Friday, May 06, 2022

Do they know I'm stressed?

STRESSED


 

 If I'm stressed  but my human doesn't seem to care maybe she just doesn't recognise what I am feeling. This is the dilemma us cats face. Humans cannot recognise the signs of feline stress.

Take our body position. If we are stressed we are likely to be hunched up, paws under the body ready for flight, the body stiff and tense. Our pupils will be enlarged. Our ears may be lowered out of fear, or lowered and swivelled back because we are both fearful and frustrated. We may blink rapidly.

RELAXED
If we are relaxed, our bodies will be spread out, our bellies may be visible, and our legs and paws are stretched out too. Our ears are usually forward, eyes almond shaped. If we see our human, we give a slow blink. We may purr at a familiar human.

But how many humans can read us properly? Their ignorance is at its worst if we are in a rescue shelter. They may not realise how unhappy we are.....


 

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1 comment:

  1. Sam HutchMay 25, 2022

    Agreed. It's a shame that most humans have no idea that cats have a language of their own. In fact, the meows we make could be one of 20 different sounds all with slightly different inflections and behavioral responses. Yes, meow means something. Humans could understand what their cats are trying to say if they only listened and interpreted.

    Any human out there interested in learning the essentials of cat communication to open your ears (and your heart) into the fascinating world of feline communication, both verbal and nonverbal? Check this one out if yes because this is like the missing link that allows you to bond with your own feline friend as if he was a human child.

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