Cats have evolved an elegant and formal protocol for greeting each other as well as greeting members of other animal species. Respecting and following these protocols when meeting a cat for the first time and when greeting a cat that you haven’t shared company with for awhile will encourage pleasant interactions and build trust.

Unfortunately many adults and lots of children do not follow the greeting protocol. Sometimes cats are chased in misguided efforts towards friendships; sometimes they are grabbed and picked up. This usually results in a cat avoiding the human or if cornered sometimes scratching or biting the perpetrator. Cats prefer a traditional, formal greeting that will allow them to find out something about the greeter and to build trust.

Properly greeting a cat is simple. First, never chase or try to pick up a cat. Instead extend your index finger towards the cat at about cat-nose level. Anywhere from 1-5 feet away from the cat will work. The initial greeting distance depends on the individual cat and their circumstances. If you know the cat, and the cat knows you, the distance can be decreased. If you are both strangers to each other, the distance should be increased.

It’s now up to the cat to make the next move. When she’s ready to say “hello” she will walk up to your extended finger and touch it with her nose. Next she will move her head so that your finger is on her mouth and then she’ll move her head so that your finger is on her cheek. If she wants to continue with the meeting, she will rub your finger and your hand with her cheek, marking you. Cats have scent glands on their cheeks that produce “friendly pheromones”. This is similar to us shaking hands. After she marks you, you can now gently pet her under her chin, on the side of her head and then on top of her head.

Try it with your own cats. Extend your index finger towards your cat buddy and say hello.

Poor Kingsley is facing some challenges right now. Kingsley, a Norwegian Forest Cat was very bonded to Bok Choi, the Bengal who crossed over a few weeks ago. Kingsley and Bok Choi were never more then a few feet away from each other. Where one went, the other followed. These two kitties were in love with each other. I knew that Bok Choi’s passing would have an affect on Kingsley. I just didn’t know how it would affect him.

All of the cats in my household are either Bengals or Savannahs. Kingsley is the only domestic cat without any recent wild blood in him. He doesn’t quite fit in. He’s a very smart boy but he doesn’t always get the joke. Bengals and Savannahs are like finely-tuned, high speed race cars, Norwegian Forest Cats are content to stick to the speed limit.

The Bengals and the Savannah have an established, yet dynamic hierarchy. The colony is established and it works. They are very bonded to each other and hang out with each other. The dynamic social structure they’ve established works very well. When Sudan, the large Savannah, decides he’s unhappy with someone, he simply sits on them. Very easy to do when you are twice the weight and height of everyone else. Kingsley has always mingled with the other cats, but he always preferred to keep company with Bok Choi. When Bok Choi lived with us, it was common to see Kingsley and him in the same room with the rest of the gang, sitting together, but apart from the others.

It’s taken Kingsley a couple of weeks to adjust to life without his buddy. Now he wants to find his place in the existing Cat Club.  Kingsley has never felt he should have second seating. He has always sat at the head of the table. That place is already taken. 

His biggest challenges are at night and before meal times. He first challenged Sudan, the very large Savannah. Sudan demobilized him by sitting on him.  Now he’s chasing two of my Bengal girls. There’s lots of vocalizing and stalking, no injuries except hurt feelings.

I am putting Kingsley on a tight activity schedule. He loves to be groomed, so he’s being groomed everyday on the bed. He loves the bed and is very happy sleeping and snuggling in faux leopard fur covers.  I’m adding another cat tree in the bedroom, one that is easy for him to climb. Doors are also a necessity. When it looks like Kingsley has his panties in a knot, I herd him into his room and close the door.

Poor Kingsley, I hope he finds his place in The Cat Club and that he settles down and stops trying to throw his weight around.

Kingsley

I’m very proud of my movie star cats. I feel like one of those parents who can’t stop talking about their talented progeny. Maybe my car should wear a bumper sticker that proclaims that my cats are honor students.  

Maulee and two of her buddies, Sudan and Jinniyha were on network TV last night helping solve the mystery of the purr. Thanks to modern technology, you can see them unravel the mystery on the web at CBS 5  .

The segment is called: Why Do Cats Purr?  

Cats are designed perfectly, are nature’s example of “form following function”. Look at their paws. The shape and size, the pads on the bottom, even the tufts of hair between the toes are there to serve a function. Some cats have webs between their toes, others have giant paws, and still others have extra digits on their paws. These paw attributes, in their entirety, have a function. I wonder if the American sculptor Greenbough was looking at a cat when he thought of the phrase “form follows function”.

Originally I was going to write a treatise on paw functions, instead I’m going to post a few pictures of cat paws. That’s more fun.

A composite of cat paws

Part Three:  The Anatomy of a Purr

The anatomy of a purr is shrouded in controversy. There are many diverse theories about how a purr is created. One theory is that purring is produced through a combination of the laryngeal, diaphragmatic muscles and a neural oscillator.  This theory probably makes the most sense because when a cat suffers from laryngeal paralysis, he can’t purr. Another theory claims that the vibrations come from the hyoid bone, a small bone located between the skull and the larynx. Still another veterinarian argues that purrs are initiated from the central nervous system. A long time ago people believed purrs were the result of blood rushing through the vena cava (large vein that carries blood to the heart).

Domestic cats don’t have the monopoly on purring, though they are one of the only animals who purr both while inhaling and exhaling. Servals, Cheetahs and Ocelots purr. Not all members of the Felidae Family purr though. Big cats that are members of the sub family Pantherinae are supposed to not purr. These include Lions, Tigers, Jaguars and Snow Leopards, along with other big cats. Though it has been reported that lions make a noise that may be kind of purr like. Other residents in the animal kingdom also purr. I read that Hyenas, Civet Cats and even Elephants purr.  I wonder if an Elephant really purrs. I would like to know in what circumstances these other animals purr. Does an Elephant purr when he’s feeling contented and safe? Does a Hyena purr when he’s stressed out? Is the mechanism behind these purrs the same as in our domestic cats?

I conclude my musings on purrs with more questions then answers…   

Part Two:  Purr as Healer

Do cats help heal themselves through the vibrations of their purr?  Fauna Communications Research Institute has compiled evidence as well as conducted research about the therapeutic benefits of purring. Their findings support the healing properties of The Purr. Cats purr at a low frequency between 25-100 herz. The research shows that low frequencies promote bone healing and easing of muscle pain. Other studies support this, saying that cats heal faster then other animals that don’t purr.  In other words, cats give themselves ultrasound treatments when they purr… healing sound waves.

Purrs aren’t always happy purrs. Domestic cats will purr when they are severely ill, stressed or in pain. They also will purr when they are dying.  It is possible that these sad purrs are self-reassuring purrs. Perhaps cats purr to themselves the same way people who are alone and afraid sometimes sing to themselves. Another theory about these distressed purrs is that the purr is instrumental in releasing endorphins.

An article in Scientific American states that purring improves muscle tone without exercising. The vibration stimulates the muscles and bones, without the cat having to extend a lot of energy.  So, when you see your cat contentedly relaxing and purring on the computer equipment, she is in reality doing calisthenics.

Maulee Purring

Part One: The Primal Purr

Purrs are complex. Even the most learned scientists and veterinarians can’t agree on the mechanism of The Purr. Cats purr in a variety of circumstances, conveying their emotions and state of mind with each purr. The purr most of us are familiar with is the reassuring purr from a contented, happy cat lounging on her favorite human’s lap. There’s more to the purr story…

Kittens are welcomed into the world with the soft vibration of their mom’s purring. Queens purr when they give birth. Perhaps they are purring because they are in pain, the vibration of the purr may help to release endorphins and might be self-reassuring. Whatever the reason for this purr, it is vital to the newborns survival. This primal purr is a perfect homing device for the kittens, guiding them through purr vibrations to nurse and to the protective warmth of their mother’s body. Since kittens are born blind and deaf, The Primal Purr is Nature’s perfect solution to insuring the first meals.

There’s another evolutionary component to The Primal Purr. Purrs help save newborn litters from the threat of a predator. A predator is more likely to hear a meow then feel the vibration from a primal purr. 

When a kitten is 2 days old, she will start to purr. It is impossible for a kitten to meow and nurse simultaneously, so she does something better… she purrs. She purrs reassurances and contentment to her mom. Mom purrs back and all is right with the world.

(Part Two of The Enigmatic Purr will be posted soon)

I was interviewed today by Ken Bastida, the news anchor for the 6:00 CBS news. He came to my house with his cameraman, intent on interviewing me about purring. He wanted me to answer the enigmatic questions: why do cats purr? And how do they purr? I prepared all week for this interview, both cleaning the house and in researching the mystery of the purr.This, by the way, is why I haven’t posted on my blog all week.

Ken and his cameraman were here for about 2 hours. It was fun, but I don’t know how the interview went. Ken adores cats and spent a good portion of the time admiring and enjoying my cats. I really enjoyed watching him interact and seeing the admiration and love he has for cats. I also enjoyed hearing about his wonderful elderly cat. My cats are great around cameras and strangers. They enjoy performing, and spent part of the interview licking the camera and giving Ken kisses on request. I also did a little demo with a couple of the cats sitting on their stools, shaking hands and finding my keys. They did film it, but that’s not what Ken had originally intended on interviewing and filming me about. I’m not sure if we got enough footage about cats purring…

They will edit this down into about a 1.5 minute segment. It will be shown in about two weeks on TV CBS news at 6:00 PM and 11:00 PM.

Miss Mushu

Many years ago there was a lovely cat named Mushu who refused to eat like most other self-respecting cats. Instead of putting her head into her food bowl, she would dip her right paw into the food and scoop up big chunks with the intention of depositing the food in her mouth. Unfortunately, Miss. Mushu wasn’t very adept at this activity and would fling food around the room. Her meals would regularly end up plastered on the walls and sometimes on the ceiling.

Why was Mushu depositing her meals on the ceiling instead of in her mouth? Was Mushu a clumsy example of Darwin’s Theory of Evolution? Was she learning to use a knife and a fork?

The answer to this mystery lies in her muzzle whiskers and the shape and depth of her food bowl. A cat’s whiskers help her define her world. They are an important part of her navigation equipment. Whiskers help her find her way around in the dark. Whiskers are very sensitive, sensing changes in the wind and air currents, allowing her to sense objects and navigate around them in the deepest night. Since they are the width of her body; she uses them to determine if she can fit into tight places. They also help her hunt, are like little fingers outlining her prey. Her whiskers help her determine where to strategically bite her prey in order to kill it. Whiskers help her see.  They are sensitive. They feel.

Small bowls can annoy sensitive whiskers. The bowl Miss Mushu ate out of was small and deep, her whiskers touched the sides. Since Mushu couldn’t verbalize that she hated the way the bowl felt on her sensitive whiskers, she scooped the food out with her paw and flung it on the walls and ceiling.

Everyone, I am so moved by your comments on the blog and by the personal e-mails you’ve sent regarding the loss of Bok Choi. Your support and understanding truly is amazing. Thank you so much. Please understand that I can’t answer each of your posts, but know that they are appreciated and that I am grateful for them. Many of you came over and showed your support from Fabulous Lorraine. Thank you Lorraine for your friendship and support.

Helping a loving fur-child cross over is one of the most painful and hardest responsibilities that we as animal caregivers have.  I feel that if we are to share in the joy of their lives, we must be willing to share the sad times as well, including the painful act of humanely helping them cross over when it’s their time.

Goodbye my sweet boy. You are missed

Bok Choi Saber Merkaba 10.30.2001-11.15.2008