JUNE/JULY 2017 PREVENTION 143DO CATS LOVE YOU
AS MUCH AS DOGS?
Domestic dogs are
known to attend to
every move their human
makes but the ability
of domestic cats to do
the same is not well
documented (nor do
they themselves
really display such
a tendency). But
researchers at Oakland
University in Michigan
thought that as cats
belong to the same
order as dogs
(Carnivora), they may
have the same capacity
to recognise cues
from humans, such as
emotions. The results of
their study suggested
cats may alter their
behaviour in subtle
ways based on human
expressions of emotion,
especially when their
owner is displaying the
emotion. According
to the study, “The cats
showed significantly
more positive
behaviours toward
their familiar owner in
the happy emotion
condition versus
the angry emotion
condition”. So cats may
also tune into their
owners behaviour, but
it’s more likely to be
because they know a
smile means a tummy
rub is on its way than
the pure joy of seeing
their owner happy.however, it generally means they’re not happy
at all. Instead they are irritated and dislike
something that’s occurring around them.WHAT THEIR “TALK” TELLS YOU
There are some general rules for
understanding dog and cat sounds, some
obvious and some surprising. A growling
dog or hissing cat is usually angry or scared.
Cats may meow to seek attention. But purring
doesn’t always indicate contentment – felines
sometimes purr to soothe themselves when
they’re nervous or in pain.
What a cat or dog is trying to convey vocally
may be specific to that animal, and most
develop their own language to communicate
with their humans. We can learn to recognise
what our animals are saying but still have a hard
time understanding other people’s pets.WHAT THEIR TAILS TELL YOU
It’s wrong to assume that your dog’s wagging
tail is always a sign of happiness; the reality
is a bit more complicated. In one study,
researchers found that dogs tended to wag
their tails quickly to the right when they saw
their owners, a little more slowly to the right
when they encountered someone new, and
to the left when they were faced with an
unfamiliar, dominant dog.
Cat tail talk is even more subtle, it seems.
“An upright tail is probably the clearest way
cats show their afection for us,” writes
John Bradshaw, a British anthrozoologist
(an expert in human and non-human
relationships) in his book Cat Sense. The
raised tail, Bradshaw explains, is also usually
a sign of friendliness toward another cat.
When cats lower and thrash their tails,P
ets try hard to communicate with us, but we don’t always
understand them, says vet Meredith Stepita, “They show how
they’re feeling through body language irst, then through
vocalisation.” Here’s how to decipher what you see and hear.YOUR PETS