Cat talk for World Cat Day

To mark World Cat Day, we've come up with a few bizarre facts from the world of velvet paws.

According to the Guinness Book of Records, the oldest cat lived to be 27 years old. She lives in Point Loma in California. There is also an assumption among scientists that cats listen better to women, as they have higher pitched voices than the male sex. Another fun fact is that cats can see six times better in the dark than humans.

This ability is made possible in part by the tapetum lucidum, a reflective layer behind the retina that improves night vision.

Correlation between appearance and character

Obviously the breed influences the appearance of a cat, but it is less well known that this can also influence the personality. There is a link between coat colour and behaviour.

Tortoiseshell cats can have independent characters and usually favour a particular person. They can also be quite stubborn when they want something. Tortoiseshell, Calico and Abyssinian cats all show strong, documented correlations between coat colour and personality. With orange tabbies, there is more anecdotal evidence that they are the most sociable cats.

But personality seems to be influenced by colour.

Cats treat us like their mates

No behaviour has yet been observed in cats that suggests that they treat us differently from their conspecifics. Of course, they notice that we have a different physique to them, but their social behaviour does not seem particularly adapted. They lift their tails, sneak around our legs, sit next to us and groom us in the same way as they do each other. They probably don't think we're stupid, because they wouldn't rub up against conspecifics who are inferior to them.

Stress makes cats ill

Cats can often be very stressed, which affects their physical and mental health. Not every cat automatically gets along with every other cat, and this can be stressful. We humans often don't realise this. Apart from routine check-ups, the most common reason for visits to the vet is injuries sustained in fights with other cats.

More and more cats are coming to the vet with skin and bladder infections, and it is becoming clear that these medical problems are exacerbated by psychological stress. Bladder infections are linked to stress hormones in the blood. An alternative to drug treatment is to examine the cat's social environment and change it if necessary.

Why do cats meow when they are alone in the room?

Cats learn how their owners react when they make certain noises. When they want their owner to come out of the other room, they try to signal this by making sounds. They learn quickly.

Why do cats treat people differently?

Cats are much more intelligent than we give them credit for. They learn what works with which person and what doesn't. They know when a family member gets up at five o'clock in the morning to give them treats and which ones they don't even need to try.

Why do cats massage us?

The cat lies purring on your lap and kicks its paws up and down. This is called milk kicking. But why do they do this type of massage on us? They use a behaviour that they would also show to their mother. Every behaviour they display towards us is derived in some way from the relationship between mother cats and their kittens. Kittens learn to lift their tails, rub against their mother, massage her and purr. In return, they are groomed by their mother. So they use behaviours from their repertoire to communicate with us. There are not many, perhaps half a dozen.

Can cats be trained?

Dogs can be trained, every child knows that. But what about cats? They are popularly regarded as almost impossible to train. However, cats can learn what they are not allowed to do. If your cat has got into the habit of jumping on the kitchen table, there are a few ways to prevent this. For example, you can set up a toy with a spring that jumps into the air when the cat jumps onto the table.

It doesn't like this and therefore jumps down again. Another rather mean strategy is to spray it with a water pistol. However, the cat must not see that you are holding it in your hand. Cats do not forgive, and if they realise that a person is frightening or hurting them, they avoid them.

What do cats think about us?

We probably won't find out exactly what cats think about us any time soon. They can't talk to us directly, but they are talented at communicating their needs to us in other ways. Cats have unique abilities that make them great hunters and survivalists. They are the most popular pets in the world and there is probably no other animal species that is featured more often on YouTube.

No matter how cheeky they can be sometimes, we love our velvet paws dearly and let them feel it every day with lots of cuddles and good, nutritious food. After all, as the cats' self-appointed servants, we are obliged to provide them with the best food on a regular basis.

For our cats, every day is World Cat Day.

Links to read more: https://www.nationalgeographic.de/tiere/2017/03/was-denken-katzen-ueber-uns
https://www.nationalgeographic.de/tiere/ueberraschende-fakten-ueber-katzen

Our recommendations for your four-legged friend:

Tasting packs for cats

BIO cat food