Ten Cat Facts Regarding Social Behavior

The following cat facts on social behavior and interaction should help you better understand your pet. Cat behavior is largely misunderstood, even by experienced cat owners. I hope you find this helpful.

We often love cats for their independence. When they pay us some attention, we usually feel honored. A cat that asks for a belly scratch should be given your full attention.

If you often wonder what your cat is thinking, you're not alone. Cats are mysterious creatures and we're often not sure why they behave the way they do.

As pet owners, it's part of our jobs to learn how to better care for our cats. Here are some cat facts that may help bring you closer to your feline friend.

1. Leave me alone. Unlike dogs, domestic cats do not form packs. When forced to live closer to other cats than they normally would in the wild, cats will often time share their territory when possible.

2. If your cat is social, he got his genetic predisposition to be so mostly from his father, and his learned social behavior from his mother.

3. When a kitten is between two and seven weeks old is the most important time to instill proper socialization.

4. When recovering from a trauma, such as a car accident, cats can go through a second socialization process. This can sometimes result in the cat becoming more social after the fact. In other cases, felines can become withdrawn after experiencing trauma.

5. Domestic cats have a limited set of body language skills. This is because their ancestors were solitary animals.

6. Cats leave distinctive scent marks which, if you had the right nose, would tell you a story. This is how they make up for a limited set of body language skills. That and the fact that they are sneaky and quick!

7. Your cats will leave their scent in strategic places all over their territory. They'll also leave their scent on you and other animals in the house. This creates a communal scent, and provides your cats with comfort knowing that these animals are part of the same social group.

8. When you scratch your cat's back, you'll notice that she will raise her back end up so as to better scent your hand. She'll also very often stiffen her tail while keeping it bent.

9. A tail held vertically is a greeting, and an indication of happiness. If you had a tail, your cat would probably appreciate it since he'd better understand your mood.

10. If the front paws are curled up and tucked in, your cat feels comfortable and safe. A relaxed cat will often also extend the back feet out to the side while tucking in the front paws.

My hope is that at least some of these cat facts surprise you a little. At the very least I hope you enjoyed reading them. If you read into things a bit, this information will allow you to better understand your cat.

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Author Kurt Schmitt has more about interesting cat facts at the web site for cat lovers.