More Information on Animal behavior
Cat Myths​
In the book, The Complete Cat's Meow by Darlene Arden, there are 4 myths about cats that people commonly have. The first being that cats don't need or want a lot of attention and that you don't have to care for them like you would a dog. That is untrue because cats want just as much love and attention that you would give to a dog. Cats are solitary hunters, but when they aren't playing, hunting, eating or sleeping, they want compassion from their owners and to be loved by their owners. Cats will do almost anything to get their owner's attention, which is why your cat will climb all over your keyboard and lay on your book. Another myth is that cats are like dogs, which is untrue because even though cats want interaction, they don't want to be treated like dogs and chased around. That's also why you may see a cat go up to a person who doesn't like cats because the cat wants to make the first approach. One last myth is that cats can't be trained, which is false because cats can definitely be trained. The YouTube cat that is playing the piano, learned to play the piano with observational learning.
Cat Body Language
In the book, The Complete Cat's Meow by Darlene Arden, a few different types of body language are mentioned and discussed. The first one was ear movement, also known as Ear Grammar in the book. Cats ears can move individually, which especially comes in handy when hunting. Along with that, the ears of a cat can also be used to signal feelings. When the cats' ears are pointing forward and upright, that usually indicates that the cat is relaxed and alert, but it could also represent an aggressive positioning of the ears. To really determine the difference between alertness and aggression is by looking at the rest of the body. When the cat is alert, but trying to figure out what exactly she is hearing, her ears would be sideways. When the cat is showing submission, her ears would be back and flat against her body. Even at that point, the cat can still become aggressive. Now moving on to the tail, which contributes to deciphering a cats' behavior. When the tail is upright, that means that the cat is feeling content or happy, but if the tail is upright and bristly, the cat is feeling defensive. If the cat is holding her tail high and it's curled downward at the end, then the cat's not really sure about the person that is approaching her. Cats usually indicate that they are friendly when their tail is being held halfway up. Along with this, the friendly cat is unsure about the person or pet that is coming her way. When the upright tail is flicking, that is usually the sign for the cat hearing you, but currently has better things to think about. When the cat is swishing her tail back and forth, that is a warning sign that the cat isn't happy. When the cat is looking at you and slowly blinks her eyes, it means that the cat is trusting you. If the cat's pupils are dilated, that could mean the cat is feeling aggressive, excited, scared or if the cat is in pain, but to really determine what the cat is feeling, it's important to look at her body language. Eyes that are narrow slits mean that the cat may be confident, angry, or sleepy. Body posture is important to understand because it helps clue in along with other body cues. When a cat has its back arched and their hair is raised, that's usually a sign that they don't want to be bothered, but if the cat has its back arched, the hair is flat and the cat is rubbing against you, the cat is asking for attention and to be petted. In the book, The Smart Guide to Understanding Your Cat by Carolyn Janik, it's mentioned that whiskers can be used to determine the cat's behavior. Whiskers help to determine what is going on in the mind of cats, all according to their positioning. Cats that have their whiskers pointed slightly down and forward are most likely alert, but mainly relaxed. When the whiskers are pointed forward and up, that usually means the cat is excited or anxious. When the whiskers are pointed forward even more, up and bristly, that means the cat is indicating defensiveness or aggression. Cats that have backwards whiskers are ready to attack and bite.
Meaning of the Cat's Meow
In the book, The Smart Guide to Understanding Your Cat by Carolyn Janik, there is information on how to decode a cat's meow. The first type of meow that is mentioned in the book is called a silent meow, which is when cats open their mouth to meow but make no sounds. This usually means the cat wants attention and it's also a sign of affection. The next meow is one that cats make when they are trying to tell you they are hungry, which they let their owners know by making a sound like a whine, which is different from the "hello" meow. The "hello" meow usually comprises of sounds that are agreeing and upbeat, but at times can be shortened to a chirrup, which is made when the mouth is shut. When cats are requesting something from their owners the meow would be different from the demanding meow because the requesting meow is always going to be flattering. The meow will sound like soft vibrating that seems to come from the whole body. The meow that cats make when they are feeling stressed is a series of continuous long moans, which are very different from all other vocalizations that come from your cat. Cats usually make a loud and shrieking cry to signal that they are in pain.
Types of aggressive dog behavior
In the book, Your Dog Interpreter: How to Understand Man's Best Friend by David Alderton, there is a section about animal behavior that includes most dog behavior from A to Z, but in that section, there is also a small subsection that talks about the types of aggressive behavior that dogs display. Behaviorists classify the displays of aggression by the instances that caused that behavior, although there can sometimes be more than one latent reason behind a dog's actions. The first type of aggressive behavior is food-related aggression, which is usually when a dog has been provoked with food when they were a puppy and in turn, they will growl and snap when the owner feeds them. The next type of aggressive behavior is fearful aggression, which is when an anxious dog that obviously is submissive may act aggressively if backed into a corner. The third type of aggressive behavior is hierarchical aggression, which usually happens when male dogs may feel unsafe when around another dog, thus leading them to react aggressively. Passive aggression happens when dogs lash out in order to defend their toys or bones. The fifth type of aggressive behavior is territorial aggression, which can occur when a dog is being teased in an enclosed area, such as a car, and because of that, they may try to bite. Dogs are very protective of their owners, so when they think that their owner is in danger, they may become aggressive toward people, which is known as protective aggression. The second to last type of aggressive behavior is drug-related behavior, which is where some medications that dogs take can result in aggressive behavior with side effects. The last type of aggressive behavior is sickness-related aggression, essentially when the animal is feeling under the weather, that can put the dog in a bad mood. Sickness-related aggression is the least common reason why a dog may become aggressive. In most instances where dogs become aggressive, the dog will give obvious warning signs, such as showing their teeth, growling loudly and curling their lips, which are the more noticeable signs. Another warning sign would be the hackles on the dog's body standing up.
Dog social behaviors
In the book, Eyewitness: Dog by Juliet Clutton-Brock, there was a lot of information about dog and wolf social behaviors, whether it be with the wolf pack or which is top dog. With domesticated dogs, the dog who has the stronger personality will be the one to show they are the top dog, even if they are a smaller breed. Moving on to wolf packs, they are very similar to how human families have different roles because the oldest female and male are the leaders and those who are younger follow the orders of the leaders. Both humans and wolves have very similar social- behavior patterns since both have evolved as social hunters and working as a team to kill a larger animal. Wolves tend to protect their territory and howl to make their presence known to other packs. Every member of the pack knows their ranking on the dominance scale and only the dominant males and females mate. The cubs that the dominant wolves have, learn to keep their place in the pack as they get older.
General Animal Behavior
In the book, The Secret Language and Remarkable Behavior of Animals by Janine M. Benyus, there was a long section that just went over the basic animal behaviors. One of the behaviors that were mentioned was friendly behavior. Some common friendly behaviors are grooming, playing, greeting and submission, which animals use in greeting ceremonies to let each other know they don't want to fight. Greetings between equals are usually where the inferior animals display submission to reconcile with the dominant animals and possibly have a better chance of survival in the long run. The submissive animal will most times offer to groom the dominant one, to not only clean its partner but to soothe them. Wolf packs are usually led by two dominant animals and have three other classes below them, while other systems of animals have a prime leader and equals beneath them. Within the ranks, the animals discover everyone's roles through aggressive behavior, like fighting and posing threats to each other. The animals that were defeated by a superior wouldn't challenge the dominant one for a rematch, which helps maintain the ranking order. Factors that affect dominance positions are personality, age, hormonal condition, alliances, maternal lineage, and seniority. Abnormal behavior typically develops as a way to deal with fearful stimuli that makes the animals feel if as though they can't escape, especially when they are in captivity. Abnormal behavior is also used as a way to make the animal's existence better for themselves.