Behaviour of the Domestic Cat (Felis catus) Level 5 UNIT 3 Communication Behaviour Approximate learning hours 20 Intellectual property of Animal Biology and Care Ltd. 1
Learning Outcomes At the end of this unit you should be able to: 3.0 Investigate and recognise aspects of the behaviour of the domestic cat Felis catus Intellectual property of Animal Biology and Care Ltd. 2
3.0 Communication Behaviour 3.0 Investigate aspects of the behaviour of the domestic cat Felis catus Introduction and Background According to convention, the domestic cat is classified as being in: Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Felidae Genus: Felis Species: catus The domestic cat is placed in Class Mammalia as internal fertilisation occurs followed by internal gestation of the embryo and birth of live young (viviparity) with the young being nourished initially through the mother s mammary glands that produce nutrient-rich milk. Class Mammalia includes for example, humans, dogs, elephants, mice, sheep, cattle, deer and totals approximately 5,500 species. The cat is placed in Order Carnivora due to their meat-eating lifestyle and within the Felidae family of which there are two sub-families (Felinae and Pantherinae). Felis catus is placed within the Felinae as most species in the sub-family are small cats. Intellectual property of Animal Biology and Care Ltd. 3
The feline brain grows rapidly and by the time of three months, the brain becomes up to five times larger than that of a new-born kitten. It is often thought and discussed that brain proportion is linked to intellect and this can be similarly shown in regards to the neurological wiring and encasement. Studies have shown a link in anatomy of the feline brain in relation to the human brain (figure 1).. Feline brain development over the course of evolution has enabled the pronounced development of the vestibular apparatus to enable jumping, balancing and leaping Figure 1 - Comparing the feline brain with the human brain A C Cortex; including the lobes for vision & motor control B Medulla A Hypothalamus B Pituitary C A Cerebrum B Cerebellum C Spinal Cord Figure 1 shows that both humans and cats have similar identifiable sections within the brain to control emotion. Cats (like humans) also have temporal, occipital, front and parietal lobes of their cerebral cortex, with each region connected in the same way. Cats unfortunately, lack the mouth palate shape (partly due to the Jacobson Organ) and the brain vocal apparatus to comprehend use of a spoken, complex language. Although the feline has evolved differently, cats are quite capable of communicating via other types of verbal and non verbal means. Table 1 shows an ethogram of communication for the domestic cat. Intellectual property of Animal Biology and Care Ltd. 4
Table 1 Ethogram of methods of communication in the domestic cat Felis catus. Methods of Cat communication Repertoire of communication method Physical The head (ears) and whiskers; whole body posture, tail position & action; roll over, play, chase, follow Miaow, purr, trill/chirrup, howl, mowl, growl, snarl, hiss, spit, screech, Verbal Mmmm sound, chatter, prusten, idiosyncratic (individual characteristic), some cats may not vocalise Tactile Head rub, cheek mark, licking, eye-brow rub/nudge, nose-rub, nibble, paw touch, whole-body nudge/rub, scratch, kneading, nuzzle, bite, claw-setting Olfactory Chin/cheek mark, eye-brow rub, claw setting, urine spraying, anal gland squirts, faeces placement, urination, sniff, flehmen Visual Watch, stare, blink, avert Figure 2 demonstrates whole-head communication. Intellectual property of Animal Biology and Care Ltd. 5
Figure 2 whole-head communication of an adult cat. Structures to note are: the ears, whiskers and eyes but particularly, the ears In figure 2, the ears are primary signal to the cat s mood and emotion. Ears pricked forward say interest, curiosity and sometimes friendliness. Ears back and flat against the head indicate anger and/or fear depending on the context whilst ears back but upright indicate concern. When a cat is showing barely-concealed tolerance of something, the expression is that shown in image (4). Intellectual property of Animal Biology and Care Ltd. 6
Figure 3 shows whole-body communication. This includes the tail, legs, back and head postures. Figure 3 The sequences begin top left across right in each row. Describe in detail the whole body posture in each image. Then, draw a conclusion about what is happening and being communicated in the sequence of images. Whole-body posture is associated with each type of change (aggression and fear/submission). Which arrow (left to right or top to bottom), indicates which type of change in the cat s mood? Intellectual property of Animal Biology and Care Ltd. 7
When animals live in close social groups, they need to have a repertoire of signals that indicate their thoughts and emotions primarily, to avoid physical conflict. Cats are well-armed for physical violence by possessing sharp claws (front paws), tough, thick penetrating claws (back paws) and, teeth. The most damaging of this armoury is the claw. With fully-retractable claws in the front paws, sharpness is maintained whilst the back paws can have claws that do not retract entirely even if mostly. The back paws are armed with thick, blunt claws but, because of the added strength of the hind legs muscles, they can gouge their opponent or prey through the hind leg kick to soft under parts. The back paw claws aim to eviscerate a prey item or, an opponent. Therefore, avoidance of physical contact is important. The cat demonstrates a remarkable similarity with the dog in respect to the importance of the tail in communication. The tail can be said to be a direct visual indicator of a cat s state of mind and, health. Tail wagging is usually and accurately associated with agitation of some sort. Tail wagging can be gentle side-to-side movements (thinking mode); swift, whipping movement side-to-side (maximum fury); tip twitching which is a particular ability of the cat to be able to move just the end of the tail. Tip twitching is a precursor to a next stage of thought and, action. Three video demonstrations to watch of cat behaviour before and during actual physical conflict. Video (b) is perhaps the most interesting as it shows the cat apparently exerting their superiority, also demonstrating what could be called displacement activities. Video (a) has probably been doctored in terms of sound whilst video (d) contains sounds likely to be genuine. a. www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyj93lsy3be Accessed 30.5.15 b. www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7jppu2cnki Accessed 30.5.15 c. www.youtube.com/watch?v=m085lhp22ls Accessed 30.5.15 d. www.youtube.com/watch?v=sb4qi58kps8 Accessed 30.5.15 Note taking: body postures, head positioning, vocalisations, classic side-walking or crab walk. Intellectual property of Animal Biology and Care Ltd. 8
Communication of any type by a domestic cat is equivalent in terms of whether communicating to another cat or a human. Their repertoire of signals can be tailored somewhat if communicating to a human because they can expect different responses that those from another cat (Bradshaw & Cameron-Beaumont, 2000) Researchers have stated that effective sharing of information between a non-human animal and the human animal is critical for the former when they are dependent upon humans (Nicastro & Owren, 2003). Such non-human animals need to be able to communicate specific information, or a reference signal, about a particular need. Of paramount importance is that of human understanding of what is needed by the non-human animal when the latter makes a communication. The human needs to be able to respond appropriately to the signal or in other words, read the signal correctly. Take for example, cat vocalisation. Table 1 lists a variety of vocalisations typical of the domestic cat including individual sounds produced by a particular cat. The question is, do humans understand cat vocal language just as they do their own language or, does a person have to be familiar with a cat to understand the vocalisations? There some obvious vocalisations that any person should understand for example the growl, hiss or spit and, the purr (although a cat will purr when in pain too). The ambiguous vocalisation comes from the meow that can change in length, pitch and frequency according to a cat s emotions. Figure 4 describes the appearance of various meow types in the form of spectrograms. Intellectual property of Animal Biology and Care Ltd. 9
Figure 4 Spectrograms of four single meow calls (A to D). Sound frequency is in khz (y-axis) and duration is in seconds (x-axis). Each recording reflects a situation under which the cat(s) in question were recorded. From Nicastro & Owren (2003). Nicastro & Owren 2003, arranged five situations or contexts under which to record a vocal reaction from test cats. The situations were: i. An obstacle of some sort such as a closed door or window ii. Food related iii. Affiliative iv. Agonistic v. Distress Figure 5 shows a bout of meow calls i.e., one after the other in fairly quick succession. Intellectual property of Animal Biology and Care Ltd. 10
Figure 5 Spectrogram of four consecutive meow vocalisations over eight seconds during one context. Each meow appears to be roughly equal in length and frequency. Intellectual property of Animal Biology and Care Ltd. 11
Figures 6a to 6e record context-specific vocalisations. Figure 6a Context Agonistic (when annoyed) Figure 6b An obstacle of some sort such as a closed door or window (owner present and in view) Distress (when the cat was placed in an unfamiliar location a vehicle) Affiliative (when asking for attention other than food or other) Figure 6c Food related Figure 6e Figure 6d Intellectual property of Animal Biology and Care Ltd. 12
The cat s tail is a clear signalling device of mood. Research shows the tail up (TU) position is affiliative i.e. friendly, welcoming and open. In feral cat colonies, TU is associated with a sniff of noses and rubbing with other members of the colony. The cat uses the TU position often with whiskers pointed forward, as a welcoming sign with to humans. Figure 7 shows the classic cat silhouette of TU. Figure 7 Left: Tail up with right, comparison silhouette Figure 8 shows a further set of silhouettes of cats demonstrating mood changes again indicated by tail actions. Intellectual property of Animal Biology and Care Ltd. 13
NB Ears should be shown held back slightly in this silhouette Figure 8 Cat emotional state indicated by actions of the tail When the tail s hairs are erect, fear is apparent. Piloerection is an automatic response to fear or, extreme excitement. Together with the tail placed straight upwards, the back being arched, ears back and head pulled in toward the body, fear is being experienced. Alternatively, the top left image (figure 8), although the tail is fluffed, the back is not arched. The ears are back but the head is not pulled back toward the body. This cat is experiencing anger (demonstrating agonistic behaviour) but, there is a long way to go before aggression e.g. attack is imminent (ref. figure 3). However, when the whole tail quivers (top row, middle), this signals pleasure, excitement and delight. This is a lovely signal from a cat as they are expressing love and recognition of someone special. Tail up with a crooked tip (last row, left) is a cat that is a bit unsure of someone (human or other cat) unlike the classic straight tail up (TU) in the top row middle that indicates friendliness. Intellectual property of Animal Biology and Care Ltd. 14
Olfactory & Tactile Communication In many ways, cat communication is basic with reliance upon scent and body posture. For example, leaving a spray signal on a fence is a typical act of the full tom cat. Every few metres, a quick spray of smelly urine determines his territory mark. A neutered male cat and spayed female will also spray quite successfully but the odour les less pungent. The message is the same though. Similarly, leaving urine and faeces within the home is just another way of communicating something and not necessarily to the human. Cheek-marking of furniture, doors, door jams and other prominent structures leaves a communication to other cats. Cheek-marking leaves after while, an oily deposit at the location this is the idea because the scent gland secretions from the chin are meant to stay in place for a while. Likewise setting the claws into a tree trunk, gate post, fence (figure 9) or furniture aims to clean the claws and leave an individual odour as well as provide a pleasant tactile experience for the cat. Figure 9 Setting the claws into a handing fence. Ears back but eyes almost closed, the cat relishes the tactile experience of pulling the claws. Other cats can detect the odour from paw and chin glands and in so doing, be able to identify who is about in cat terms. If one cat feels they should be superior over another, they will cover the spray of the other cat with their own. Generally, a cat owner can tell their cat s mood and intentions and should be able to transfer that understanding to any cat. However, as each cat is an individual, produced via sexual reproduction it should be remembered that each cat will have their own ways of expressing certain emotions. Intellectual property of Animal Biology and Care Ltd. 15
Understanding what is normal behaviour for a domestic cat including visual and audible behaviours, is crucial to preventing so-called problem behaviours. Being able to read what a cat is saying by their body posture, ear position and vocal sounds is a step toward that understanding. Some years ago, the domestic cat was thought by some to be a solitary creature with no social behaviours even though obvious evidence to the contrary was available. Similarly, the domestic cat (and other non-human animals) can talk and communicate in other ways even though they do not have a written language. Completion of unit 1 Intellectual property of Animal Biology and Care Ltd. 16
Selected references Bradshaw, J. & Cameron-Beaumont, C. (2000) The signalling repertoire of the domestic cat and its undomesticated relatives. In: The Domestic Cat: The biology of its behaviour Ed. by D. C. Turner & P. Bateson pp. 67-93, Cambridge, CUP. Crowell-Davis, S. L. (2004) Cat Behaviour: Social Organisation, Communication and Development in The Welfare of Cats Ed. Rochlitz, I. Ch. 1 19-22, CUP provided with this course by kind permission of I. Rochlitz Crowell-Davis, S. L., Curtis, T. M. & Knowles, R. J. (2004) Social organization in the cat: a modern understanding. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery 6, 19 28 Available at: www.researchgate.net/publication/8582646_social_organization_in_the_cat_a_modern _understanding accessed 05.03.15 Nicastro, N. & Owren, M. J. (2003) Classification of Domestic Cat (Felis catus) Vocalizations by Naïve and Experienced Human Listeners, Jnl. Comp. Psych. Vol. 117, No. 1, 44 52 Available at: www.researchgate.net/publication/10771032_classification_of_domestic_cat_%28felis _catus%29_vocalizations_by_naive_and_experienced_human_listeners accessed 05.03.15 Schotz, S. (2012) A phonetic pilot study of vocalisations in three cats Proceedings FONETIK 2012, 45-48 Available at: www.lunduniversity.lu.se/lup/publication/3350382 Accessed 05.03.15 Schotz, S, & van de Weijer, J. (2014) A Study of Human Perception of Intonation in Domestic Cat Meows in Speech, Proceedings FONETIK 2014, 89-94 Available at: www.lunduniversity.lu.se/lup/publication/4882277 accessed 05.03.15 Intellectual property of Animal Biology and Care Ltd. 17