Cats are sometimes said to be aloof, untrustworthy, difficult to 'read', and untrainable. Cat lovers of course know these claims are not true, but what is true is that cats are clearly not small dogs. Part of what makes cats their own "person", so to speak, is where they came from – their domestication and evolutionary history.
Dr. Hetts gave a presentation to the general public in Knoxville, TN, for CAIT – Companion Animal Iniative in Tennessee, and what follows is a portion of the 90 minute presentation. In this excerpt, Suzanne talks about the domestic house cat's wild ancestor, and how the cat's status as a religious symbol in ancient times has impacted how cats are viewed today.
If you'd like to hear Dr. Hetts' entire presentation on "Keeping Cats Happy", as well as a related lecture she gave to the veterinary students, then become a member of BEN – Behavior Education Network. To see ALL the benefits BEN has Click Here.
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Two good references on cats are John Bradshaw’s book “The Behaviour of the Domestic Cat” and Dennis Turner’s and Patrick Bateson’s edited book “The Domestic Cat: the biology of its behaviour”
Suzanne
I am studying feline behavior and psychology in an effort to become a feline behavior consultant. I am having trouble with one of my essay questions. I'm supposed to describe the "critical periods" in cat development, what ages they occur and site at least one piece of research about "critical periods".
Does anyone know a good source for this information?
Thanks in advance.