Post by Ten on Aug 13, 2010 12:49:33 GMT -5
Draco has told me she's unfamiliar with cat body language and coat patterns, so this thread is a brief introduction to both, and even though I'm writing it with her in mind, I'm sure it could be useful to others.
cat fights -- something all of us should brush up on
Cats are not aggressive creatures. When a cat has a problem with another cat, neither of them want to risk getting an injury, so they both try to scare each other off by fluffing up their fur, arching their backs, and yowling. If nobody backs down, it might come to a fight. During the face-off stage, the opponents move slowwwwlyyy. Any quick movements are a sign of fear and weakness, which will prompt the other cat to attack.
They'll try to resolve it without violence, but if one cat attacks, then the other will twist onto its back and kick with its back legs as they bat at each other with their foreclaws. The more aggressive cat (or maybe even both of them) could try and bite the other's neck, which is the kill move cats use on their prey.
The fighting portion of the confrontation will last only a few seconds; then the cats will break apart and if one doesn't flee, the face-off will begin again. If you've never seen cats fight in real life, try a youtube search of "feline fights".
cat communication
Ears: Cats can swivel their ears to listen to the sounds around them, and they perk their ears forward when they take interest in what's right in front of their face. Because cat ears are so soft and thin, sometimes they need to protect them, so if a cat thinks he's about to attack or be attacked, he will flatten his ears against his head.
Tail: When a cat is feeling friendly, he'll hold his tail up in the air. A swishing tail indicates a cat is hunting, agitated, or ready to rip yer face off. More subtle tip-twitching is a result of stimulation and brain activity (the more still the tail, the more relaxed the cat). If the tail is shaking or quivering, the cat is displaying affection and is glad to see you. Scared cats tuck their tails between their legs and run away.
Purr: There are many reasons for a cat to purr. Most of all, cats purr when they feel relaxed and loving. However, they might also purr when they're scared, perhaps as a way to try and comfort themselves and try to calm down (like whistling in the dark). When a queen has kits, they all purr to each other -- mom knows a purring kit is alive and healthy, and the vibrations help blind, deaf newborns know where to get the milk.
Eyes: Cats are predators, so their eyes are in the front of their face to focus on a single piece of prey. When a cat stares at another cat, that implies he's considering an attack, just like he would when staring at a mouse, so staring is very rude and will make the other cat nervous or angry. To clarify that he means no harm, a cat will blink slowly. Cats can avoid this whole situation if they take a gander at one another using their great peripheral vision.
Touch: Cats like to rub things. Cats like to rub people. Cats like to rub other cats. This is because they have scent glands in their cheeks that emit marker smells on anything they rub against. If Alfonzo the cat rubs against something, he's leaving a little flag that says, "Property of Alfonzo". In other words, rubbing = "that's mine". Cats can rub to stake out a territory, but they also rub to express affection; "this is my friend" or "this is my brother" or "this is my mama" (but cats do not rub their food).
Whiskers: Cats use their whiskers to feel around and see if a hole is big enough to squeeze through. Most of the time, whiskers will hang relaxed, but cats can puff them out or pull them back.
Position: Sleep takes up much of a cat's day. However, cats lower themselves down to the ground when they're submitting to a stronger and more aggressive cat. This crouched position makes them look smaller while still protecting their bellies.
coat colors
There are three main types of coat patterns you need to know: tabby, tortie, and self/solid.
Cats can have solid coats of black, gray, or white. As for solid-brown cats, those are a special breed all their own, called Havana Browns. Don't expect to see one of those walking around in the wild. And as for a solid-neon-orange cat like Firestar? Never seen a real one.
Tortoiseshells, or torties, are cats that have black and orange fur (the only torties I've seen with any brown on them have been purebreds). Because the gene for this coat pattern is on the X chromosome, torties are almost always female. In addition to regular torties, there are also dilute torties, which have coats of gray and peach.
Tabbies are cats with stripes, and all of them have M-shaped markings on their foreheads. However, there are several different types of tabby patterns, the most common being the mackerel tabby, which has the thin, straight stripes we're all familiar with (if someone describes a cat as being a tabby, most of the time they mean a mackerel tabby). Classic tabbies have big, thick, swirly stripes that sometimes look like bull's eyes. Ticked tabbies can have stripes on their ankles and tails, but their main bodies appear not to have stripes at all -- their individual furs are variegated with bands of color, creating an interesting peppery pattern (called "agouti"). Spotted tabbies are more uncommon. They have wild spots, like the Bengal breed, but spotted tabbies can occur in regular cats without specialized breeding programs. There are more tabby patterns than just these, but you're not likely to find them in a cat without a documented pedigree. Tabbies can be various shades of gray, brown, and ginger.
Also, you can have a cat that's both a tortie and a tabby; these are called torbies or patched tabbies. They have a tabby pattern on a multi-colored coat.
coat markings
On any and all coats that I know of, you can have white markings, which can appear as spots and blotches anywhere on the cat, although in large amounts white markings tend to work from the bottom upward (as if you're dipping the standing cat into white chocolate). For description purposes, it's alright to call a cat "white with gray spots", but in terms of genetics, the cat has a gray base coat and the white is a marking. When a tortie has a large amount of white markings, we call that a calico (black, orange, white).
eye color and deaf cats
Cats can have eyes that are green, yellow, hazel, blue, or even light-brownish. Some cats have one eye that is blue and one eye that is another color ("odd eyes"), but I've only seen that on white cats. When a cat with pure-white fur has blue eyes, that makes her more likely to be deaf (DEAF, not blind; sometimes folks get that mixed up). White cats with one blue eye and one different-color eye can be deaf in one ear.
