Cat logic or how cats think. What does a cat think about and how does it perceive us, people

Despite the fact that cats were domesticated about 9.5 thousand years ago, people still do not know much about their pets. For example, it is unlikely that any of us can firmly answer the question of what cats "think" about people, in particular about their owners. John Bradshaw, a feline behaviorist at the University of Bristol, has written an entire book on how these animals perceive the world around them, including us.

The book is based on scientific research conducted by Bradshaw for over 25 years. They involve observing the behavior of cats in groups, studying their social structure and ways of interacting with each other, as well as with the owner. Since early in his career Bradshaw did the same research on dogs (book In Defense of Dogs), now I was able to compare the results and draw interesting conclusions.

Cats think of humans as big cats.

It turns out that dogs and cats perceive people quite differently. Dogs understand that humans are a completely different animal and always change their behavior when interacting with them. Suffice it to say that a dog will never play with a human the way it would with another dog.

But cats, if, of course, I can say so, do not separate themselves from humans at all. For them, he is just a big cat, and the ways of interacting with him are no different from those accepted in the feline community. Cats communicate with us in the same way they communicate with other cats.

When a National Geographic journalist asked Bradshaw a provocative question about whether cats think we are too stupid, the scientist replied: “No! Perhaps somewhat clumsy, because it is rare for a cat to trip over its owner, while it happens quite often with a human. But not stupid. When a cat rubs against another cat, it means that she recognizes her superiority.

Cats learn a lot from people

Cats make various sounds to draw attention to themselves and their needs, and scientists believe they learned this from humans. That's why domestic cats are so "talkative". In addition, they treat different family members differently and are more affectionate with those who tend to get up at 4 a.m. to give them food, Bradshaw said.

When a cat climbs onto a person’s lap and moves with its paws, then this is a form of behavior characteristic of kittens in relation to their mother, as well as purring. In response, the mother licks the kittens, which is what cats actually want from us - affection.

When asked if cats are trainable, Bradshaw replied that they were. You can teach them various tricks with the help of treats, but with undesirable behavior it is more difficult. If you want your cat not to jump on the table, then you will have to use negative reinforcement, such as splashing water, but try not to let the animal notice that the discomfort is coming from you. Cats do not know how to forgive and will stay away from the person who gave them discomfort.

Cats are stressed

But most of all, the researcher was struck by how some cat diseases are strongly associated with stress. So, for example, he found that cystitis and dermatological problems can be solved without any medical treatment if two cats that do not get along with each other are settled in different places in the house.

In this regard, Bradshaw warns: if you want to take another cat into the house, try to do it very carefully and be prepared that you will have to part with the second pet if he does not get along with the old resident. A cat is a much less sociable creature than a dog, and it is much more difficult for her to make friends.

Larisa Solodovnikova

Man domesticated the cat 9.5 thousand years ago. Since then, he has become the most popular pet. The number of cats on the planet is 3 times the number of dogs. At the same time, despite such a long joint history, the thoughts and inner world of their pets still remain a mystery to people. Especially some owners are interested in what their furry creatures think of them.

Animal psychology expert John Bradshaw of the University of Bristol has conducted lengthy studies of cat behavior, the results of which he outlines in his book Cat Sense. For a long time he watched groups of homeless purrs, studied their hierarchy and social structure. It turned out to be quite complex, it uses complex rituals and interactions.

The behavior of stray cats was compared with the behavior of domestic ones. The basis of the scientific work was the questioning of the owners and the observation of the relationship between cats and humans.

As it turned out, cats perceive their owners differently than dogs. Dogs are aware that humans belong to a different species. This becomes clear when watching dogs play with each other. As soon as a person appears next to them, they immediately change their behavior. A self-respecting dog will never play and communicate with people the way she does with her own kind.

At the same time, cats do not change their behavior in the presence of a person. When communicating with the owner, they use the same arsenal of gestures as with their relatives.

Cats are aware that people are much larger, but this does not change their behavior, as if they met another large animal. When communicating with them, cats raise their tail, rub against their legs, sit next to them and sometimes even lick the owner, that is, they do everything the same as with other cats.

Stray cats in large groups never show such signs of attention to inferior and little respected individuals. This debunks the myth that purrs consider humans inferior to themselves in the pack hierarchy. At the same time, they understand that people are not as agile as they are. A cat will never stumble over a person, and the same one, on the contrary, often steps on his furry friend.

Recently, there has been a lot of research to better understand feline psychology. It turned out that the four-legged have a lot of psychological problems. Their main source is the difficulty in communicating with fellow tribesmen.

Many people believe that constant territorial fights are normal for adult cats, but this is not entirely true. When animals for some reason find themselves on the street, they unite in packs with their comrades in misfortune.

If domestic cats cannot find a common language with homeless colleagues, they become stressed. This in turn leads to inflammation of the bladder and hair loss, the most common diseases that are referred to the veterinarian.

Ailments go away when the concentration of stress hormones in the cat's body decreases. Instead of drug treatment, it is advisable to minimize stress factors and breed warring animals in different rooms, starting to feed them separately.

Often owners wonder why cats meow when they are in an empty room. This is because they understand the causal relationship between their cries and the behavior of the owner. Having mastered several vocal techniques, the tailed trickster begins to use them to his advantage. When the owner is not around, they can start meowing so that he comes and keeps them company.

Also, cats are able to distinguish the character and habits of different people. They absolutely know who you can beg for breakfast in the early morning, and who prefers to lie in bed longer. When a cat massages a person, he demonstrates towards him the behavior that he showed in deep childhood towards his mother. It is then that the kitten learns to purr, caress and massage.

Cat owners should understand that although they are social animals, they are not as social as dogs. Often people want to have two or more cats, without thinking about how the pet itself will react to this. Acquiring a second pet should be done with great care and at the same time it should be possible to return it back if the first pet does not accept it.

Hello!

Do you already have a wonderful cat or a beloved charming cat?

And you are interested in the question whether your fluffy gold and about what in general cats think?

Amazing! Today we will fully understand this issue. I will say right away that cats love to think about food and other things that give them pleasure ... But cats and cats have a lot of different thoughts ...

It is not for nothing that domestic cats have been considered a symbol of comfort and well-being for a century now: these creatures feel their owners and their environment so much that one can simply marvel at how appropriate and even obligatory they sometimes seem to be in our apartment! A month passes - another, and we understand that the cat has already become a member of the family, something very necessary in our life, we quickly become attached to it and begin to love it like our own child. Around this small animal, the vibes of some kind of strong magic soar, bewitching and binding us to it with the most incredible power.

Arriving from work or school tired, we exhaustedly fall into a chair and stroke our kitty, which immediately jumps on our knees, and we ourselves understand with pleasure: how good it is to return home like this, to our warm, comfortable apartment, where this beautiful purring creature will always meet you - and fatigue goes away by itself ...
In order to better understand a cat, what it wants and what it feels, you need to have the skills of the finest feline psychologist or seer, because the signals and impulses that this mysterious animal gives are usually so faintly perceptible and veiled that reading them is worth considerable observation and almost perfect flair.

Sometimes, for example, you might think that a cat feels comfortable and completely calm, while she is in great anxiety and does not find a place for herself. And vice versa: you can assume that the cat rebelled and scared to death, although in fact she was attacked by cheerful enthusiasm, and she simply invites you to play with her!

How to learn to read the feelings and desires of your beloved pet? In this article, we will look at several interesting behavioral situations, understanding which will undoubtedly help you establish the best contact with your cat and even more sensitively understand the thoughts and feelings of these beautiful animals.
First of all, you have to immediately come to terms with the idea that you can learn to absolutely accurately understand the feelings of cats: this is such a vast and ambiguous science that there is very little chance. However, cats are living beings and live with us, and, therefore, we see them and can try to read their thoughts and desires, for example, from the movements of the body and tail, from the position of the ears, from the size of the pupils, from the sounds that the cat makes . The task is complex, but still very interesting and worth closer consideration. So let's get started...

Stage number 1. Learning to understand BY THE TAIL, what do cats think.

So, for example, if a cat wants your warmth and attention or just wants to eat, her tail curls up like a question mark,

and if the cat feels relaxed, then the tail is already taking a horizontal position and the very tip of it looks down.

When the tail rises sharply, and its bend becomes especially noticeable, this usually means that the cat is aggressive and wants to show you to stay away.

If the tip of the tail looks vertically up, then the cat is alarmed by something and feels internal discomfort.

By waving the tail, you can also read the emotions that the animal experiences at one time or another. For example, if a cat is very irritated, it sharply jerks the tip of its tail from side to side. She behaves similarly when she is visibly agitated or preparing to jump after a mouse.

When a cat attacks, its tail becomes hard, like a branch, and if it also sweeps it around, then this movement betrays stressful tension in it, showing that it is frightened or simply feels danger.

If the cat wants to retire, then she simply lifts her tail up, hides her eyes and hurriedly leaves the room.

Stage number 2. Learning to understand ON THE Muzzle, what do cats think.

Of course, the cat's muzzle does not have too distinct facial expressions, which, for example, the muzzle of a dog has, however, here you can try to read something.

If the cat is set up very aggressively, then it looks point-blank, its pupils narrow and become vertical, the whiskers stick out rigidly forward, the ears are strongly pressed to the head.

If she is even ready to rush at the enemy, then a wide-open mouth with bared teeth and gums is added to the above signs.

When a cat is frightened and wants to obey, its pupils dilate. At the moment when she is serene and feels completely calm, her eyes are covered, and the inner eyelid becomes noticeable from the edges of the eyes. Pay attention to the movement of the ears: when they are tense and the cat presses them on the sides - this is a warning, if back - inner fear, if carelessly moves them to the left, then to the right, then it simply explores something or saw something very curious.

Stage number 3. Learning to understand BY THE MOVEMENT OF THE BODY, what do cats think.

Watch also the body of the cat and the movements that she makes to them, for these signs can be very eloquent. If, for example, a cat bends into an arc and stands on straight legs, then in this way she wants to give the enemy a signal to get out of harm's way. If she thinks only of defense and there is more fear in her than aggression, then the cat simply lies on her back or on her side, and, spreading her claws, presses her paws to her chest or stretches them to their full length.

When a cat is set up especially peacefully and wants your attention, then, arching and making a stiff tail, it begins to rub aggressively against your legs, meowing or purring. If your pet behaves in this way, then do not be lazy to respond to him with mutual affection: cats love such an owner very much and quickly become attached to him, loving him faithfully and distinguishing him from all other household members, you just need to have time to be the first in her hierarchy of values.

Stage number 4. Learning to understand BY MEOWING AND purring, what do cats think.

Cats often use sounds to amplify their signals. Meowing is by far the most common sound signal.

However, a cat almost always gives out such a range of emotions with the help of meowing that it is difficult to talk about the differentiated semantic load of this sound signal. There may be a request, and a demand, and indignation, and a plea ... Moreover, the intonation may practically not change.

Another thing is purring! With this pleasant sound for any ear, the cat most often expresses its sympathy for you, at such moments it feels especially calm and your company is pleasant to it.

Just as often, cats purr during hygiene procedures, combing themselves with a tongue or when they have just eaten and are full - here the purr can turn into a blissful rumbling.

But beware of the cat when it hisses: at such moments, it just boils with anger and it is better to leave it alone.
In conclusion, I would like to add simple wisdom: if you pay attention to your pet more often and analyze its behavior, then over time it will be possible to establish the closest contact with it, when you can understand your cat with just a wave of the tail or movement of the ears.

And most importantly, love your cat, and she will always pay you the same coin, then mutual understanding with her can be established without any extra effort.

P.S. Well, that was the opinion of my aunt Sveta, a veterinarian, about what do cats think.

I, as a black cat, believe that it is much easier to learn to understand us, cats and cats, than professionals think.

What do you think: what was your cat thinking about today? I would be glad to know about it from the comment to this article!

Your black cat, Jose Carreras with love on la-murmur.ru.

Everyone who has pets has at least once thought about what their tailed pet is thinking about at this particular moment. Let's try to figure out what cats and cats think about and how to understand what they want by their behavior. More and more scientists are inclined to the idea that the behavior of animals is subject to far more than just instincts. What can we say about us - the owners of these wonderful creatures, cats and dogs: we are absolutely sure of this.

Thoughts of a cat

Everyone knows that if a cat purrs, then it is good for her. However, this is not always the case. Sometimes it happens that a cat purrs because it hurts. In this case, you just need to take a closer look at the animal. If a cat lifts its tail high when meeting you (as they say, “tail with a pipe”), this means that it trusts you. The symbol of absolute trust is the position in which the cat or cat lies on its back and raises all 4 paws up. This speaks not only of trust, but also of inviting the animal to stroke and caress him. By the way, dogs behave in a similar way. When getting a cat, keep in mind that these mustachioed creatures are hunters by nature and need space and opportunity to practice. It is not surprising if your cat suddenly grabs your leg with its front paws - in this case, this is an imitation of hunting, a game.

What can a cat say

As for various other demonstrative signals, pay attention to the following behavior of your mustachioed friend: if the cat or cat is happy, they always take a relaxed, even somewhat imposing pose. As you already know, they can even fall apart on their backs, or they can simply sit down with their legs spread wide or lie on their stomach with their front legs extended. In this case, the whiskers will be directed forward, and the tail will lie completely free. But if the cat presses its ears and crouches, this means that it is ready for a fight. This is especially true for cats, which at the same time also tuck their tail under them. A satisfied cat will begin to rub its muzzle against your legs and arms and at the same time will make rumbling sounds - in a word, with all its behavior it will express its gratitude to you for the comfort, warmth and affection that these cunning people can, by the way, beg for in this way.

Can cats think?

So we come to the main question, which was partially answered at the very beginning of the article. What are cats thinking? Personally, as a person who now lives with a cat (and before that, a dog lived for 18 years), I am absolutely convinced that animals have mental abilities, moreover, dictated not only by instincts. A cat can worry, can take care of the owner, can be happy, can be sad. At the same time, I am far from idealizing my pets, but simply draw logical conclusions from their behavior. Even scientists today recognize that most animals are characterized by a certain mental activity, and they are able to draw at least the simplest conclusions. And the same applies to cats. I will give you one true story so that you can see for yourself. I won't retell it, I'll just leave a link. This story clearly shows that cats, as well as dogs, have not only instincts, but also feelings, and, moreover, the mind.

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“The cat tries to stay on your lap, even when you get up from the chair. Until the last minute, she hopes that your conscience will wake up and you will sit back ”- this phrase seems to reveal all the deep cat nature. But these animals, perfectly aware of their delightfulness, behave in this way for a reason.

We are in website found amazing facts about this fluffy caste, which will not only surprise you, but also prove once again that, as Alf said, life without cats would be boring and joyless.

11. A cat's "meow" means nothing.

9. Cats do not have a day-night mode

Domestic cats live without a schedule, just 24/7. They do not have a specific night, they split up sleep during the day as they please. Therefore, if your cat suddenly believes that at 3 in the morning he is capable of incredible adventures, this is not because he is a nocturnal animal or his regime has gone astray. He just wanted to.

8. Domestic cats originated from this steppe cat

7. Cats have their own calendar

The average lifespan of domestic cats is 14 years, stray - no more than 2 years. Although there are centenarians, for example, the Creme Puff cat is included in the Guinness Book of Records, who lived for 38 years. To draw an analogy between feline and human life, there is conditional table:

6. Cats often specifically ask you to open the door for them so that they don’t go in later.

While the “they don’t enter because the textures don’t have time to load” joke is very good, we found another answer: cats do not so much want to enter this door as they need to control the territory. If the door is closed, then behind it is the unknown, potentially fraught with a bunch of dangers. And with the door open, everything is visible, you can safely continue to sit in the first room, thank you, the person who opened it, go back to your place.

5. Cats participated in wars

The prize for the most clever way to use cats in military operations goes to the Persians: they covered themselves with cats as a human shield during fights with the ancient Egyptians. The second, for whom the cat was a sacred animal, could not harm such a shield in any way and, accordingly, did not attack.

During less original wars, cats were used as living air quality detectors: for example, in a trench, they could give advance warning of an impending gas attack. Well, their main purpose in such difficult days was psychological assistance to the fighters. These little fluffy entities were reminiscent of peace, home, comfort and were the hope for a return to calm times.

4. Cats need to sniff out food for a long time before picky rejecting it.

A fairly common picture: a cat sniffs out food, deciding whether it should eat it or not. Even if the food is delicious. Even if the cat is hungry and homeless. From the outside, it seems that this animal is fastidiousness itself. But it's not. The fact is that the cat cannot see what is located under her nose (see the paragraph about vision), so she checks what kind of food lies in front of her and what temperature it is - for lunch, for her own pleasure, the temperature of her food should be something like this the same as her body (38-39 ° C).

3. Cats dream

Have you noticed that people move their eyeballs during sleep? And sometimes they talk or even gesticulate. If you measure the activity of the human brain during sleep, you can see that this organ is actively working. The same measurements were carried out in cats: their brains are no less active. In addition, the cat sometimes twitches its ears and whiskers during sleep, and it can also make sounds.

All this indicates that these fur creatures. We even try to guess what:

2. Cats crumple the surface with their paws for a reason.

Surely everyone has seen how cats sometimes make a kind of massage to a person, or to another cat, or to a carpet and various other creatures and surfaces. It looks strange, doesn't it?

It turns out that this is a reflex movement rooted in childhood: this is how kittens massage their mother's tummy to regulate the flow of milk. Having matured, they act this way in pleasant moments with a feeling of security and comfort.

So if your cat paws you, he loves you! If he wrinkles your fluffy blanket with his paws, he loves the blanket. We think the logic is clear. And those who do not have cats, we invite you to look at this cutie: