Whooo's a pretty girlie? Whooo's the best boy boy? These are some of the things I say when I talk to my cats, and I'm not alone! Do you talk to your cat in baby talk? Studies have shown that cats do respond to baby talk when their owners talk to them, so we're on the right track! First off, what do we mean by baby talk? It's when we use a higher pitched voice, draw out our vowels and ask short questions, like my examples from the beginning. Science.org tells us of a study done by Charlotte de Mouzon where cats were played recordings of their owners voices. The recordings included 5 phrases like “Do you want to play?”...
We've featured some famous cat lovers and cats here, like Abraham Lincoln and Felicette, first cat in space, and today let's learn about another cat lover - Mark Twain! There are several Mark Twain cat quotes that show his esteem and affection for our feline friends. When we look for quotes by Mark Twain on cats like "A home without a cat -- and a well-fed, well-petted and properly revered cat -- may be a perfect home, perhaps, but how can it prove title?" from Pudd'nhead Wilson, and "If man could be crossed with the cat it would improve man, but it would deteriorate the cat." NewEngland.com even notes that when his 13 year old daughter wrote a biography of...
I saw a quote online recently by Maurice Burton that said "Anyone who claims that a cat cannot give a dirty look has either never kept a cat or is singularly unobservant." I admit that I've gotten my share of dirty looks from my cats, and it made me think about cat facial expressions. What other kinds of cat face expressions are there, and how can we identify them? Let's look more into facial expressions of cats! How many facial expressions do cats have? A study in the journal Behavourial Processes, published by researchers Lauren Scott and Brittany N. Florkiewicz looked at recordings of cats in a cat cafe to see what facial expressions they used to communicate with each other after...
Sometimes my cats will get startled by something like the doorbell, then immediately start grooming themselves as if to say, I wasn't scared, I just really needed to clean this foot right now. And that made me think, were they embarrassed by getting startled and are trying to cover it up with their grooming session? Do cats get embarrassed? Vet explains pets says that research has proven that cats feel a wide range of emotions, including fear and joy. However, it's less clear whether cats can feel embarrassement, which is a more complex emotion. SeniorCatWellness.com explains that there are 2 factors that come into play in order to feel embarrassment. The first is a sense of self and the second...
Did you ever walk into a room and see your cat notice you, stretch out and roll over in front of you? It's a common cat mannerism, but what does it mean when cats roll on their backs? Why do cats roll on their back? Cats may roll on their backs for a few reasons according to Catster.com. They may have an itch on their back that they can't reach, so they are rolling around to help scratch that itch. If you suspect your cat is rolling over in order to scratch their backs, it's a good idea to check with a vet to make sure they don't have fleas or allergies that are contributing to their itchy skin. They may...
