Moggy Myths

Feline confused by your cat? While there are 10.7 million cats in the UK, this household pet continues to baffle. Is all that purring, licking and being available for stroking just an elaborate — and effective — ruse for getting food and a warm place to sleep? With more than one-in-four pet parents admitting to meowing at their cats to communicate with them, and one in 10 respondents going even further and getting down on all fours, are our cats secretly laughing at us?

Lily’s Kitchen – the award-winning producer of proper food for pets – has partnered with cat behaviourist Rosie Bescoby to debunk all mysterious moggy behaviours once and for all:

1. Forcing You to Act the Butler

Have a purrfectly good cat flap that never gets used? If your cat meows at the door despite the easily accessible cat flap, you may feel like your cat just enjoys treating you like a servant. However, it may be down to cat’s eyesight, while cats are very talented at most things, their eyesight lets them down and they can’t adjust to different light levels quickly, leaving them feeling vulnerable when they go through the cat flap.

2. Staring

Direct, fixed eye contact is threatening in cat body language, so watch out! The cat is in full predatory mode here and could pounce at any time. Mind your fingers…

3. Breaking Your Favourite Mug

Your cat doesn’t have a hatred for your brews, instead, taking a swipe at inanimate objects is ingrained predatory behaviour – instead of waiting for your mug to move, they move it themselves… and spill your coffee over your favourite sofa.

4. Sleeping On Your Keyboard

Working from home is never simple with a moggy, when they’re not spilling tea on your desk they’re sleeping on it! Forget that deadline, your laptop has become your cats new sleeping perch. Cats will do just about anything to get attention, and this is just one of many clever ways they’ve learnt to do just that.

5. Nicking Your Drinks

Why do cats ignore their water bowl and go straight for their owner’s glass? Unsurprisingly, cats can be fussy, and this goes for their water as well. Placing water next to their food bowl may not be the best idea and may lead to owners going thirsty when cats swipe their drink.

6. Squeezing Into Tiny Spaces

Ever thought your cat is hiding from you just because? Well, they probably are! But for cats, small spaces also create a sense of security: they feel safe and sound in their own hidey hole. Let them enjoy it.

7. Getting Up High

Kitties love to be up high in the sky and it’s essential that pet parents offer this to them. From up here, your cat can survey their kingdom in peace.

8. Twitching Their Tails

Stroking your adorable mog and notice a twitching tail? This is them – politely – telling you to back off.

9. Meowing

Cats generally don’t meow at each other; it is a method of communication they use for humans. They really do have us wrapped around their little paws!