Look deep into my golden cat-eyes and you will see… empathy. Yes, Slider kitty knows when you are sad, that is why I come sit in your lap. When you are tense, I massage your legs with my kitty pseudo-claws, a kind of ancient Egyptian pain/pleasure technique.
If I sense you are bored sitting in front of the TV, I will embrace my inner entertainer and spring over the chair, tumble into a box, attack your throw pillow like a sumo wrestler. There, I got a smile!
I recently participated in a study done by the journal Animal Cognition about whether cats use social referencing.
This means, looking at my owners face for cues about whether I should be afraid of something new.
The test was a fan with streamers blowing away from it and an “escape” door behind it to get out of the tiny room.
One group of pet owners was told to respond positively to the fan and smile. My group, the “negative response owners” made scared noises, backed away from the fan and made eye contact with their cats showing fear.
“The screen was the only possible way out,” the authors write, “and thus looking at the screen and then at the fan potentially suggests the cats were worried about the fan and wanted to get away from it.”
In addition, cats in the negative-owner group began moving earlier than their counterparts in the positive group, “potentially showing that they started looking for an escape route sooner.” So we do look to you for guidance!
Another way I can be of help to you dear owners is with my amazing “Purrring” sound. Did you know cats purr at a vibrational frequency of between 25 – 50 Hertz (Hz) – the perfect frequency for healing!
Ask any of your friends who live with cats and they will agree that a cat’s purr is one of the most relaxing sounds, greatly decreasing stress levels after a long day.
Finally dear owner, know that affection and touch are very important to me – and I love ear rubs! Keep an eye out for my upright tail.
When I walk toward you or your guest with a raised tail, and then rub on their legs, this is a display of affection.
I am saying “This person I judge and find worthy”!
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