They are simply communicating. It is important to know, that every single feline behavior (wanted or unwanted) is for reason.
A good reason. Let's dive in!
It is our duty as their guardians and caregivers to uncover what they are communicating and why. Then accommodate to help them feel more at ease, in hopes to extinguish or reduce the behavior.
From the cats point-of-view, they are displaying easy to understand feline communication in the only way they know how- through innate behaviors; behaviors they are born with, that is in their DNA. Some of those behaviors are out of survival, some social cues. We guardians just need to observe and listen. They are always communicating, and there is always a reason for everything they do.
A feline's behavior is contingent on so many factors and variables- health/medical; diet/nutrition; enrichment and innate behavior outlets; home environment; triggers and the ability to decrease or cease the triggers; outside stimulants; human and animal occupants in the home; the duration, predictability, and severity of the behavior; their humans behavior or emotional state (yes this most certainly plays a part!). All play a role in their behavior, health, and happiness.
It is important to know, felines do not have the cognitive ability to “know better”, or to feel revenge (“tit for tat”), spite, guilt, hate, shame, retaliation, or dislike. Projecting human attributes onto animals is called Anthropomorphism, and in this case, it is harmful. It gives us a false sense of “we have it all figured out” and we know “why” they are doing what they’re doing. It can cause more harm than good, and may lead to missed health issues and undiagnosed medical ailments/diseases.
However, animals do have the cognitive ability to feel grief, abandonment, loss, separation anxiety, stress, fear, general anxiety, trauma, sadness, frustration. They can also have trapped emotions/emotional blockages in their body, just as humans. This can occur if they’ve experienced any unsettling or stress-induced event in their lifetime. Trapped emotions can affect behavior, health, and eating patterns. Emotions are commonly overlooked in animals, but they too can have broken hearts or feel stress in their bodies. Once cleared, you may (should) experience a more balanced, settled animal.
| Fun Fact: animals also have the ability to feel happiness, joy, safety, security, calmness, contentment, excitement, acceptance, and LOVE - grand love - they love BIG!
We guardians can also play a role in their behaviors. We could be intentionally or unintentionally positively reinforcing a behavior, or we could be exacerbating a behavior by punishment. Punishment causes physical and emotional harm (not ok!), breaks trust, and hurts the human-animal bond. It heightens the feline’s stress, anxiety, and fear, causing the unwanted behavior to intensify, increase, or birth new challenging behaviors. Punishment carries with it continued unwanted behavior. Your feline does not have the cognitive ability to understand what they are being punished for and why.
With a little patience, mindfulness, tuning into their behavior, and consulting reputable feline behavior professionals either by way of research or services- one can potentially accurately hypothesize ‘why’ your feline(s) may be doing what they’re doing. Accurate research can go a long way. I wish I knew what I know now, especially about feline communication, behavior, and species-appropriate feeding. It would’ve made for a more enriched life for my late-Dickle Dean and quite possibly a longer life. Hard lesson learned for me, but you can make a change and turn it around <3.
| Hint: consulting reputable, trusted professionally certified Animal Communicators and/or Energy Healers can also provide insight into ‘why’ your feline (animal) is doing what they’re doing.
| Tip: an important note, a majority of behavior concerns could be medical/health related. It’s incredibly important to rule out all potential medical/health causes of the behavior first, including a dental exam. Please see a trusted vet!
| Caution: with seeing a trusted vet in mind first, please be cautious when accepting anxiety medication or any medication that can be potentially avoided and redirected to a holistic, non-toxic, non-harming effective natural alternative. We want to help the body heal itself, not cause harm or more problems. In addition, sometimes just providing the right enrichment, nutrition, attention, and environment can ease anxiety- no additional supplementation needed! On top of that, releasing trapped emotions within your animal (& yourself) has the potential to turn around behavior and health completely- a 180!
When we keep an open mind and heart and listen- the answers are all there <3
I hope you enjoyed this tidbit of information on feline behavior and learned a little along the way!
When we know better, we do better.
Angela Warrick, CARM, CAFTP
The Holistic Feline
-
all content is for informational purposes only.
all original written composition
Comments