In the latest fun quiz, Dr Lauren Finka helps you work out how your cat likes to be stroked.
When we think about our cats’ personalities — and particularly their less desirable attributes — we tend to use a lot of loaded adjectives. I often hear a lot of cats described as grumpy, aggressive, feisty, difficult, independent, aloof, and so on. However, while these descriptors might feel quite apt, they are unlikely to help us understand why cats behave in certain ways or what we could do to encourage more desirable responses from them.
Essentially, we might be giving these negative labels to our cats a little hastily, without first considering if their reactions are much more about what’s going on around them and less a reflection of their underlying personality.
The way we interact with our cats and their subsequent responses to us are a perfect case in point.
It’s not just about whether a cat behaves aggressively or not though. In many cases, cats that aren’t enjoying interactions may still tolerate them, rather than protest with their teeth or claws. This in itself is problematic given that: one, we might miss the more subtle signs that they are uncomfortable and carry on regardless, and two, research suggests that these cats might be more stressed than the individuals that behave aggressively or try to escape, implying that the process of a cat tolerating (but not enjoying) interactions might compromise their well-being.
In this issue, we are therefore focusing on determining your cat’s specific preferences for interaction. This light-hearted quiz is designed to be fun for you (and hopefully your cat) to complete.
Most importantly, it is designed to get you thinking a little more about what really works for your cat.