Helping humans recognise subtle cat bullying

Dumb humans often don't notice when one of us is bullying another cat. They don't recognise what is going on. 

So to help them, I am posting this this video showing a ginger cat bullying a tortoiseshell. What he is doing is pushing the tortoiseshell away from the owner who has the video.

There's no feline violence involved. Just a movement between the tortoiseshell and her human.

This is subtle bullying. The tortoiseshell needs her human to recognise this and see if she can help the cats avoid each other.

Seperate feeding bowls, three litter trays in three different locations, two cat flaps, lots of cat beds - so that the tortoiseshell can always get to what she wants.

And the owner should think of time spent with the tortoiseshell, when the ginger is not in the room and cannot interrupt.

Head lowers and moves forward... "maybe a mouse?'

When I see something that really really interests me, my head goes forward and lower. Something small and moving makes me do this, because it might just be a mouse. 

This isn't just an idle gaze, it is an intensely involved look. Sometimes if the object is high up, then the head looks high up too but it often moves lower than my shoulder first. Like the photo above. 

It is a quick instinctive movement which most dumb humans don't notice. Or if they do notice it, they don't really take it in.

But watch me! If I am sitting looking idly out of the window, and something important catches my eye, this is what I do. That something usually arouses my hunting instinct, but it occasionally happens if the something is an unexpected kitten. See that on my Youtube channel below. 

(Yes, I know it says it is Celia's channel but it is obviously mine because there are so many cats in it.)

• The playlist of what cats are saying is on my Youtube channel under Celia's name is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMH0Q-3hEcw&list=PLnwXtI1uuo884ABEOTorPYZNnIeTh04pV

 

Flank rubbing ... I'm friendly, notice me.

When we are friendly, and when we want your attention, we sometimes rub round human legs. It's the bit of human that we can reach if the human is standing.

We are likely to do this, just before our human puts down our food and when we are hungry. It's a way of making sure dumb humans remember we are here and we need feeding.

Even really stupid humans usually get this particular message.

I also like rubbing the side of my body round my human's legs when she is on the lavatory, the human litter tray. She is stuck there, so she can't really do something silly like picking me up.

Tabby starts a flank rub

We also do a flank rub between feline friends. Just a gentle pressure starting at the shoulder then moving the rest of the body against the other feline.

Sometimes this ends in a tail wrap. 

• The playlist of what cats are saying is on my Youtube channel under Celia's name is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMH0Q-3hEcw&list=PLnwXtI1uuo884ABEOTorPYZNnIeTh04pV

 

The dry mouth swallow.... I am very frightened.

 Read my body language... that is my message to human beings. So I am posting pictures and videos to help them learn what cats like me are saying.

I have a good human who loves me, but her attention isn't good enough for her to read me what I am saying. 

I can get her attention by making a vocal signal, but not a body language signal. And she can't read my face properly either.

So I have posted this video here showing the dry mouth swallow... it says "I am terrified." It is a small movement of the throat. 

If we cats could get humans to learn our body language and pay proper careful attention to it, we could stop them being so dumb. Dumb humans are the major problem in most cats' lives

Pay attention....

• The playlist of what cats are saying is on my Youtube channel under Celia's name is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMH0Q-3hEcw&list=PLnwXtI1uuo884ABEOTorPYZNnIeTh04pV

I scent mark my home - for reassurance and home-making.

The video shows Shirty Bertie making his rescue pen into a home by rubbing against it. 

A home has to smell right. My core territory has to smell of me (and my scent glands), my human and any other friendly beings that I live with. So I spend time rubbing my chin against the furniture to spread my scent.

My chin also smells of my human, since I have rubbed it against her when I am feeling friendly. Then I pick up the scent of the furniture, itself, and rub her again. It's a careful mix.

This is feline home-making. I need my home, my core territory, to smell safe and happy. So if I feel just a little insecure, or if I have come back from the cattery, I will remake the scent profile.

What I hate is when the home scent is destroyed by painting, or builders, or some kind of alien scent brought home by my human. When Celia came back from hospital, I had to re-rub her and the home, because she brought back medical smells, like the smells of a vet.

• He was called Shirty Bertie because he occasionally nipped his rescuer.