Gemma Bastida I Malaga, (EFE) become the ideal life partners, “as long as their physical and emotional needs are respected.”
Olivares and Hernández, graduates in biology and veterinary medicine, respectively, met through Instagram and met some time later giving solidarity talks in Spain, where new ways of collaboration were proposed that have finally materialized in this book, which aims to “help to those who live with a cat or want to do it for the first time ».
In “Miaulogía” (Universo de Letras), the authors offer detailed information on the behavior and not a few needs of cats and give practical advice to improve the well-being of felines and, consequently, their coexistence with humans.
dismantling myths
It has always been said that the dog is man’s best friend and the role of good, faithful, noble, affectionate, intelligent and obedient has been attributed to it. Cats, on the other hand, are very often considered mischievous, surly, treacherous, interested and unpredictable, an image that “has little to do with reality,” the ethologists say in an interview with EFE.
Cats are not better or worse than dogs. Just different. “They have the peculiarity of being incredible life companions, but as long as we are reciprocal with them, understanding their way of being, typical of felines,” Hernández and Olivares emphasize.
For cats, the environment and the treatment we have with them is very important, so that “the type of home we provide them and how we relate to them will be the real turning point.”
“Understanding, accepting, and respecting the species and its needs is the first step to truly discovering the full potential of cats and how happy we can be by their side,” these specialists in feline behavior point out.
Cats, the best companions at home
At home, cats need a minimum of resources to be “happy”. A good feeder, drinker, and sandbox cover their physiological needs, but they require other elements to improve their physical and emotional well-being.
Like the human being, a feline needs to have recreational activities, social relationships and challenges to meet in order to feel fulfilled, so it is important that there are objects at home to play with, surfaces at different heights, rest spaces, places where hiding or scratching areas.
In the debate on whether or not cats should go outside, Olivares and Hernández are clear: cats can be happy living indoors, which also guarantees their safety, since falls, fights and other accidents are avoided.
All cats, yes, should have controlled access to the outside, even visually through windows, to sunbathe and enjoy the fresh air.
feline communication
Cats are very communicative and use all their senses to convey a state of mind and make themselves understood. They do this through visual, olfactory, auditory and tactile cues, although not all of them are easy to understand.
You can tell what a cat’s mood is, for example, by observing the position of its whiskers: if they are raised, it is happy, while if it is angry, it is likely that it moves back.
The animal’s own body transmits a multitude of information, especially its body posture, hair and tail, which show whether it is comfortable or not. However, sometimes these signals are “very subtle” or ambiguous and humans do not know how to interpret them, which is the reason for “disagreements” with their feline companions.
More visits to the specialist
Marta Olivares and Camila Hernández recognize that more and more people contact a specialist to improve their cat’s behavior problems, although they often do so late, when they have worsened.
Many of these consultations are due to aggressions between cats, mainly due to presentations that have been done poorly, but also due to inappropriate eliminations -when they urinate or defecate outside the litter box- or due to aggressive behavior towards humans, which is sometimes due to fear. of the animal or a misdirected game.
In this sense, they regret that families often normalize cat behaviors that are not normal, such as showing great fear, which could be related to stress or anxiety associated with a bad experience, which is more than enough reason to take action and work. this problem with the help of a professional.
The best travel companion
The authors of “Meowology”, who are already preparing a second part of the book, believe that what cats do is often interpreted from human reasoning, even comparing it from the perspective of a dog, and that negatively influences their well-being.
For this reason, they recommend “putting on cat glasses and seeing the world through their eyes.” And it is that there are hundreds of examples, they say, that show that cats are not evil or vengeful and that there is always a reason behind the behaviors that are considered behavioral problems.
“They have a great ability to adapt to different environments and they are more grateful than we think if we provide them with the management, stimuli, and environment they need,” says Marta Olivares.
“They are sociable, but they don’t give it away, there has to be a two-way relationship,” says Camila Hernández.
And it is that cats, if they are comfortable at home, provide a multitude of benefits, such as company, tranquility, calm and tranquility. If they are understood, they can become the best friend of the human being. EFE
