by Charles Simmins

Created on: May 06, 2009   Last Updated: September 06, 2009

How well do you know your cat? Many cat owners have a good idea what their pet will do in a given situation.

Cats retain many of their instincts from their wild past. They are not "big" cats such as lions or tigers. They are small so their instincts are designed for survival among larger predators as well as for survival itself. Domesticated cats, when they were wild, were hunted as well as hunters.

You cat hides. It hides to play. It hides when it is afraid. Its natural instinct encourages hiding. Remember that the very next time you look all over the house to try to find your cat, cannot, and then it appears out of thin air. Your cat will find places to sleep where it is hidden and secure from harm, even if there is no possible harm around it. That its wild ancestors.

Your cat is curious. It is constantly checking out its environment, looking for changes and ensuring that familiar objects are where they belong. Rocks, hills and trees do not move for the wild cat. A cat needs to reassure itself about its surroundings, finding reliable hiding places, locating food and water and a place to "litter".

Your cat will come to understand the relationship between owner and pet. It will discover that certain activities, certain actions, produce a reward. A wild cat might learn to rest near a game trail. Your cat will learn that if it climbs all over you in bed in the morning, you will put food in its bowl.

Has your cat ever brought you a gift? That is high praise from a cat. In the wild, cats hunt for family. When your cat brings you that cricket or mouse that it caught, it is telling you that you are family.

Many cats are very vocal. They learn that from you. You talk to them and to other people. Wild cats make sounds to warn of danger, to challenge for a fight, to call to kittens. But, because silence is a survival issue, wild cats are not as vocal as domesticated ones. Your cat vocalizes because you do, and because it has learned that vocalizing cause you to do things that it wants.

Your cat has emotions. As you watch it, you will see it be playful, happy, anxious, demanding, and others. Can you see how your cat feels in its facial expression? Does the way your cat approaches you tell you how it feels? Cats do not hide their emotions so your study of your cat should help you understand them fairly easily.

How well do you know your cat? You should get to know it. It will enrich the relationship, the bond that the two of you share. Just remember that your little kitty was once wild and it still acts like it sometimes.

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