Talk:Cat communication

Weird, Slightly Ugly Cat

The so-called 'happy cat' in the last picture has a very pointy, mean looking face and he's not so much smiling, but has a strangly evil smirk. I suggest we change it to a nicer looking cat: my cat is very pretty. 86.45.98.43 (talk) 15:27, 26 January 2008 (UTC)

Cat biting

There is nothing about the bite and lick. I have heard the bite after or during being licked is a "kiss"

Not all cat bites are alike. Some cats do take a nip as a show of affection. I've known many cats who will lick, and then take a nip at your finger, and go back to licking. There's a difference between an irritated cat taking a bite and one that takes a gentle bite during grooming behavior.--RLent 20:41, 3 October 2006 (UTC)

Dubious relevance

I have removed the following paragraph:

When passing solid waste, cats, like many types of predators, release from anal glands a small amount of liquid that scents their feces to mark their territory. Other animals such as the skunk use similar glands for self-defense. During moments of excitement or other strong emotions, a cat's anal sac may discharge, releasing a foul-smelling brown liquid. Anal irritation, possibly shown by the cat rubbing its bottom on the floor and frequent licking of the area, can be a sign that the cat's anal sacs are not being emptied when waste passes . Although this condition can be treated through the addition of a small amount of bran to each meal, it may require veterinary attention. Shorthair cats are more prone to this problem.

While this sounds like an important addition to the main article Cat, I can't see the relvance to the article Cat communication, especially not in in the section "Other noises". User:Angr 00:49, 2 July 2006 (UTC)

This is about communication -- how the cat marks its territory. But I don't see why it's in the intro paragraph. Zweifel 22:19, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

Unique Cat

My cat often times, while purring, bites my hand, then licks it. Is that considered aggressive beahaviour? Or just a way of showing love? --69.67.226.87 06:24, 9 August 2006 (UTC)

I've encountered some cats that exhibit simular behavior. Depending on how hard the bite is, it could mean different things. When the cat is angry it tends to bite harder. Regardless of what the main article says, I would consider this to be a "love bite". There are several reasons why a cat would want to bite you, if it is annoyed, you'll notice. The specific pattern on bite followed by a lick could be some grooming sequence. I once encountered a cat, the bit me when I stopped petting it, what the? --Marco 19:00, 12 August 2006 (UTC)

Cat's can bite for many reasons, and like any other form of communication, it's best understood in context. Sometimes it is overzealous grooming behavior or play. Perhaps it is like when a cat will bite at a knot of fur in grooming. I've had cats that while licking my hand, would take a little bite, sometimes harder than I liked. She would take a gentle nip with her front teeth, but when she moved on to the back teeth, it was a bit much. I also had a cat who liked to bite people's feet: the cat learned that when he did this, he got thrown outside. So, when he wanted to go outside, he would start biting people's feet. Some cats will bite if they get overly excited while playing. Even in cases where the cat is biting because they are irritated with you, they sometimes seem to be having a good time biting you. Sometimes the cat is saying "stop", sometimes the cat is saying "you want to play rough, will so can I".--RLent 05:23, 26 January 2007 (UTC)

Cats never bite in anger. --WikiCats 11:36, 13 August 2006 (UTC)

I notice that you are a 'Feline Behaviourist', as it is on your userpage, and I wonder if you wouldn't mind helping this article's section on biting? It's just that what you just said seems to completely contradict the opposite section in the article, and if one of you is incorrect, this would seem the way to resolve that in either case. Jaz Mcdougall 01:23, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

My left hand and forearm would probably be evidence to the contrary, WikiCats. 72.224.158.177 21:48, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

I must agree, I've been nearly biten to the bone, they can surely bite in anger, specifically, when being bathed. From what I've noticed, a bite isn't aggressive unless it's accompanied by clawing, the first choice of weapon for a cat. If it bites you and then shreds your arm with some kangaroo kicks, it's probably an aggressive bite. Tail thumping, turned back ears, and so forth should also come before aggression. Sabar 11:30, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

Your cat is tenderizing you for later consumption. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 60.242.36.248 (talk) 22:36, 8 October 2007 (UTC)

Human to cat communication

Although communication from cats in the form of audible noses and body language is well documented here and other places, my curiosity involves how cats respond to human communication to cats. It's often noted that when cat owners who regularly talk to their cats it can better "socialize" the cat.

My question is how do cats respond to audibles of higher pitch. I've read a few less than credible places (chat, boards, blogs, etc.) that cats are more responsive to names ending in a long E sound as in "Poofy" or "Blackie." I know that cats can higher pitched sounds sounds than humans. It would seem plausible but not necessarily solid. Myth, truth, or maybe? Is there a known reference to this behavior? - Jim 05:47, 23 August 2006 (UTC)

The long E sound isn't necessarily higher-pitched than any other sound. (Just sing the word "cheese" on the lowest note you can hit!) But I have also heard that it's good to speak to cats in the upper range of your voice because they hear high-pitched sounds better. No idea if it's true; my cats ignore what I say to them regardless of what pitch I speak to them in! :-) User:Angr 07:15, 23 August 2006 (UTC)

I heard that cats don't meow in the wild, which would mean meowing is an attempt to talk to or parrot humans; thats very interesting to me, as it paints them as quite adaptive, intelligent beings. I've never heard a wild cat meow, which isn't to say I haven't had exposure to wild cats, so it might well be true. But dear internet, where are the sources?! Jaz Mcdougall 01:28, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

It's my understanding that cats meow much more to humans than they do to other cats, but it would be good to have some links to resources. It seems to be true though, probably because we do a lot more for cats then they could ever expect from a fellow cat except their mother, and meowing can help them get what they want. We do learn to understand what our cat's meows mean, but it's not always completely clear to another human what the cat wants. I had one cat that when it was requestion attention, had a meow that sounded like a question, and acknowledged attention with a short sharp "meh!" sound. Another cat had a meow that it seemed to reserve only for just after a bath.--RLent 05:30, 26 January 2007 (UTC)

Cats are more sensitive to high pitched sound than we are. They can hear the sounds made by mice that we can't. One of my cats responds readily to me when I whistle. Cats only respond to what we want if there's something in it for them. If you want a pet that doesn't ignore you get a dog. --WikiCats 10:56, 23 August 2006 (UTC)

I know it would fit under paranormal-style communication, but they say that cats are fairly psychic animals, and I've had major success telepathically talking to my two cats. Plus, it gives me some insight into what they like and they usually respond better to commands, though they still do things on their terms. Think this is just something with my bonding with cats, or do you think that animals such as cats do well with being able to actually voice an opinion, instead of an ambiguous response? 70.104.230.236 02:22, 16 January 2007 (UTC)

Cats will naturally use meows to talk with us, it doesn't take long before they realize we aren't paying any heed to their chemical and scent signals seeing as we can't smell them. Either way, my cats only meow for three things. To be fed, to be watered, and to go outside. Then they have a growl for angry, a hiss for really angry, and a high-pitched cry/moan/meow thing for when they're getting bathed or going to the vet.Sabar 11:34, 15 May 2007 (UTC)

Some substantial suggestions?

It is apparent that those who have written this page love their cats. This is, of course, a good thing. Developing a better understanding of our pets is important--many pet and human tragedies might be prevented by a more careful understanding of what is a very complicated relationship.

The fact that you can find pamphlets and even entire books written on "how to better understand your cat" shows how relevant cats are to the lives of so many of us. These books draw from the authors' careful examinations of the way in which these specific cats behave, and are often compared to the similar observations fo other authors writing similar books. As a "How to take better care of your cat" article, these checked-against-one-another books serve a valuable role. Unfortunately, many of these "guides" or "handbooks" are more a collection of "things I've heard others say (or read/write) and which seem interesting to me."

The lack of cited references of known and well respected writers makes it impossible to know how accurate and generalizable is all the information in this article. The question answered in the book "How my favorite cat communicates" may be different than the answer to the question "how do all cats communicate--whether a kitten who is the constant companion and love of Peter, a boy whose family are nomadic Reindeer herders in Finland or a so-called "killer cougar" in the forests of Central Oregon in the United States?"

Therefore, this article would be even much more useful to an encyclopedia if it placed itself in reference to more systematic studies--a good encyclopedia article is "connected" into/with the rest of the articles in the encyclopedia. The references showing how it does connect, whether in agreement or not, are valuable to help someone reading the article go right to the supporting (or contrasting) articles.

Is this more like "Communication among cats?" or "How to tell when your cat is mad?"

The title of the article, "Cat Communication" would seem to place this article in the realm of the other "fill-in-the-blank" communication articles, but it really does not address the questions or issues surrounding animal communication or of communication in general.

In this article we don't learn why cats react these ways, how much of this sort of interaction the cats are and are not capable of, or whether these behaviors exist in all pet cats (Felis silvestris catus), all cats including those born in the wild (or at least not with a providing pet owner/provider), or even in "cousins" such as the Java Fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus), bobcats (Lynx rufus), the endangered wild cat of Northern Scotland (Felis silvestris grampia), or Siberian Tigers (Panthera tigris altaica)?

Is all interaction with one's environment communication? This is a deceptively difficult question to answer. Yet here, in the case of a domesticated allo-animal (an animal other than the "human animal") it is central. Do I need to be aware of my actions, the others to whom I am allegedly communicating, and the larger context/relationships that exist in order for my behavior to be communicative? Orcan we talk about a rock communicating with the hillside, plants and other rocks it causes to join with it in a massive landslide?

I'm not certain whether this article's content would usefully be considered to be "communication," or at least, would be situation-specific communication (as between a particular cat and human in a pet/owner relationship). Do cats purr when no one is around? If so, the purr is probably closer to being considered a sign. Signs are often used to describe something that indicates the likely presence (or state) of something else, like smoke in the forest signals a forest fire near. Others would contrast the sign with a symbol--an intentional act performed (or artifact created) with the intent of altering some other's behavior.

Some of the difficulties of this sort of question pop out as you start to stick things in either the "sign"or the "symbol"; the affected or communicated with categories!

Some examples of potentially useful questions

There is no mention here at all about non-domesticated cats, nor of feral cats, not even of the wild cats from which, it is believed, all domestic cats decended.

• Do males communicate differently than females, or about different things?
• You mention kitten differences, are there other age-related differences?
• Do cats interact with known other cats differently than they do with strange cats?
• If tails are a primary communicative mode, what happens to cats with bobbed tails? Is there a difference in the communicative behavior between a cat who has lost a tail (i.e., born with a tail) and the cats whose breed does not have long tails?
• Would it then be more accurate to talk about "cat behavior" than about "cat communication?"
• Are these behaviors common to the specie, the genera, the class?
• Do solitary puma and social African Lion communicate in the same ways? e.g., would a male lion express fear or pleasure in the same way a domestic cat?
• Do all the various cat breeds--including the hairless cats and other (to my eyes) strange beasts from around the world communicate in the same way as does the typical New York Tabby?
• Usually in communication we talk about "channels" or "media" through which the communication occurs. That is, different messages can be communicated within/through/as part of the same media. Can different messages be communicated by a cat through, for instance, a purr? Or is a purr always an indication of a happy, contented kitty?
• Are any of these behaviors "trained" in domestic cats? How can we know?

meow

ties to other animal communication articles

My guppies erupt into a "guppie feeding frenzy" when anyone comes near the tank. While amusing, I would have to say it is probably not communication, or at least that "learning" or "conditioning would be better categories.

Asking these sorts of questions is particularly relevant given the ongoing experimentation with dolphins, whales, many birds, all sorts of simians, and pigs, to name a few. Many of these carefully--many would consider them to be formal scientific experiments--are ongoing to help answer many of the questions that are relevant to thinking about how and why our cats behave in certain ways in certain times, places and circumstances; often way too consistently to believe the behaviors are random.

I would expect that any article on "animal communication" ought to be aware of these ongoing studies, where "hints on understanding your cat" would stand on its own.

Likewise, ties to work in anthropological linguistics, (maybe semantics) and learning and memory (from experimental psychology) would be a "must."

I do hope this is helpful

I hope those who find the interactions of domesticated cats and humans so compelling will think of this expansion as a fascinating journey into new depths of understanding as we increase the encyclopedic value of this article. I do realize that my perspective and advice might not be entirely welcome. That is a common and expected reaction to someone who says "nice, but needs more work!" Nevertheless, I do hope that this article, as well as the others surrounding cats, will mature, deepen and broaden their focus.

Vagabundus 06:47, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

meow —Preceding unsigned comment added by ReluctantPhilosopher (talk • contribs) 09:38, 21 October 2007 (UTC)

Cat sounds

Some of these cat noises are vaguely defined, they could use some sound clips.

Talking cats?

I didn't read anything in the article about this, but what about talking cats? There is a lot of evidence on youtube that cats can say a few basic words. I'm not sure if this is from their memories in previous lives, if they are mimicing their owners, or if they are evolving (they say cats are smarter than dogs and it would make sense for them to learn how to speak). I don't know much on the subject, but maybe a vet can add something. Here are the videos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eV71mpbvl-g http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSXPfsRr-A4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iV6DQuEh4UQ. Itler005 19:42, 5 July 2007 (UTC)

Of course they can talk. They use C language LOL :D —Preceding unsigned comment added by meow (talk) 16:21, 9 September 2007 (UTC)

meow —Preceding unsigned comment added by meow (talk) 14:03, 10 September 2007 (UTC)

Purring

I think that cats can purr when they are not happy, but can they not purr when they are happy? --118.92.27.198 (talk) 05:38, 10 December 2007 (UTC)