Why are cats unfriendly

Cats have excellent hearing and are able to hear and track sounds as soft as mice moving around in grass. There are some physical clues as well. There are a few reasons a cat might ignore you when you speak to him. First, like Nappier notes, he might not be in the mood for socializing. Not at all. Humans will often feel like their cat is being spiteful by ignoring them, but this is anthropomorphizing. First is ensuring that your cat trusts you. This could include toys, vertical heights, pheromones, and visual stimulation i.

Home Cat Care Center. There is a simple reason for why cats are so different from dogs — and thus also in their relationships to humans: "Cats are originally loners and independent," explains Dennis Turner. They did not live in large packs with a clear social structure like the ancestors of the dogs — the wolves.

The ancestor of the domestic cat is the African wildcat Felis silvestris lybica. It is only slightly aggressive and therefore easy to tame. Domestication probably began about 9, years ago in Cyprus, French researchers reported in the journal Science. The African wildcat only eats small animals: mice, rats, birds and reptiles. It therefore hunts alone — like most pantherine cats it does not need the help of its conspecifics. The only exception are lions.

They live like wolves in packs and hunt and eat together, which is extremely unusual for cats. Wild cats may form larger groups of up to a few dozen animals, which join forces to drive out invaders from their territory.

They also build social relationships with other cats. But ultimately, everyone relies on themselves. This is how they have lived for thousands of years — domestication notwithstanding. How tame a cat becomes towards people depends on its experiences in early life, the late Patrick Bateson from the University of Cambridge wrote in his book The Domestic Cat: The Biology of its Behaviour.

Bateson had been researching cats for a long time. The character of the father also influences how friendly a cat is towards people.

Since many kittens never see their father, it is assumed that tameness is also learned. No matter how friendly they are, to submit themselves to humans for the sake of peace is not a characteristic of cats. If something doesn't suit them, they defend themselves — if necessary with scratching and biting. As loners, cats also lack the diverse communication repertoire that dogs have as pack members.

For example, cats tend to show that they are unwell by urinating inside. This "protest pee" signals that they are under stress. As cats are strong creatures of habit, they don't cope well with changes. But many owners misinterpret the behavior and assume the cat is offended or angry.

Cats have a reputation for cruelty for one reason in particular: they have a tendency to play with mice and other prey until the victims are totally overcome with fear.

By playing with the live prey, the cat is acting out this inner conflict. As early as the s, researchers studied why cats play with their prey instead of killing them immediately. Rats stayed alive longer than mice. Biben assumed then that cats were just careful — the bigger the prey, the more dangerous it could be for the cat.

Therefore, cats approached slowly and played it safe before they came close enough to the animal that they could kill it with a bite. While it would be nice to have her become friendly toward visitors as well, this is not nearly as vital.

It is likely that she might improve on her own with time and as she feels more and more secure in your family. There are some medications for feline anxiety, but I don't recommend giving your cat medication unless absolutely vital to the cat's health. There are just too many potential side effects from any medication and a cat's liver is very sensitive to toxins.

Cats Cat Facts and Tips Unfriendly Cats Although most cats are either friendly, or tolerant of people, there are occasions when cats and people don't mesh. Cat Dislikes Others I have a friendly, sweet, two-year-old female cat.

Ask your husband and son to move slowly and speak low and soft to her. Isolate her while she is eating to avoid food aggression Pick the cat up and gently lay her on your husband or son's lap. Tell the men to pet her and speak to her softly. Cat News. Prev Article Next Article.

About The Author Henry Steinman More from this Author Henry's been writing pet content for over 10 years and will continue to do so as long as dogs and cats are with us! Related Posts. Add Comment Cancel Reply You must be logged in to post a comment. What is Famotidine for Cats? Can Cats Eat Chicken Broth? Can Cats Eat Kale?