Five years ago, my brother rescued a kitten that was hiding underneath his car. He then brought it home to live with his girlfriend alongside her clowder of cats at Wangsa Maju.
My mum, however, wouldn’t allow a single paw to step into the house as she wasn’t fond of cats. Thankfully (for me, that is), the ongoing pandemic seemed to have diminished her ‘authoritative powers’.
I’ve always wanted a furry friend of my own and I saw this as an opportunity to adopt the kitten. Since then, she has been a staple resident in our household, accompanying me throughout my boring online classes.
As a first-time cat owner, I was curious to know when my pet wants to cuddle or play. While I know she doesn’t have a say in this matter, but it’s nice to know when she won’t throw a hissy fit and a few warning scratches on my limbs.
Tell-tail signs
Throughout my attempt to understand my pet’s body language, I learnt that a cat’s tail is a key indicator of its mood. Unfortunately for me, my cat’s tail is rather short, hence making it hard for me to understand her.
But whenever I see here squeezing her body into a box, something tells me that all is right in the world.
Meow or yawn?
Another trait I discovered during my venture into understand her social cues was her constant yawning. I thought that it wasn’t out of the norm, considering the fact that cats sleep around 15 hours a day. However, there’s something more to it.
According to to the Charlottesville Cat Care Clinic:
Cats may yawn as a way to end a confrontation with another animal. Think of it as their “talk to the hand” gesture.”
There are also other explanations as to why cats yawn. Some say it is because the cat is feeling content and comfortable, while others say it could be a way of taking in more oxygen or time to be fully awake.
Not-so-flattering paw-sitions
With little success in identifying her cues while she is awake, I tried another approach – decryptifying her sleeping positions. The one that piqued my interest the most is the “contortionist”.
Despite a quick Google search, there seems to be no scientific explanation for it, except that she’s living the life.
Realising that I wasn’t making much inroads into my pet’s world, I decided introducing my world to her instead. Needless to say, she has shown great interest in it, especially towards tea bags.
It still boggles my mind as to how we may never fully understand each other. I guess I’ll have to resign to the fact that we will continue playing guessing games while cohabiting with each other.
After all, her eyes hold all the answers to my burning questions.
Wait, or maybe she’s just waiting for breakfast.
Who knows.
Editor: Anna Wong
Proofreader: Sarah Yeoh
