Interestingly, behaviourists have tried the "gaze and blink" trick with big cats in zoos and have reported that lions and tigers will blink back at them. A few readers have emailed me having tried the same. This is not recommended since a direct gaze is a challenge and a big cat has n...
Many cats exhibit what behaviourists call “petting-induced aggression,”an instinctive reaction to something they find unpleasant, even painful. ... Pay close attention to your cat's body language. Signals include flattened ears, tail twitching, rippling skin and low growling. She may also start...
A lot will depend on the individual cat and where you live. If you’re near a busy road or in an area where there are lots of cats, or other wild animals, you might want to give this careful consideration. One good compromise is to either cat-proof your garden if possible, or build...
Whether we like to admit it or not, our domestic cat companions are essentially still wild at heart and in their genes and instincts; something which keeps pet behaviourists in business. Footnote 2- How Long Does Domestication Take? How long does it take to domesticate a species? If the sp...
Of course, Behaviourism “works.” So does torture. Give me a no-nonsense, down-to-earth behaviourist, a few drugs, and simple electrical appliances, and in six months I will have him reciting the Athanasian Creed in public. — Wystan Hugh Auden A Certain World: A Commonplace Book (1971...