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Authors: Jennifer Pulling
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of dogs.
Dear Fanny. Faithful Friend and Companion. Poisoned June 27 1899 aged 15 years.
Jumbo Perceval (Terrier) True Honourable Loving Little Friend and Helper.
September 3 1887 – Murdered July 24th 1904. Never Forgotten.
I turned back towards the entrance and saw an amazing sight: a cat had jumped up into the fountain and was sitting there, her tiny mouth wide open, catching the falling water. Tourists were gathered round and some took photographs. She continued drinking and drinking but when she had finished I think she felt a bit odd – perhaps she had taken in too much air.
‘ Sera ,’ a voice called and I turned to see that Maria had arrived.
She was weighed down with laden bags and I could see her legs were still troubling her. The cats had been waiting for her and milled around, their tails held upright, the ends slightly curved over. It is a signal of friendliness, I’ve learned. Kittens use this to greet their mother and adult cats continue to treat their favourite humans like a trustworthy mum, their tails held high. Cats who sense no hostility will greet each other with upright tails. A relaxed cat’s tail curves down and back up in a gentle ‘U’. The more interest she feels, the higher the tail. No doubt the interest here was Maria’s supply of food.
It was clear that she loved cats in the way one loves little children.
‘ Micio, micio ,’ she murmured, as she filled their bowls.
But do cats love us? Or is this kind of show of affection cupboard love? True, they don’t respond with the tail-thumping greeting of a dog when his owner returns. Research has shown canines experience positive emotions, like love and attachment, meaning that dogs have a level of sentience comparable to that of a human child. Cats are less demonstrative and some people dub them aloof. But surely it follows that, if a cat behaves in the same way towards certain human beings as she does towards other cats, then undoubtedly she is showing she is fond of her owner. Domesticated cats take this much further; they use kneading behaviour, the front paws treading on soft surfaces, a hark back to kittenhood. Kitten paws knead against the mother cat’s breasts to induce milk to be released. Adult cats continue this behaviour when they’re feeling most relaxed and content.
My cat, Sheba, has a habit of arriving on my pillow and kneading into my bare shoulder, purring loudly in my ear. When a cat throws herself on the ground at your feet and rolls around, she is asking for attention. Presenting her stomach in this way puts a cat in a vulnerable position so cats generally reserve the rolling around for people they trust and maybe love. The thing I love best about Sheba is her sometimes slow ‘eye blink’ from across the room; I have been honoured with a cat kiss.
The feral cats surrounding Maria while I mused on this were simply intent on having as much as they could of the pasta and fish mixture she was dispensing. They were silent. In contrast, domestic cats can be very talkative. Over time, Sheba has developed a number of meows to suit differentoccasions. They range from the little chirrup that greets me if I wake her when coming into a room to a plaintive high-pitched meow on her arrival in the house and not seeing anyone about. Then there is the quite desperate meow when she sees a packet of her food being opened. And of course there are the purrs. While these are sometimes a signal of comfort and contentment, research has shown that purring is an attempt to get something done. I remember my other cat Fluffy’s loud and disconcerting purr, which I initially failed to recognise as a cry for help. New to the world of felines, I was unaware that they will purr when stressed or in distress or pain and are simply trying to attract attention.
The cats that Maria fed had no need of these niceties except perhaps for Lily, who had now settled herself on the elderly woman’s lap while the others, having washed themselves,
Dear Fanny. Faithful Friend and Companion. Poisoned June 27 1899 aged 15 years.
Jumbo Perceval (Terrier) True Honourable Loving Little Friend and Helper.
September 3 1887 – Murdered July 24th 1904. Never Forgotten.
I turned back towards the entrance and saw an amazing sight: a cat had jumped up into the fountain and was sitting there, her tiny mouth wide open, catching the falling water. Tourists were gathered round and some took photographs. She continued drinking and drinking but when she had finished I think she felt a bit odd – perhaps she had taken in too much air.
‘ Sera ,’ a voice called and I turned to see that Maria had arrived.
She was weighed down with laden bags and I could see her legs were still troubling her. The cats had been waiting for her and milled around, their tails held upright, the ends slightly curved over. It is a signal of friendliness, I’ve learned. Kittens use this to greet their mother and adult cats continue to treat their favourite humans like a trustworthy mum, their tails held high. Cats who sense no hostility will greet each other with upright tails. A relaxed cat’s tail curves down and back up in a gentle ‘U’. The more interest she feels, the higher the tail. No doubt the interest here was Maria’s supply of food.
It was clear that she loved cats in the way one loves little children.
‘ Micio, micio ,’ she murmured, as she filled their bowls.
But do cats love us? Or is this kind of show of affection cupboard love? True, they don’t respond with the tail-thumping greeting of a dog when his owner returns. Research has shown canines experience positive emotions, like love and attachment, meaning that dogs have a level of sentience comparable to that of a human child. Cats are less demonstrative and some people dub them aloof. But surely it follows that, if a cat behaves in the same way towards certain human beings as she does towards other cats, then undoubtedly she is showing she is fond of her owner. Domesticated cats take this much further; they use kneading behaviour, the front paws treading on soft surfaces, a hark back to kittenhood. Kitten paws knead against the mother cat’s breasts to induce milk to be released. Adult cats continue this behaviour when they’re feeling most relaxed and content.
My cat, Sheba, has a habit of arriving on my pillow and kneading into my bare shoulder, purring loudly in my ear. When a cat throws herself on the ground at your feet and rolls around, she is asking for attention. Presenting her stomach in this way puts a cat in a vulnerable position so cats generally reserve the rolling around for people they trust and maybe love. The thing I love best about Sheba is her sometimes slow ‘eye blink’ from across the room; I have been honoured with a cat kiss.
The feral cats surrounding Maria while I mused on this were simply intent on having as much as they could of the pasta and fish mixture she was dispensing. They were silent. In contrast, domestic cats can be very talkative. Over time, Sheba has developed a number of meows to suit differentoccasions. They range from the little chirrup that greets me if I wake her when coming into a room to a plaintive high-pitched meow on her arrival in the house and not seeing anyone about. Then there is the quite desperate meow when she sees a packet of her food being opened. And of course there are the purrs. While these are sometimes a signal of comfort and contentment, research has shown that purring is an attempt to get something done. I remember my other cat Fluffy’s loud and disconcerting purr, which I initially failed to recognise as a cry for help. New to the world of felines, I was unaware that they will purr when stressed or in distress or pain and are simply trying to attract attention.
The cats that Maria fed had no need of these niceties except perhaps for Lily, who had now settled herself on the elderly woman’s lap while the others, having washed themselves,
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