Cats are easily offended by things they can’t control. Some might say they’re sensitive, but the truth is that cats have specific needs and expectations. They meow as much as they can, but a lot of your cat’s likes, dislikes, and aversions get lost in translation.

The biggest problem is that pet owners don’t always notice a cat’s body language. We humans don’t understand that a twitching tail could indicate your cat is feeling extremely irritated.

When your cat gets up and leaves the room, it could be their not-so-subtle way of saying they’re fed up. So while cats don’t get offended in the same way humans do, certain behaviours can irritate them and lead to distancing or acting out.  If you care about your cat’s feelings, you’ll pay attention to all the things that could potentially offend them.

1. Too Much Touching
Most cats appreciate a good scratch behind the ears or under their chin, but it’s possible to give too much of a good thing. Most cats only want to be touched when they’re in a certain mood, and even then, they don’t appreciate highly invasive or long-lasting cuddle sessions.

Every cat is different, but many felines feel overstimulated by too much touching. Depending on your cat’s personality, they might strike at your hand, get up and leave, or hold all that irritation inside until they start to avoid you.

2. Direct Eye Contact
In the human world, making eye contact is considered respectful and polite. You have to remember, however, that your cat isn’t human. Our feline friends don’t follow the same set of social standards. To your cat, direct eye contact is an aggressive behaviour.

When two cats make eye contact, it usually ends in confrontation. If you’re not trying to pick a fight with your cat, be polite and look slightly to the side.

3. Tight Hugs and Holds
There are certainly some cats that love to be carried around by favourite family members and enjoy all the hugs and attention. Most cats, however, are more reserved when it comes to physical forms of affection.

When you pick your cat up and tote them around the house, you most likely make them feel trapped and helpless. It might also be painful. Even if your cat doesn’t try to squirm out of your arms or bite your hands, it’s usually best to only hold and carry a cat if you need to.

4. Neglecting the Litter Box
Never take advantage of the fact that your cat reliably uses the litter box and doesn’t need regular toilet breaks like the dogs in the family. Cats prefer to keep clean while doing their business, but they can’t do it all on their own.

It’s your job to clean the litter box regularly and provide new, fresh litter as needed. It’s also your responsibility to position the box somewhere that’s convenient and easily accessible. You would be angry if someone suddenly stopped flushing the toilet or somehow moved the bathroom to the opposite end of your house, so don’t put your cat through that same hassle.

5. Forgetting About Their Basic Health Needs
No matter how much your cat hates the vet, those visits are essential. A yearly vet visit is the only way to ensure your cat stays healthy and to keep up with preventative treatments, including vaccinations and flea/tick treatments.

It’s also your chance to check on issues, including skin problems, food allergies, and any concerning symptoms, such as vomiting and diarrhoea. Neglecting your cat’s basic healthcare is not only offensive, it’s a risk you shouldn’t be willing to take.

6. Interrupting the Routine
Cats are creatures of habit. They want to be fed at the same time every day, they want to take naps in the same spots every day, and they want the rest of the family to follow their lead.

When the daily schedule is interrupted in any way, it can lead to feelings of stress, confusion, and plain old irritation. Keeping to a predictable routine is one of the best ways to keep your house cat happy.

7. Cutting Playtime Short
You might be lazily swinging around a feather wand, but your cats are honing those predatory instincts. They’re practising instincts that have been ingrained in their minds for generations.

Playtime is fun, but it’s also serious business. Cats need at least 15 minutes of uninterrupted play time every day, and you can’t just cut it off when you see fit. If you spark your cat’s desire to stalk and pounce but stop the game before they’re ready, they’ll be left feeling frustrated and unsatisfied. By letting your cat decide when they’ve had enough, you ensure those interactions are always positive.

It’s not realistic to think your cat will never be offended or irritated. Many behaviour problems, however, can be linked to things on this list. Frightened cats, aggressive cats, cats that refuse to use the litter box—it’s possible that they’re all dealing with humans who don’t quite understand them. By recognising these common offences, you’re one step closer to having an incredible bond with your cat.

Cats have a diverse vocal range of sounds. In fact they have one of the largest patterns of vocalisation of all carnivores, they can express around 100 different phonations as compared to dogs who can only communicate about 10 sounds.

Cats communicate between members of their own species and with other species to express how they feel in their own unique way. Researchers have found that the environment plays a crucial part on the vocal behaviour with untamed cats and pet cats vocalizing inversely.

The some of the most common vocalisations made by cats and the meanings are:

Meow or Miaow
Cats make a widespread of meowing sounds, differing in intensity, length and frequency occurring in a wide selection of contexts with an oversized amount of variation accustomed to communicating various messages.

Cats tend to direct meows more to humans instead of other cats. Although meows are heard between mother-kitten exchanges, they’re rarely heard during domestic cat-cat interactions.

The function of the meow is commonly solicitation (greeting, attention, food related or when a kitten is separated from the queen). If the meow motivation is frustration (not having the ability to gain access outdoors or obtain food), the meow may be longer and more frequent.

Purr
Purring is the most recognised murmur sound with one among all time low pitch tones made by felines.

Purring is produced by muscular narrowing of the laryngeal muscle when the mouth is closed for the duration of respiration, it will be heard both during inhalation and exhalation, giving it a rhythmic feature which will be continued for extended periods.

Felines can adjust the volume at which they purr, depending on their emotional intensity, the most foremost changeable is the purr volume between individuals, with some purring at hardly audible levels whilst other purring loudly keeping owners awake night-time.

Cats purr in many situations – both positive and negative contexts. Queens purr whilst nursing kittens while kittens purr during nursing sessions. Cats also purr when resting or rubbing alongside a feline companion, when greeting their owners and when being stroked or groomed on an owner’s lap, it’s thought in such instances purring communicates contentment.

Veterinarians and cat owners have noticed that some cats purr when they’re in pain and a few have seen queens purr during labour.

There isn’t sufficient evidence to conclude the function of purring during negative contexts, however, purring in such situations has a likelihood of self-healing functions and pain relief.

Trill/Chirrup
The trill’s function is to communicate a greeting, get attention and incite friendly interactions with other cats. The queen uses the chirrup form of the trill to call her kittens; however, it also happens between adult cats.

Trills and chirrups are directed towards people and appear along with meowing. The chirp's high-pitched sound has also been thought to mimic a rodent's chirp to entice prey.

Chatter/Chitter
Cat chatter occurs when a cat is viewing prey that’s unattainable. It’s usually directed towards birds, but may be targeted towards other prey and even toys. The clicking sound is produced in sequences with the jaw and a tensely open mouth.

No one is certain of the true function of this behaviour, however, there are a few theories that include signs of conflict or frustration in attaining prey, prey capture anticipation, impersonation of prey vocalisations and therefore the kill bite theory.

Hiss
The hiss is identifiable because of its distinct sound. The hiss is a lengthy exhalation produced while a cat’s mouth is wide open with teeth exposed.

There’s a slight variation between cats in the hiss sound made in comparison to meows, yowls and shrieks. The hiss sound is produced in agonistic situations or defensive encounters to warn others and is accompanied by changes to body posture.

Shriek
When a cat shrieks, it communicates intense negative emotions like fear and/or pain. If the threat intensifies by moving nearer, a feline may emit a sudden loud shriek to startle the opponent and allow the cat a fast escape or attack.

Pain shrieks are short, intense cries of tense vowels depicted by a great strain of the mouth plus throat and therefore the force of breath.

Hypertension is the medical term for high blood pressure – a common condition in senior cats. Feline hypertension is often seen as a complication of other underlying medical conditions (known as ‘secondary hypertension’) such as chronic kidney disease and hyperthyroidism. Occasionally, hypertension occurs without any other disease being diagnosed.

Hypertension is damaging to your cat’s body. The most serious effects can be seen in the: 

Eyes – bleeding into the eyes and changes to the retina may damage your cat’s sight and even cause blindness 

Brain and nervous system – bleeding can cause neurological (nervous system) signs such as unusual behaviour, a wobbly or drunken gait, seizures (fits), dementia and coma 

Heart – over time, the heart muscle becomes thickened in cats with hypertension, and in severe cases, it can lead to heart disease. Breathlessness and lethargy/tiredness can also be seen in affected cats 

Kidneys – high blood pressure damages the kidneys and may increase the risk of kidney disease developing. In cats with kidney disease, hypertension is likely to worsen the disease over time

As hypertension is often seen as an effect of other diseases, cats with hypertension may be showing signs related to their underlying problem. For example, in hyperthyroid cats with high blood pressure, weight loss (despite eating more than usual) and hyperactivity may be the main signs of illness.

In most cats, there are no signs of hypertension until the condition is advanced, causing eye problems that can lead to sudden blindness. Making an early diagnosis can help to minimise or prevent the damaging effects of high blood pressure on the eyes and other organs.  

Where signs of hypertension are present, they can include: 

Depression 

Lethargy/tiredness 

Becoming withdrawn 

Bumping into objects 

Changes inside the eye, e.g. bleeding 

Blindness

The most common cause of secondary hypertension in cats is chronic kidney disease. It can also be seen secondary to other diseases, such as hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid gland) in cats.

How your vet will diagnose hypertension
Measuring blood pressure only takes a few minutes using an inflatable cuff placed around one of your cat’s legs or tail. It is completely pain-free and is well tolerated by most cats. Your vet will also examine your cat’s eyes and is likely to take a blood sample to test for underlying disease.  

How is hypertension in cats treated? 
Hypertension is treated using drugs to lower your cat’s blood pressure. If your cat has an underlying disease (e.g. hyperthyroidism), this will also need to be treated, and doing so may resolve the high blood pressure. 

Ongoing Care
Your cat’s response to treatment will need to be monitored regularly. This will include repeat blood pressure measurements, along with blood and urine tests, if another disease is suspected.

What’s the outlook for cats with hypertension? 
In cats with primary hypertension (where there’s no underlying disease that has caused high blood pressure), it’s usually possible to manage the condition and prevent future complications such as damage to the eyes. 

In cats with secondary hypertension, the long-term outlook depends on how severe the disease that caused the high blood pressure is. 

Ah, the age-old question of why our feline companions indulge in a spot of greenery! It's a curiosity that has perplexed the minds of scientists for quite some time. However, a recent investigation may have finally unravelled this peculiar habit. But before we delve into these novel findings, allow me to recount some of the more established theories surrounding this feline idiosyncrasy.

One long-held notion posits a nutritional imperative. It has been suggested that felines consume grass to supplement deficiencies in their diet, perhaps lacking certain vital nutrients or enzymes. While it is true that grass contains folic acid, the notion that cats possess an innate understanding of this need remains open to debate.

Another prevalent theory centres on the relief of gastric discomfort. We have all observed, I am sure, the subsequent regurgitation following a cat's verdant indulgence. This has led some to believe that cats possess an intuitive understanding of grass as an emetic, employing it strategically after consuming something disagreeable or when feeling generally unwell.

Furthermore, the possibility of a natural laxative effect has been considered. Grass, being rather fibrous, might indeed aid in easing constipation or facilitating the expulsion of those rather unpleasant hairballs.

However, recent research from the  University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine has shed new light on this behaviour. An online survey encompassing over a thousand cat owners, meticulously documenting their cats' proclivity for consuming grass and other flora, yielded some fascinating insights. The findings, presented at the annual gathering of the International Society for Applied Ethology in Bergen, Norway, during the summer of 2019, revealed that the consumption of plant material is remarkably common amongst our feline friends. Indeed, a significant 71 percent of the cats surveyed had nibbled on plants at least six times in their lives, with a substantial 61 percent having done so on ten or more separate occasions.

Intriguingly, the study also revealed that the vast majority of these botanical excursions – a remarkable 91 percent – were preceded by behaviour deemed normal, with no apparent signs of illness. Moreover, of all the cats observed to partake in plant matter, only approximately 27 percent exhibited frequent vomiting thereafter.
Based on these compelling results, the researchers have proposed a revised hypothesis. Rather than a self-medicating response to an upset stomach, they now surmise that this behaviour may be an instinctive act, serving to rid the animals of troublesome intestinal parasites. This is a behaviour observed in their wild carnivorous cousins, as well as in primates. The ingestion of vegetation may well trigger the digestive tract to physically expel these unwelcome inhabitants.

Regardless of the precise underlying motivation, it is clear that many cats do, with some regularity, partake in a grassy repast. This naturally leads one to question whether such behaviour should be a cause for concern.

The answer is nuanced. While grass itself is not inherently dangerous to felines – indeed, the right sort of grass can even be a perfectly safe and nutritious little snack – the potential danger lies in what may reside upon that verdant blade. Lawn fertilisers, weed killers, pesticides, and other chemical treatments commonly employed in our gardens can pose a significant threat to our feline companions, even in minuscule quantities.

Therefore, should your cat engage in a spot of lawn grazing, it would be prudent to observe them closely for any signs of ill health. This is particularly important if you employ any chemical treatments on your lawn, be it fertiliser, herbicides (weed killers), or pesticides.

Should your cat vomit after their grassy interlude, do make a mental note of the frequency. It would be wise to consult your veterinarian if the vomiting persists, or if they exhibit any other concerning symptoms such as diarrhoea, a loss of appetite, lethargy, seizures, tremors, foaming at the mouth, or any other indication of illness.
Finally, while grass itself may not be a cause for alarm, it is crucial to remember that many other plants are highly toxic to cats. Felines with a penchant for grass might also be tempted to sample our houseplants and floral arrangements, which can, regrettably, have fatal consequences.

Some plants cause mild issues in cats, like mouth irritation or stomach upset; others can cause severe vomiting and diarrhoea, seizures, kidney failure, and death.
Many plants and flowers are toxic to cats, but some of the most dangerous include all types of lilies, autumn crocus, azaleas, rhododendrons, oleander, cyclamen, and daffodils. Keep only non-toxic plants, greenery, and flowers in your home.
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If you suspect your cat may have eaten part of a toxic plant or flower, or even just licked water from the vase of a dangerous plant, contact your veterinarian or an animal poison-control hotline immediately.