Cat Behaviour

Here at Calagran Four Paws Hotel we deal with giving cats as well as dogs a great holiday so thought it was about time this month we turned our attention to the feline furry friends in our life. How they behave and why?

Why do Cats silent meow? – There are a number of theories on this one but the most interesting is that the meow is actually not silent but the pitch and frequency are too high to be audible to humans, a bit like a dog whistle.

Why do some cats love catnip? – Catnip is a plant with the proper name of Nepeta Cataria. The active chemical in the plant is Neptalactone. In studies it has been shown that Neptalactone in about 80% of cats can have the same effect on a cat as LSD has on humans. Fortunately the effect is short lived and harmless.

Why do cats have rough tongues? – It is suggested that there are two main reasons for the roughness of a cats tongue. The main one is to have a built in grooming device. The cats tongue actually has built in hook shaped barbs that face backwards. These are great for grooming but also historically it is very effective for removing flesh from the bones of prey that has fallen victim to the feline.

Why do cats find non cat people more attractive? – Generally people who like cats will behave in a way that puts cats off and vice versa. Cat lovers will stare at a cat, move towards them and make gestures in their direction both verbal and physical. Cats find this forward approach threatening and often back away. Conversely non cat lovers won’t look or move towards the cat and they find this non-threatening and intriguing and so much to the non-cat lover’s dismay will actually encourage the cat’s curiosity and approach.

Why do cats hate aerosol sprays? – There are a number of reasons why cats aren’t happy when you spray that air freshener near them. Firstly the noise sounds like that of an aggressive cat hissing so this immediately puts cats on their guard. Secondly the hairs on cat’s bodies help them feel their surroundings and the spray will agitate these quickly and suddenly which will also be unpleasant. Finally cats sense of smell like dogs are much better than ours and so that air freshener may not smell quite as nice to them.

There is so much more to understand about our feline friends but I hope that wets your appetite to find out more.

Just one last word for this month to let you know that Calagran Four Paws Hotel is growing our services and this month has seen our new securely fenced two acre play park paddock opened for guests of the hotel and for hire by the hour. Also we are very excited to announce the opening of a new grooming parlour onsite, Paws Galore run by Gemma Baron.

Still got questions? Get in touch with our team
Get in Toucharrow icon