Watching a cat’s behaviour can be fascinating, particularly
because our domestic cats mimic the behaviour of their larger wild
counterparts. All cats are active hunters, and are especially well suited to
catching their prey from dusk until dawn using a combination of stealth and
subterfuge. Their very highly developed sense of hearing enables them to detect
prey well before seeing it, and they are also assisted by certain physical
traits: for example, tabby stripes on the coat help to break up a cat’s
outline, a characteristic that is sometimes described as ‘disruptive camouflage’.
In addition, cats have refined senses of both smell and taste, which probably
accounts for their reluctance to eat food unless it is fresh and may also help
to protect them from swallowing poisonous substances.
HUNTING BEHAVIOUR
A cat can stalk its prey unseen and unheard for long periods
at a time, and its claws and teeth, together with a supple and muscular body, underline
its success as a predator. A cat does not fully know how to catch prey by
instinct alone – its hunting technique develops through learned behaviour as a
kitten, by watching and imitating the actions of its mother.
However, as a result of domestication and having food
constantly available at home, some cats have lost much of their enthusiasm for
hunting. If a kitten has not been taught these skills by its mother, it may later
on in life catch a bird or a mouse but not instinctively know how to kill it
(this is normally carried out by a bite to the neck). In this case you may have
to step in to save the quarry from further suffering, although your cat is
likely to be very reluctant to give it up.
If you have a young cat which is an avid hunter, you may
actually be able to train it not to catch birds. To do this, make a ‘lure’ with
the feathers of a bird that the cat has killed, and tie this to the end of a
long thread or string. Hide yourself in a suitable place and let the cat find
the lure in the garden, and then, whenever it attacks the lure, direct a
well-aimed shot at it with a water pistol. Regular sessions of this type of
training may deter your cat from stalking birds, yet without associating the
punishment with you.
TREE-CLIMBING
Most members of the cat family use trees as vantage points
for eating and resting, and as hiding places from which to leap down and attack
unsuspecting prey below. This is how the domestic cat has acquired its
well-known ability both to climb and to land on its feet if it loses its grip by
swivelling its body around in the air and landing upright, usually without
suffering any serious injury.
Owners sometimes under-estimate their cats’ skill in
tree-climbing, and raise the alarm when they see them apparently stuck in a
tree. However, experience has shown that a cat will almost always work out a
way of getting down within 24 hours. Indeed, the folklore about cats having
nine lives may derive from their innate sense of balance and remarkable ability
to get out if tricky situations of this kind.
If your cat is up a tree, try encouraging it to come down by
placing some food at the foot of the tree – this should bring the cat home
without the need for the fire brigade!
All kittens are playful by nature. This behaviour may appear
to be just fun, but in fact it has a definite purpose, in helping the kittens
to develop their hunting skills. Although a cat will instinctively catch prey,
the hunting technique itself has to be learned.
Some play bouts between kittens may look like fights, but
they usually end amicably. Kittens will be most actively involved in this
so-called ‘social play’ from about nine to 14 weeks; play with objects reaches
its peak at about 16 weeks.
TERRITORIES AND ‘CALLING’
Domestic cats are strongly territorial creatures. An unneutered
tom reaches sexual maturity at six to eight months, and will then begin to
establish his own territory. He will mark out this area using drops of urine –
a behaviour known as ‘spraying’ – and will battle fiercely with other male cats
to defend or increase his domain. In an urban environment a tom will go for the
biggest area he can lay claim to and defend, which may extend across several
gardens; in country districts, he may take 1.5 sq km (one square mile) or more.
Female cats also hold territories, although these are
smaller than those of toms. An unneutered female will start to ‘call’ early in
the first spring after she has reached the age of five months, as she actively
seeks potential mates; pheromones in her urine will also attract them. Siamese cats
are known to be especially vocal. If you have an unneutered female, visiting
toms will loiter around her territory and you will have to put up with their
spraying. There may be fights in the vicinity, as well as loud, persistent
caterwauling during the night.
THE BEHAVIOUR OF NEUTERED CATS
If they are neutered as kittens, the behaviour of male and
female cats will be almost the same – at least from the practical point of view
of an owner. Their territories are much smaller than those of unneutered
individuals, the males do not spray and females do not call. Territorial fights
may still occur, but they will be much less of a problem. Neutered male cats
tend to grow larger than females (just as when they are unneutered), and
females are generally more dainty, but both are affectionate and amenable. They
will also spend more of their time at home.
There is some truth in the observation that all neutered
cats become more inactive than entire animals when they grow older, although
their life expectancy will be greater. To prevent your cat from putting on too
much weight you may need to adjust its diet; you can also help by playing with
your cat every day and encouraging it to exercise in order to keep its weight
down and maintain its level of fitness.
Cats find descending from trees much harder than climbing
up, because if they come down headfirst their claws give them little support. As
a result, they will often back down part of the way before turning and leaping
to the ground.
Cats are able to express a wide range of emotions through
their use of body language.
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