Cat Speak, and other animal languages

If you watch them, you'll notice that they often reach up as high as they can to start scratching. I've read some cat behaviour specialists claim that that's a warning/announcement to anyone who comes into the cat's territory to be able to see that a large, powerful cat lives there.

Actually, people do declaw cats and let them outdoors, Dave. (Personally, I want to beat the stuffing out of people who torture cats by declawing them, but that's a different thread.)

Yes, when cats flop over on their side when playing/fighting with another cat, it's so they can deploy their back-feet claws on their opponent's soft underside. Very true. (Unlike dogs who, when they flop over on their side and expose their belly are surrendering. Same move, very different language between cats dogs.)

But when upright, they depend almost entirely on their front paw claws to whack at their opponents. Their front claws are unequivocally imperative as part of their defense system.

And yes, Rhody, they do sharpen their claws too when clawing stuff. True. And they also provide visual information to territory marking too. That's why they tend to claw up the sides of scratching posts and the corners of sofas and, some cats (I had one who did this) liked to claw door frames in the house. If you watch them, you'll notice that they often reach up as high as they can to start scratching. I've read some cat behaviour specialists claim that that's a warning/announcement to anyone who comes into the cat's territory to be able to see that a large, powerful cat lives there.

Clawing territory is important behaviour for cats. It's surprisingly easy to redirect and restrict their clawing to one or two objects in the house that you can own specifically for the purpose. Given an appropriate outlet for the expression, cats don't ruin other objects in the house and declawing is not ever necessary.

Declawing is inexcusable, imo. More and more, vets are refusing to do it (yay!).

Yay! I pointedly boycott vets who do it.

Georgina, Lisa,

I didn't mean to start a war, lol. I just believe cats deserve a fighting chance in life, with all their resources. Don't get me going but I know a co-worker who de-barked her border collie, and I find that cruel as well, but here we are talking about noise. Her dog barks but it sounds like a weak cough. She was also the one who told me about de-clawing years ago, at the time I didn't even know they did it.

Rhody...

Not sure what war you're talking about, Rhody. I was simply agreeing with Lisa. I abhor animal cruelty and no lees especially when it comes to mutilating animals who live in our houses with us and have behaviours we find "inconvenient". No matter what, there's a way to work with the behaviour and modify it without harming the animal. Declawing is and astounding amount of harm to cause a cat. I'd have a really difficult time dealing with someone who'd had their dog's vocal chords cut.

So, how does everyone feel about circumcision (human)?

But, that's not one's primary weapon of defense, is it?

Not sure what war you're talking about, Rhody. I was simply agreeing with Lisa. I abhor animal cruelty and no lees especially when it comes to mutilating animals who live in our houses with us and have behaviours we find "inconvenient". No matter what, there's a way to work with the behaviour and modify it without harming the animal. Declawing is and astounding amount of harm to cause a cat. I'd have a really difficult time dealing with someone who'd had their dog's vocal chords cut.

Lisa, Georgina,

So do it, I don't agree with de-barking a dog either. I find it odd that someone who I worked with a long time (has three kids) and in most ways appears normal would do it. It just goes to show that even though you work at times closely with people, how they make the decisions that they do is a mystery. We are not close friends, just acquaintances and work in the same office.

I used to share ride duties (another job sites location) with another guy (divorced) has a cat, and he just happened to mention he left the cat for two weeks by itself, neighbor would change litter box, food, water, etc... but no human contact other than that, when I told him that was not cool he threatened me, needless to say, we don't share rides or speak anymore. He is an 'odd' duck anyway, and was not good for a healthy outlook on life ,so I say good riddance.

Rhody...

I suppose for those who see animals as...well, "just" animals...they don't have those considerations.