(Note: this article is based
on an article written for and
published by About.com in February 2002. Many thanks to About.com.)
You're sitting at your computer when you hear a sound all cat owners
DREAD, the tearing of claws on fabric! You rush into the next room
and grab the squirt bottle or "can o' coins". Your cat takes off
for under the bed. You return to your computer muttering. Did you
notice the cat toy in the center of the room, right where the cat was
sitting before you charged in? Maybe, your cat was trying to tell
you something!
Cats Are Smart
Cats
are highly intelligent. According to some research, they can achieve the
mental level of a 2-year old human. Cats are also great problem solvers and
will work out ways to get what they want. They have difficulty communicating
their needs to us. When we hear "meow", it can
mean any number of things. Research has shown that cats have a
large vocabulary of vocalizations. Cat ears can distinguish a difference
between 1/5 and 1/10th of a tone. Their voices express these minute tonal
differences. The differences in a cat's vocal expressions are sometimes imperceptible
to humans. Cats also communicate via body language.
If
your cat comes toward you with tail up and stretches its back legs behind
it in a lazy, almost yawning fashion, it is saying, "I'm cool.
Glad to see you. Things are fine." Sometimes if you look at your
cat, and it is relaxed and in the mood, it will give you a kind of blink,
a slow closing of the eyes and then opening. If you do the same, sometimes
the cat will repeat the blink. This is a cat equivalent of a smile or
a nod. Another "hello". And cats communicate via behavior.
If they MUST get your attention, they'll do whatever it takes to get
it. Sometimes, when a cat scratches furniture or engages in other behaviors
that it has been trained not to, it is trying to send a message. If
it has been trained, it knows how to get your attention, even if that
attention is negative. The best solution in these cases is to try and
discover what the cat wants. It could be a simple as "Play with
me".
Eddie Makes His Point
Eddie
Cat has a favorite toy, a "cat dancer". He wants me to swing
it around for him rather than bat at it hanging from a doorknob. But
if I am busy, I'm not paying attention to him. For weeks, I had to deal
with his "message". He would drag his claws along the wall
making the most awful screech. Of course, this is undesirable behavior,
and he got the can o' coins shook at him. Until one day, I noticed that
he ran from me and headed straight for the toy, lying on the floor.
The "dawn of understanding" came to me at last. Eddie wanted
ME to play with him. So I said to him "If you want me to play,
ask me by meowing." Instead of shaking the can at him, I spoke
to him each time he scratched the walls. In a few days, Eddie started meowing
from the other room. I was careful to respond immediately, and there was
Eddie, next to his toy. I knew what he wanted and I played with him. This
solution has worked quite well.
A cat will also do unwanted scratching to express excitement or stress.
This is an emotional response from the cat about something and requires your
understanding to manage. Don't assume that your cat is being "bad"--
this may not be the case. For example, when I come home, Gertrude used
to get very excited and run into the living room and dig at the carpet.
I have found the best solution is to say "Please don't scratch
the carpet, I am glad to see you too, but let's not destroy things!" Of
course, she can't understand the words, but she does understand that I am
paying attention to her and respecting her expression of feelings. A few
times with this communication approach has stopped the behavior. It also
helps if I stroke and pat her immediately when I come home, rather than busy
myself with changing clothes and so on. Cats know they are members of the
household, they need to be acknowledged, just as we do.
Gertrude Pays the Bills (sort of)
Lady
Gertrude has observed me going to the back porch and getting the mail that
comes through a slot in the wall. It usually arrives about the same time
every day. Lady Gertrude likes to sun herself on the enclosed porch. When
the mail arrives, she beats feet for the computer room and positively screams!
The first time this happened, it really upset me, I thought she'd been hurt.
I followed her to find out what happened. She ran to the porch and rolled
over on the floor (all over the mail). I got the message, and the bills!
(thanks so much Gertrude!). She performs this "duty"
regularly, but has learned something new. When she wants to play, she
pulls the same trick, when the mail has NOT arrived. If I get up and follow
her, she rolls all over the floor with a pixie grin on her face. Cats
are playful. I can almost hear the sound of laughter! But I get back at
her. When she is sitting in the kitchen (near the porch), I will ask her
"Gertie, where's the mail?" Believe it or not, she looks
to see!
Do Your Part
Living with a cat is a relationship, one with give and take. Your cat
will do its part by being YOUR cat. You have a part to play too. If
you have a problem with a cat scratching the furniture, even though
it uses a scratch post, look a little deeper into the situation. Ask yourself "What does kitty really want from me?" Chances
are, the cat is trying to tell you something. With a little attention, and
some detective work, you'll probably find something the cat wants, whether
it is play, or simply a lap to cuddle in.
Cats DO listen to what we say, even if they don't understand the words.
They have been around us long enough to know that we use speech to communicate.
Your cat is a part of your home and your life, she's not an object to
be taken for granted. So treat her as such, understand that she can
and does communicate. If you consider this and do your part-- communicate
with her as well in ways she can understand-- you will be amazed at
how your relationship grows and becomes enriched.
Tim Thompson,
author of this article, has been living with cats for many years. As a student
of behavioral statistics, he has learned the importance of observation to
understanding behaviors in humans and animals. He has served as a member
of the Board of a local rescue shelter and worked with their foster care givers for 8 years. On the home front, he is the human companion of Gertrude
and Eddie, two tiger tabbies who are constantly teaching Tim new things about
living with cats.
Cats
are highly intelligent. According to some research, they can achieve the
mental level of a 2-year old human. Cats are also great problem solvers and
will work out ways to get what they want. They have difficulty communicating
their needs to us. When we hear "meow", it can
mean any number of things. Research has shown that cats have a
large vocabulary of vocalizations. Cat ears can distinguish a difference
between 1/5 and 1/10th of a tone. Their voices express these minute tonal
differences. The differences in a cat's vocal expressions are sometimes imperceptible
to humans. Cats also communicate via body language. 
If
your cat comes toward you with tail up and stretches its back legs behind
it in a lazy, almost yawning fashion, it is saying, "I'm cool.
Glad to see you. Things are fine." Sometimes if you look at your
cat, and it is relaxed and in the mood, it will give you a kind of blink,
a slow closing of the eyes and then opening. If you do the same, sometimes
the cat will repeat the blink. This is a cat equivalent of a smile or
a nod. Another "hello". And cats communicate via behavior.
If they MUST get your attention, they'll do whatever it takes to get
it. Sometimes, when a cat scratches furniture or engages in other behaviors
that it has been trained not to, it is trying to send a message. If
it has been trained, it knows how to get your attention, even if that
attention is negative. The best solution in these cases is to try and
discover what the cat wants. It could be a simple as "Play with
me". 
Eddie
Cat has a favorite toy, a "cat dancer". He wants me to swing
it around for him rather than bat at it hanging from a doorknob. But
if I am busy, I'm not paying attention to him. For weeks, I had to deal
with his "message". He would drag his claws along the wall
making the most awful screech. Of course, this is undesirable behavior,
and he got the can o' coins shook at him. Until one day, I noticed that
he ran from me and headed straight for the toy, lying on the floor.
The "dawn of understanding" came to me at last. Eddie wanted
ME to play with him. So I said to him "If you want me to play,
ask me by meowing." Instead of shaking the can at him, I spoke
to him each time he scratched the walls. In a few days, Eddie started meowing
from the other room. I was careful to respond immediately, and there was
Eddie, next to his toy. I knew what he wanted and I played with him. This
solution has worked quite well. 
Lady
Gertrude has observed me going to the back porch and getting the mail that
comes through a slot in the wall. It usually arrives about the same time
every day. Lady Gertrude likes to sun herself on the enclosed porch. When
the mail arrives, she beats feet for the computer room and positively screams!
The first time this happened, it really upset me, I thought she'd been hurt.
I followed her to find out what happened. She ran to the porch and rolled
over on the floor (all over the mail). I got the message, and the bills!
(thanks so much Gertrude!). She performs this "duty"
regularly, but has learned something new. When she wants to play, she
pulls the same trick, when the mail has NOT arrived. If I get up and follow
her, she rolls all over the floor with a pixie grin on her face. Cats
are playful. I can almost hear the sound of laughter! But I get back at
her. When she is sitting in the kitchen (near the porch), I will ask her
"Gertie, where's the mail?" Believe it or not, she looks
to see! 