Kittens have an extraordinary talent for communication.
Kittens make use of different communication methods depending on whether it wants to communicate with humans or other animals.
COMMUNICATING WITH YOU
Purring
Kittens first begin suckling to express great satisfaction and total dependence on the mother. When your kitten purrs in your company it is believed to be expressing submission and contentment. Cats purr at 25-150 Hz a frequency that is known to speed up healing and increase bone density, so some experts believe that cats purr to benefit their health as well as communication.
Growling and hissing
Used when wanting to express aggression. They are signals of intimidation and in response a defensive strategy.
Tail wag
Unlike a dog, the kitten is not necessarily happy when it wags its tail. If you are stroking your kitten and it begins to wag its tail, you should stop as it is expressing a dislike.
Rolling on the ground
Your kitten will only adopt this position with people it is perfectly relaxed around; it is an act of submission linked to relaxation.
Kneading your lap
Shows intense pleasure by expressing the joys it feels when it suckled from its mother. It would use its paws to knead its mother’s teats to stimulate milk. It reproduces this motion, associated with pleasure, and can go as far as identifying you as its mother.
Rubbing against your legs
Happiness! The kitten feels close to you and wants to share its odour with you. These hormonal secretions called pheromones play a key role in the kitten’s behaviour, by sharing its odour, the kitten is showing a complete sign of acceptance.
COMMUNICATING WITH OTHER ANIMALS
Marking its territory
The purpose of marking territory by depositing odours or scratching is a way to incite fear and to get intruders to leave.
Scratching
Marks your kitten can leave on furniture, walls, or trees are usually unwanted. This type of marking can often be combined with urine spraying when the cat is marking its territory. Behavioural therapy is the best way to manage this, perhaps by obstructing access or changing furniture.
A UK cat holds the record for the loudest purr – recorded at 80 decibels! The average is 25.