How Cats Communicate

Whether you have brought home an adorable kitten, an older cat, or you simply just want to get to know a cat a little bit better, there are many things that you can think about, but one thing that will be most beneficial is understanding a little bit of about the way that cats communicate. Cats definitely have a language of their own, and sometimes, it can be surprisingly eloquent. If you are interested in finding a good way to figure out what your cat is going on about, keep a few facts in mind.

Although any child can tell you that a cat goes meow, after a little bit of observation, you'll notice that it goes far beyond that. The general sound that a cat makes can be varied by the pitch, the rhythm, the tone and the level of volume, and if you can start identifying these sounds, you'll have a better grasp on what your cat is saying. Most simply and obviously, a loud purr is a request for more petting and physical contact.

Cats can make about 30 different sounds, and it has been observed that a cat who is without other cats in a human family tends to vocalize more, rather than relying on the body language that is a part of the cat's language. Some feline body language, however, can be fairly apparent to humans. For instance, when a cat is relaxed, his ears will point forward, his eyes will half-close and he'll purr. A cat who is more disturbed will have wide open eyes and his whiskers will be bristling, enabling him to learn more about his situation and keeping him alert to danger. An aggressive or angry cat will arch his back, flatten his ears and may bare his teeth or open his mouth to hiss.

Eye contact is an important part of the cat's language. A straight stare can be a sign of your cat trying to intimidate or dominate a situation, and you'll often see this behavior if you are trying to introduce another cat to his territory. If you yourself want to put your cat at ease while you're examining him, stay still and slowly blink your eyes to show him that you are in a lazy mood, rather than an aggressive one.

Of course, one undesirable way that cats will communicate is through marking their territory. Repeated urination can be an indication of displeasure, especially if things have been moved around or the cat has decided to dislike a certain member of the household. Repeated urination can also be a sign of physical problems and aggression as well as territoriality, however, so remember to run this by your vet before you take corrective measures.

Take some time to learn the way that your cat talks, and before you know it, you'll have an excellent measure of the way that he or she behaves!

As an author for Get Rid of a Pimple Fast [http://www.getridofapimplefast.com/] and Male Hair Removal [http://www.malehairremovaltips.com], Chris enjoys writing articles in the health world.