The Secret Language of Cats
Douban
How to Understand Your Cat for a Better, Happier Relationship
Susanne Schötz
Übersicht
Have you ever wondered what your cat is saying?
Cats do not meow randomly, nor do they growl or hiss because they have nothing better to do. Cat sounds have a purpose, and they can carry important messages, whether for us or other cats.
Susanne Schötz is hard at work on breaking the cat code. She is a professor at Lund University in Sweden, where a long-standing research program is proving that cats do actually use vocal communication—with each other and with their human caretakers. Understanding the vocal strategies used in human-cat communication will have profound implications for how we communicate with our pets, and has the potential to improve the relationship between animals and humans within several fields, including animal therapy, veterinary medicine and animal sheltering.
In The Secret Language of Cats, Schötz offers a crash course in the phonetic study of cat sounds. She introduces us to the full range of feline vocalizations and explains what they can mean in different situations, and she gives practical tips to help us understand our cats better.
contents
CONTENTS
Preface: Why the language of cats is (still) secret 7
My first cats 13
Learn to speak “Cat” 39
“Meow!” – the most frequent word in cat language 65
“Brrrrh, how nice to see you!” – Greetings, making contact, small talk 81
“Grrrrr, Hssss, go away! “– Antipathy, rejection, deterrence 91
“Meoooow! I want you” – Singing, courtship and seduction 107
„Hrrnhrrn, I am happy here with you” – Happiness and satisfaction 117
“Chrip chirp chirp, I’m about to eat you!” – Seducing call for prey 131
Learning to understand one’s own cat 141
Human to cat – the path to successful communication 155
Cat problems in daily life and possible solutions 165
Studies and projects 199 Current research 225 Appendix: Audio and video examples of sounds in different daily situations 231 Tables 242
Glossary – Specialist terms 247
Cited and further literature 253
Thanks 255