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Do cats have fears?
We all have fears that we have to deal with. Some of us are afraid of
spiders, rats, snakes, heights, the dark etc. What we may not realize is that
our pets can have fears too. Some common pet fears are: thunderstorms, being
alone, strange people, other animals, and loud noises. Some pets have very
specific fears, like a fear of men. If severe these fears can greatly disrupt
their lives (and ours) with excessive vocalization, destructive behavior,
and fear biting. The most common treatments for pet fears are training and
behavioral modification, which can be a slow time-intensive process. Really
severe cases may require medication along with training.
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Do cats dream?They sure do. And it's probably
a happy dream of catching a yummy mouse or two. Just like humans, cats alternate
phases of deep and light sleep. Dreaming occurs during the deep-sleep phase
(ours is called REM sleep, or rapid eye movement). During a cat's deep-sleep
phase, the giveaway to the "do-they-dream?" mystery is that they move their
paws and claws, twitch their whiskers and flick their ears. Sometimes they
even vocalize.
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Why you shouldn't have your cat declawed.Declawing
is literally maiming your cat. It can lead to physical, emotional, and behavioral
complications. This procedure involves amputating the last joint of the cats
"toes". On rare occasions declawing may lead to secondary contracture of the
tendons. This makes it uncomfortable for the cat to walk. Since the last joints
of their front paws are missing, they compensate by placing more of their
weight to the hind quarters, causing them to be out of balance, this shift
of weight to the hind quarters may lead to atrophy of the muscles of their
front quarters
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Why does your cat interrupt when you're on the phone?You
know the drill: You're on the phone and here comes Kitty. She leaps to the
table, rubs her face all over yours, insists you rub her back, all the while,
disrupting your conversation. You gently set her onto the floor but, in a
flash, she's back at it again. This yo-yoing - up and down, up and sown -
goes on and on, over and over, but she never seems to get the point. This
weird behavior is not her deliberate attempt to be a part of your telephone
call, or because she's jealous that you're talking to someone else. In fact,
she doesn't even have the slightest idea that you are talking to someone else.
She hasn't got a clue that there is someone on the other end of the line,
she actually thinks that you are talking to her! You're probably speaking
in soft melodic tones, and that's what Kitty is responding to. (A business
call is less likely to result in this behavior)
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Why do cats like to hang out and sleep in high places?The
answer is simple. Just about anything up high gives them a great view from
which to keep an eye on their property. It's safe and secure, and they can
keep a watchful look-out for prey. In the case of your housebound kitty, of
course, that means perching atop your fridge to ensure she'll be nearby when
you haul out that can of ground-up, store-bought "prey."
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Why
do cats' eyes glow in the dark? Cats' glow-in-the-dark eyes seem
eerie, mystical, even scary when they pop out at you from the black of night
- especially since your cat is one of only a few animals that can return a human's
stare. There is a simple explanation for that characteristic green or gold shine.
A membrane, called tapetum lucidum, coats the eye and reflects the light. When
a cat is in the dark, her pupils open wide and light is reflected off them,
but they're not actually "glowing." This ability, along with their extraordinary
sensitivity to ultraviolet rays, enables them to see so well in the dark. |
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Why
do cats "knead" when they are happy? That loud purring followed
by her sharpening her claws on some soft spot on your body is called "milk-treading."
When you relax and sit quietly, you're unwittingly giving your cat the same
signal she got from her mother when she was a kitten - that mom was ready to
let her suckle. A nursing kitten instinctively uses her paws to draw out the
milk, gently pushing her mother's stomach to increase the flow. When older cats
behave this way, it's a good sign that they're happy and content and very likely
are recalling the best days of their lives. |
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Why
does a cat bury her mess? Many experts suggest that cats bury
their feces in the first place because they're so fussy. While it's true that
they are pretty because they're so fussy. While it's true that they are pretty
picky characters, they don't bury their waste products because of fastidiousness
alone. In the wild, only secondary cats bury their waste. The dominant feline,
on the other hand, will actually display its feces prominently. This sends a
strong message of its dominance. |
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Why
does a cat roll over and show her stomach? This is a rare form
of greeting - and the ultimate compliment. It indicates complete trust. If your
cat could talk, she'd say, "I trust you completely." Instead, she uses her body
language to show how much she loves you. |
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