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Cat’s twitching tail means don’t get too close

Joyce Walter writes about her history of misunderstandings with cats
ReflectiveMoments_JoyceWalter
Reflective Moments by Joyce Walter

It has come to my attention that I deserved every scratch, bite and snarl inflicted on me over the years by the felines in my life.

I thought their dislike of me was related directly to their housing provided — outdoors or in the unheated garage. It wasn’t my decision but the female parent had a rule that dogs, cats and other assorted wildlife belonged anywhere but in the house.

And so cats of my youth were lovingly cared for outside, fed milk and other stuff that probably messed up their digestive systems and they were required to provide their own meat in the form of mice, but certainly not any of the birds that lived in our yard.

It wasn’t my fault my mother would chase them with a broom if she suspected any feline interest in the robins or canaries or blue birds that made our yard their home.

Nor was it my fault when they nosed around the outside drain to the cistern and fell in, to drown in the water that we used for washing floors and other non-edible activities. My dad got tired of fishing expired cats out of their wet burial ground and listening to me cry in despair over another dead pet. Thus his decree: no more cats.

So the years went by until I became an aunt to a cat that lived in another house. As a kitten, Sally was a fun-loving and cuddly bundle of fur. We photographed her extensively and ignored her tiny but strong claws that found purchase on our sweaters and pant legs.

She soon grew out of her kittenish cuteness and only occasionally allowed any pats of affection from anyone other than her owner — and then only when she felt like accepting such gestures. I got the message to leave her alone after two or three slaps from her paws, with claws extended. And a smack on the noggin from her perch atop the fridge.

But now I know it was all my fault — at least that’s what a report in Live Science implies. The report, The Best Way to Pet Your Cat, explains that cats are basically still wild animals, the cousins of the African wildcat who are long-time hunters and pest eliminators. As such even thousands of years later, domesticated cats may still be solitary creatures, only tolerating human interaction because the two-legged creatures provide food and shelter.

I did neither for Sally. 

Instead, I ignored it when her tail swished, thrashed and thumped; I ignored it when her ears flattened to the sides of her head; her short bursts of grooming suggested to me she was a tidy cat but instead that signalled she didn’t want to be touched and was licking away a human scent. All of those signs were indications that she didn’t want to socialize with humans who only showed up occasionally and then talked baby talk to her: “Nice kitty. Aren’t you a nice kitty!” 

No wonder she didn’t purr but glared when her space was invaded through misunderstanding of feline language. The Live Science research cautions humans to let the felines set the tone for safe petting and patting.

In future, cats will not have to worry about my interaction with them, except for that stray white cat that does its business in the flower bed and has been chased away on a regular basis. It is a slow learner.

Joyce Walter can be reached at ronjoy@sasktel.net

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.  

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