CATS KNOW HOW WE ARE FEELING SAY OWNERS
New survey reveals that UK’s 8 million cat owners believe their cat understands what they are saying when they speak
Almost half think their purrfect pet understands their feelings and 1 in 5 think they can look into their soul
Britain’s cat crazy pet owners are convinced their feline friends can understand what they are feeling and even what they are saying, according to a new report. The survey of 2,000 British cat owners examined the pet-owner bond and revealed that almost half of UK cat owners (45 %) are convinced their cat can pick up on their feelings.
Even more (47%) think ‘Tiddles’ can understand what they mean when they chat to their cat and over 1 in 5 believe their cat can look into their soul!
The study also looked at pet owners behavior when it comes to understanding cat health. The results showed almost half of cat owners (45 per cent) can’t tell if their cat is sick, with 65 per cent still believing their pet has nine lives! A further 27 per cent say they rely on ‘Dr. Google’ as their main source of pet health advice.
The Instinctively Close report, commissioned by Bayer who produce Advantage flea treatment, includes advice from leading feline specialist vet Dr Sam Taylor.
Dr Taylor advises that cats are complex when it comes to understanding their health as they are programmed by evolution to mask the signs of illness. He adds: “People often ask me what drives their cats more curious behaviours. Cats natural instincts, whilst part of their independent nature and charm, can often leave them vulnerable. For example, cats naturally hide any indication of being sick or unwell, such as parasite infestations, as a defence mechanism so they aren’t portrayed as weak or vulnerable in the wild.”
The research also explored feline flea confessions from owners including how 49% of cat owners have been bitten or seen fleas in their home, how 41% of owners admit their cat has had fleas in the last year, how only 16% of cat owners admit they wait to see a flea on their pet before treating them for fleas and finally that despite this, 40% of owners do not use a preventative product on their cat.
Dr Taylor warns that, as is the case with flea infestations, parasites can lay dormant in a household for months before finding a suitable host and that 95 per cent of the flea population is in the surrounding area and not on the pet, unbeknown to home owners.
The good news is that pet owners can take out all the guesswork and ensure cats are protected from fleas, no matter what mischief they get themselves into, by using a simple veterinary grade flea treatment such as Advantage which, when used regularly, helps protect the pet, family and home.
To find out more and to better understand your cat’s ‘Instinctively Close’ behaviour, cat owners can request a digital copy of the report via the Drontal and Advantage Facebook page.
I don’t think my cat can look into my soul, and I sure don’t think she has nine lives, but I do know for a fact that she’s responsive to my feelings, and I can always tell when she’s sick. (Oh, and no fleas in the house either.) It’s not so hard to gauge a cat’s emotions either – not just from body language. Did you know cats have more facial muscles for expression than humans do, and just like with dogs, they can smile?
I love it when our little Freya smiles. 🙂
I definitely think our animals know what we are saying and what we are thinking. They are a lot smarter than most humans, at least that’s what I believe.
Indeed!
I have known and been around cats for 54 years. I believe my boy now 11 is so very clever when I talk he started opening his mouth copying me. I blink at him and we look into each other’s eyes and connect. He feels my love and I feel his love. There is so much to learn from our felines. If you have the closeness your nearly there. x?????
Awe! You should do a little story on him again. <3
My cat now is probably the most self sufficient cat I have ever had. She has very rare bouts of affection but mostly just does her own thing. Still, in a special way, we are connected. I think we both subconsciously keep tabs on each other throughout the day.
And it’s that special bond that makes our furry companions so special. 🙂
They know. But they don’t care.
It depends. Ours know when something is wrong and will comfort us.
You clearly have much nicer cats than I do!
I know I have a special relationship with my cats. If the humans respect the cat as a cat the bond is deep. Advantage is great for fleas. Wouldn’t use anything else.
Yep. People need to understand that cats have a free spirit. You can’t treat them as a small dog.
Mr. Marc – Of course we can understand what you say (and type) and feel. We don’t always care, but we know. Purrs, Snoops and Kommando Kitty
Of course cats don’t understand human language. But like dogs, they can learn the meaning of a few key words, though they’re much better at picking up mood and tone. A cat will react to reassuring tones when nervous, but also to its owner being uncharacteristically irritable. If you talk to your cat, it’ll register your tone and the more intelligent and sociable ones will, I believe, understand you’re trying to communicate and will verbalise in response.
My Suzy appears to understand “Come on, puss cat – make your mind up!” when pausing at the door, but that may be my slightly annoyed tone. Anyway, it often succeeds and she goes out or turns around.
A lot is down to the tone of our voice I think.