Cats Show Visual Communication Before an Aggressive Outburst
Animals’ fear and aggression, as voiced by their body language, is fascinating and important to observe. Scientist decided to take this to heart and conducted a study of cats to gain an understanding of aggressive behavior and how cats distinguish between different kinds of aggressive behavior.
Understanding the Study
The study was conducted by researchers from the University of Lincoln United Kingdom and was published in the journal “Animal Behavior” in April of 2020. The study focused on cats living in shelter environments and their interactions with humans and other cats.
What Did They Find?
Researchers found that cats do have certain cues that they display when they feel threatened or aggravated. The most commonly found cues were a lowered posture, flattened ears, and angled back of the head. These cues were found to be displayed when a cat felt threatened by another cat or a human. The study also found that cats who displayed these cues were more likely to become aggressive or hostile.
Why Is This Important?
This study is important because it provides evidence that cats are capable of displaying visual communication when they feel threatened or irritated and that it can help humans understand the signs of possible aggression before it turns into something more serious. This knowledge can help humans to intervene before cats display aggressive behavior and create a better environment for everyone.
Conclusion
Cats are a complex species and while they may display certain signs of aggression, they also have visual communication cues that can provide clues if the fur is about to fly. This study was conducted in order to gain a better understanding of feline behavior, in particular aggressive behavior, and the findings of the study provide evidence for the notion that cats do use visual cues before displaying aggression. This understanding can help humans to create a better environment for cats, both in the home and in shelters. When people have cats as pets, it’s not always easy to tell when they’re about to become aggressive. But a new study suggests that cats will give signals before attacking, giving owners – and unsuspecting visitors – time to get out of the way.
The study, which was published in the journal ‘Behavioral Processes’, is one of the few scientific investigations into feline aggression. It was conducted by researchers at the University of Georgia, Athens and the College of Veterinary Medicine, and involved 79 cats from private homes. The cats were placed in a room with an unfamiliar object, and the researchers closely monitored their behaviour.
They found that cats that were about to become aggressive gave some clear non-vocal signals – for example, their ears flattened and their pupils dilated. The cats also increased their distance from the unfamiliar object and sat more, sometimes pacing back and forth. In general, cats became more active as aggression increased, but their movements were different from those normally associated with play.
The research suggests that cats are able to recognise when they are about to become aggressive and give early indications, allowing their owners – or whoever is present in the house – to take appropriate action and avoid physical contact.
The findings will be welcomed by cat owners who often find it difficult to predict when their pets may become aggressive or violent. They also demonstrate that cats, like other animals, have the capacity to control their behaviour in response to a situation. This is a valuable step forward in our understanding of feline behaviour, and research should continue in order to gain a better insight into the root causes of feline aggression.