Can we discover what cats really think about us?
More research needs to be done. [It’s] not an area that’s received sufficient attention. [Cats are] not wild animals, so ecologists [might think], ‘Well they’re not really animals at all.’
What has been most surprising to you in your research?
How stressed a lot of pet cats can be without their owners realizing it, and how much it affects the quality of their mental lives and their health. Cats don’t [always] get on with other cats, [and people don’t realize] how much that can stress them out. Other than routine visits, the most common reason cats are taken to vets is because of a wound sustained in a fight with another cat.
[More cats are mysteriously getting] dermatitis and cystitis [inflammation of the bladder] and it’s becoming abundantly clear that these medical problems are made worse by psychological stress. [For instance], inflammation of the bladder wall is linked to stress hormones in the blood.One solution is to examine the cat’s social lifestyle, instead of pumping it full of drugs. [For example, that could mean making sure] two cats that [don’t get along] live at opposite ends of the house. Quite often the whole problem goes away.
I have a few questions from cat owners on Facebook. First, why might a cat yowl when it’s by itself in a room?
Cats learn specifically how their owners react when they make particular noises. So if the cat thinks, ‘I want to get my owner from the other room,’ it works to vocalize. They use straightforward learning.
