The Cat Behavior Answer Book - Arden Moore [45]
If you have a cat who plays with your keyboard when you’re not around, install a retracting shelf that you can push under your desk when not in use so it’s not accessible to your curious cat. Or just use a hard plastic keyboard cover when you’re not typing.
You can also fight back with a high-tech tool: Paw-Sense, a software program that protects computers by foiling felines. The program detects the weight of a cat on a keyboard and blocks the random action from entering commands to your programs or operating system. A message appears on the monitor screen that reads “Cat-like typing detected.” To unblock the computer, you type the word “Human.” Purchasers have the option of selecting an annoying sound that is activated when a paw steps on the keyboard, even if you are not in the room.
The simplest solution: keep your home office door shut when you are working on the computer. Make it a no-cats-allowed zone. I know you don’t want this option, but you might try it for a day or two and see if that is enough to discourage your keyboard-loving cat.
Funny-face Feline
Q What is happening with my cat, Mambo? On occasion, he seems to get into a hypnotic state when he sniffs something very intently. He opens his mouth slightly, wrinkles his nose, grimaces, and curls back his lips. It is such a strange-looking pose. It usually happens when he smells some bushes. I’ve never seen him do it in the house. Is this something only cats do? What does it mean?
A Mambo is exhibiting the Flehmen response. That funny face he makes is not limited to cats. Many other mammals, including lions, bats, and horses, strike this pose in response to particular smells. Mambo’s nose is alerting him to possible female cats in heat or male trespassers in the neighborhood. The interesting scent in this case is urine.
The scientific explanation is that as Mambo draws in air, he sends the odor through a specialized sac known as Jacobson’s organ or the vomeronasal organ. This organ is located in the roof of the mouth, where it traps odor molecules and dispatches information to the brain. Flehmen can occur with many scents, but it generally happens when an animal — male or female — smells urine.
Mambo is pinning down pheromones, chemical substances generated by animals that serve as a form of aromatic communication. One deep sniff and Mambo can access all sorts of information about another animal as if that critter left a business card. He can assess the gender, reproductive status, and health of other animals who left marks along your walk. If you want to get the real low-down on neighborhood gossip, ask Mambo — his nose truly knows!
Lap of Luxury
Q All of the cats I’ve had before Jessie were content with sitting next to me or near me. Not Jessie. She insists on climbing into my lap and settling down and purring. She is very quick. Often when I sit down, she comes out of nowhere a few seconds later and leaps into my lap. She can sit anywhere. Why does she want to be in my lap all of the time?
A Cats are like people. They have distinct preferences for where they feel most comfortable. My cat Little Guy is very sweet, but I long ago stopped trying to make him into a lap cat. He is uncomfortable there, so I respect his desire to plop next to me on the sofa.
For felines who love to cuddle, laps offer three benefits. First, laps are elevated. Cats like to roost up off the floor where they can survey the activities around them. Second, laps are warm. Our body heat attracts cats, especially during the colder months. Third, laps are safe. Snuggling with a favorite person, a cat enjoys a sense of security.
Some cats take advantage of their one-on-one moments with you to dig their claws in a rhythmic motion up and down (ouch!) on your legs. (See The Need to Knead, page 30.) Kneading helps them relive those glory kitten days when they nursed on their mothers and felt totally safe and secure. You might enjoy this bonding time more if you trim your cat’s nails or place a folded blanket or towel across your lap to protect your thighs.