Feline Friendly Focus

Independent – aside from lions, adult wild cats don’t rely on interactions with other cats for survival, coming together only to mate. Cats therefore often don’t like to be near other cats, but they can occasionally form close bonds. They also like to drive the frequency and intensity of their interactions with people. Cats are strongly territorial which may lead to inter-cat aggression and stress. 

Hunters – cats are highly developed hunters and need to display this behaviour. They tend to be most active at dawn and dusk when their prey would be available. Play is used to practise hunting technique and they have sharp claws and teeth. Cats are agile and like to live on multiple levels, sometimes hiding under beds, other times exploring on the top of furniture. They are highly aware, with sensitive vision, hearing and sense of smell.

Communication - cats don’t display emotions in a way that is always easy for humans to understand, but they feel fear, stress, excitement and pleasure. Facial signs are subtle and body language important. Cats communicate through touch, vocalisation, and scent – both urine and faeces and scratching behaviour release pheromones (chemical messengers). Some of these methods of communicating can lead to problems in domestic life, but often we can help if we understand what the cat is trying to say.

As a highly sensitive and territorial animal, visits to a veterinary practice can be a source of great stress, both for the cat and their owner! It is important we examine cats on a regular basis, to provide preventative healthcare but also because we know cats hide pain and disease - a full examination can highlight weight changes, dental disease and other ailments. There is much we can do to make a visit to the vets as stress free as possible.