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Wednesday, 28 September 2016
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Understanding cats and fear
Our cats, retaining all of their survival instincts and still operating at full strength, don’t really live in this same place we do.
Discovering where our worlds overlap, and where they differ, makes a huge difference to the success of our cat relationship.
the shape of their world
Mr WayofCats, an amateur medieval scholar, loves Game of Thrones. He is not alone. This show is well-written, well-acted, and gorgeously realized onscreen. All things I love. But it is a certain kind of violence I do not handle, so I cannot watch. It is far too full of injustice and cruelty to the innocent.
Dramatically speaking, there’s nothing wrong with that. As Mr WayofCats has pointed out, more than once, such behavior is historically accurate. It is that I prefer the historical accuracy of the Roaring Twenties in Prohibition-Era America, such as Boardwalk Empire, where people tend to bring violence upon themselves with their own bad decisions. For the time I watch the show, I prefer to live in that place, in my mind.
In their minds, cats live in Game of Thrones.
This creates a disconnect in many humans. Our homes are safe places to us, and most of the time, our cats feel that way, too. But our cats are much more likely to react with high speed reflexes designed to save their lives. This can get them into trouble, and us, too.
If we do not understand this cat response, we will misunderstand our cats.
the double-edged sword
There are not too many mammal niches where a creature is both predator and prey. One is humans, though that situation is mostly back in pre-history. Another is our cats.
This explains what might be called their “double barreled” response to being startled. They react with all the focused panic of prey trying to get away, and they use the sharp edges of the predator they usually are.
This fits right into my Cat Types theory, which states that the closer to the Alpha end of the spectrum a cat might be, the more “wild” their thinking and reflexes. It takes real effort to dislodge mid-Beta Reverend Jim from a cuddle session, and he quickly learned to ignore fireworks. While mid-Alpha Tristan will take off from my recumbent body when I tense up while trying to muffle a sneeze, and even now, at almost six years old, he finds a place to hide during fireworks.
Tristan has been coddled in our house since the age of three weeks. But that means nothing to his reflexes. One loud muffler from the street and he’s tense. Me shifting my weight can be a signal he interprets to take off from my lap. A sneeze from any human in the room, and he bolts.
He makes efforts to not scratch me, and I appreciate it. Because he can’t control it very much, just as I cannot control a sneeze.
the proper response
We should not treat the cat’s fear as foolish. They have great skills at picking up on our emotions, and feeling that their fear is a source of amusement to us will make them feel humiliated.
Perhaps their fear is similar to that of a child who fears monsters under their bed, but we shouldn’t belittle the child, either. In both cases, we have someone needing reassurance. That is what we should give them.
They were scared. That’s the important thing.
We also shouldn’t be scared ourselves, though. We should be calm and understanding. Yes, it was scary, especially for them, but it turned it to not be a thing, so we’re all happy about that. Our calmness will soothe our cat.
I call this Shaping the Response. Being calm about fireworks helps our cats on those occasions. Being understanding of how they reacted to a clatter from the kitchen or a burden suddenly set down will help us see how our cats are not being foolish.
They are reacting to sudden changes, which, in nature, can mean imminent doom. It doesn’t hurt, in nature, to over-react to possible doom. That could be the only way it doesn’t turn into actual doom.
I admire how cats show they are highly tuned to their environment. It can be breathtaking to see Tristan race to the top of his cat tree, or Mithy explode from cover to catch the wand toy. This is part of who cats are.
For everything, they go big.
Help cats handle their fear.
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Best cute cats in the world 2016 – Best cutest cat videos ever
Best cute cats in the world 2016 – Best cutest cat videos ever by Funny Vines.Hope you like a new cute cat videos compilation 2016.Thesecute cats and silly cats …
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The Australian Mist Cat – Diary of an Owner
I have been an Australian Mist cat owner now for 2 years. I am a “pet person” overall and have grown up with cats & dogs.
What interested me in the Australian Mist cat breed was that my vet informed me (and online articles also support this) that they are like a dog. You can teach them to sit and play fetch. So I thought I would be getting the best of both worlds. As I did not have the space for a dog, whilst cats do not require large areas to run around.
I also liked that they were short haired – I thought less shedding: this point is not correct. I later learned that short haired cats actually shed more than long haired cats. Which surprised me as my British Blue Cross previously did not shed – apparently that was due to the double coat.
And as far as temperament – they are meant to have an excellent one, and be healthy & hardy. Now I can certainly vouch for both of these points. And whilst both mine do have excellent temperaments, you could not get two more different personality profiled cats. Even though they are the same breed!
So yes, both have a positive nature. They do not tend to want to bite or scratch. The only bite you’ll receive is to get your attention, or to get you to stop patting them when they’ve had enough – and both types of bites are not designed to hurt you. Where we human’s make it worse for ourselves is if we pull out hands away in fear – then you are causing the pain, not the cat. Just leave the hand there, they release, and it does not hurt. I do this with any cat breed.
What I would say about my two Australian Mist Cats, is they are both characters on either end of the spectrum. So I guess character may be a trait of that breed of cats. My boy cat Lukan, is a big boy – he’s been on an obesity management diet as he does not have an ‘off switch’ akin to Labradors or Beagles, and his whole life revolves around food. He’s only 2 and I have to put him in his own room to eat, otherwise he will steal the other one’s food whilst still eating his.
Oh and he body slams the closed door when he has had enough – so there is no such thing as shutting him away due to bad behavior – as he has perfected the art of body slamming, and can hold it up for hours at an end (if you try to put him in another room when you have guests).
He’s very noisy, especially around when he decides it’s time to be fed. And pushy, in your face. He does remind me of the stereotypical teenage male, with hand under his belt, remote in one hand, ban of soft drink in another, belly a bit soft, lounging on the sofa. He’s definitely all male. And this too may be all male, as he is the most loving cat I have ever had. So whilst he can be ‘painful’ at times, he showers you with affection. And in the mornings, will actually use his paw to turn your face to look at him, so he can snuggle into your face!
So that’s Lukan.
Then there’s Rose. Where Lukan is all male, she is all woman. She watches her figure. Does not eat a complete meal. She does a morning exercise routine of running up and down the stairs at great sped. She will never cry for food, she just waits patiently. If Lukan pushes her out of the way, she will let him. And she also knows how to keep him in line and whilst she’s half his size (and she is 2 years older!), she can give him a run for his money play fighting wise, and she wont take any crap from him.
Even though he likes to think he’s boss, Rose will set him straight if he needs to pull his head in. And he accepts that.
Rose came to me as an ex breeding Queen. And unfortunately she had been distressed about giving one of her litters away, to the point where they had to put her on anti anxiety medication. She’s off the meds, but can be quite nervy, with eyes bigger than an owl’s. The true Australian Mist Cat has distinctive green eyes, as both mine do.
What makes me laugh about her, is how every morning it is like being in the movie “50 First Dates” as Rose looks at me with suspicion, and seems as if she does not know me, and is most offhand, scared even.
About one hour later she is full of cuddles, and will hurl herself at my shoulders from the ground as I sit at my desk, and then hangs on like a limpet. There’s no putting her down. She is in heaven when she’s in cuddle mode, and knows how to switch on the adorable, can’t be ignored act of rolling, purring and looking like butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth.
She is also the deliverer of a stream of balls each day. She has about 5 to play with. And you hear her coming, as she puts one in her mouth and then decides to cry (she doesn’t utter a peep otherwise). She sounds like she’s in agony due to this object muffling the sound – but she’s just letting you know she’s on her way.
Sometimes the ball delivery is for me to play fetch with her – which I do. Other times, it’s in exchange for attention. It’s her gift to me, so that I will reward her with a cuddle.
So as far as anyone else interested in the Australian Mist Cat breed, as far as breeds of cats go, I am glad I have both of mine. They are personality plus – even though their personalities are very different. They do like to be close to their owner (me) at most times. They get on famously with each other, washing each other, playing together, and I have seen them console each other, if either does the cat regurgitation routine. They are definitely affectionate and loving and a lot of fun.
So if you are interested, I could recommend the Australian Mist Cat breed. Just know you are getting a family member more than just a furry pet!
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