Even though cats can see much better then we do in semi-light, they cannot see anything in total darkness. They just utilize the light better than we do.
Another normal behavior is called Flehming. This means that a cat opens its mouth when smelling something. The reason for this is a special organ inside the mouth that is very sensitive to scents. It mainly happens when smelling cat urine and when they are in heat.