Cats are not stuffed toys
A lot of parents surprise their young children with kittens or puppies as Christmas or other holiday presents before they teach their children how to treat animals.
Growing up we always had 3-4 cats and my parents explained to me the body language of cats when I was very young. They also explained that pets are not stuffed toys, they're living, breathing, feeling creatures and because they can't talk like humans, they let us know how they feel in their own language. If we pay attention to their signals and respect them, we could develop a beautiful relationship with them.
A while back a friend, Mary, told me that she adopted an older cat from the shelter and the cat bit her hand.
"I'm not gonna keep her!" she fumed. "I'm taking her back tomorrow."
"Give her a few days, maybe she's just frightened and not used to her new home yet."
"It's a cat for Pete's sake! They eat, poop, play, and sleep."
"Sounds like you never had a cat before."
"No, because my husband was allergic. But he's gone for two years now and I'm lonely. I thought a cat would be a good companion, but not this one. Betty's cat is so friendly. When I visit, her cat climbs on my lap as soon as I sit down and purrs. It's so relaxing."
"Well, cats have different personalities, just like people."
"But she was friendly and sat on my lap when I visited her in the shelter twice. But when I brought her home, let her out of the carrier and picked her up, she bit me."
"What did she do before she bit you?"
"She just stood there looking at me sideways, and then she turned her back on me and started sweeping the floor with her tail. She looked nervous so I tried to comfort her and reached for her."
"That's a good indication that the cat is irritated. What did you do?"
"When I touched her she crouched down and hissed at me. I picked her up thinking that it would calm her down, but she bit my hand and scratched my arm. And then she jumped to the floor, ran away and hid under the bed."
Since then, Mary had learned to recognize the body language of her cat and they developed a trusting relationship. Whiskers turned out to be a great companion. She's playful and friendly when not frightened or irritated, and she purrs on Mary's lap for hours when they relax. They watch TV together and listen to music in the evenings. Mary found out that Whisker's favorite composer is Puccini and loves listening to Madame Butterfly.
The basic body language of cats
I write alternate history, romantic urban fantasy, historical suspense novels as well as fun, educational, and bilingual books for children ages 2-14 about acceptance, friendship, family, and moral values such as accepting people with disabilities, dealing with bullies, and not judging others before getting to know them.
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Erika M. Szabo shares a little tale about cat body language with
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Wonderful!! Great post Erika! Cats are special creatures and we need to respect their body language. (I have one of the few cats that it's safe to rub his belly when he rolls on his back. LOL!)
Wow! Very few cats allow belly rubs :)
Few humans think to put themselves in the minds of the people around them, much less the animals in their lives. There is a fascinating documentary of how the citizens of Istanbul treat their the street cats of that city:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1tq7CymQoA
I'm not a cat person, but this is useful info for those of us who are.
A timely article during the holiday when people may be prone to acquiring cats as a present. They're a lifelong responsibility with quirks to decipher just like their human counterparts.
Thanks Eva! Hopefully it will help parents to realize that surprising young children with pets is not a good idea. They need to teach their children about animals before they bring any pet home.
Good article, Erika. For those who might not be familiar with cat behavior or who have never owned a cat, adopting one during the holidays is not a good idea. And, if you have small children, they definitely need to be taught how to relate to the new member of the family. Thank you for writing this! I think it's important for people to know all of this before bringing a new cat home!
Thank you Tricia! In my town, way up in the mountains, a lot of people from the city spend their summers with their children. They buy or adopt kittens or puppies to entertain their kids, but when fall comes and they go back to the city, most of them abandon the unwanted pets or drop them off at the shelter. They don't realize or just don't care that animals are not toys
Today, Erika M. Szabo teaches a lesson in cat body language.
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