Cat communication woes revealed
Feline blue and misunderstood? Spare a thought for cats, whose owners cannot tell when they are happy or sad.
According to a survey, two-thirds of people are unaware that purring is a sign of pain as well as contentment.
The poll for the charity Cats Protection also revealed that more than two-thirds (67%) do not recognise a tail in the air as a sign of greeting.
Nearly half (49%) of owners do not know that licking lips is a sign of stress in cats, and not of feeling hungry or dry lips.
Scared cats wanting to hide put down their ears but more than a third of cat owners (38%) do not know.
A total of 27% mistakenly think that malting is a cat's way of marking its territory, when in reality cats mark their territory by rubbing their faces against furniture.
But owners are not completely ignorant of their pets' body language - 69% can tell that a slow blinking cat is relaxing.
About two-thirds (68%) also knew that a cat with its stomach on show is giving a relaxed greeting.
The online survey, carried out by ICM for Cats Protection, quizzed 1,100 cat owners.
Press Association
