Have you ever had the impression that your cat was not very receptive to your attempts to communicate with him? It is probably because you did not know this scientifically proven technique.
Cats have the reputation of being particularly independent animals. Where a dog claims caresses and attention, is happy to lend itself to a game session initiated by its master and suffers from loneliness, the cat does not allow anything to impose. Precautions are essential of course when you get to know a dog for the first time, but it is a safe bet that it will become your best friend in a few minutes. With a cat, the approach is necessarily different. Not only will he let himself be less easily seduced and reassured by all the usual approach techniques, but in addition, he will have no qualms about snubbling us purely and simply!
This independence and this cat’s ability to ignore us does not apply to cats encountered by chance in the street according to a walk. Even the cat that lives with us (but it appears clear in reality that it is rather we who live in him …) can also ignore us superbly. Cats are nevertheless particularly sensitive to our behavior and our attitude towards them. According to a recent study by Paris-Nanterre University published in Animal Cognition, certain approaches techniques are much more effective than others.
The researchers studied our feline friends in a cat coffee and tested different approaches to assess their effectiveness. First surprising observation, cats do not like to be ignored. Trying to draw their attention by pretending to ignore them is completely ineffective and can even be a source of stress for the animal. Voice signals, talk or make small noises, are moderately effective. The cat can actually answer it, but it is not guaranteed. Visual signals, without emitting sound, are in fact much more relevant. But the study recommends, when possible and for maximum efficiency, to associate vocal and visual signals.
The researchers also insist on the importance of listening to the cat and respecting the signals it sends us by adapting our behavior. For effective and respectful communication, it is therefore necessary: to report our presence to the animal, even discreetly, to be attentive to its reactions and to adapt to it.
