The following cat facts on social behavior and interaction should help you better understand your pet. Cat behavior is largely misunderstood, even by experienced cat owners. I hope you find this helpful.

Cats are well known and loved for their independence and self-absorbed nature. When they do pay us some attention, we usually feel quite special. A cat that rolls over on its back and asks for a belly scratch should be rewarded with affection.

Do you ever wonder what your cat is thinking? I do, all the time. I wonder why cats do what they do. Cats are a mystery, but a lot of their behavior can be understood if you know the reasons behind it.

As pet owners, it's part of our jobs to learn how to better care for our cats. Here are some cat facts that may help bring you closer to your feline friend.

1. I want to be alone. Cats are not pack animals. Cats who are forced to live closer to other cats than they normally would will tend to time share their territory.

2. If your cat is social, he got his genetic predisposition to be so mostly from his father, and his learned social behavior from his mother.

3. A kitten's socialization process is most important when she is between two and seven weeks old.

4. When a cat experiences a trauma, it can go through a second socialization process during recovery. This can result in the cat becoming friendlier than before the trauma. Unfortunately, it can go the other way and make the cat more aloof as well.

5. Domestic cats descended from solitary creatures. Being solitary and hunting alone by nature, they have a limited set of communication skills, especially body language.

6. In order to make up for a limited set of communication skills, cats need to use scent markings to send and receive messages. They also need to be fast and agile!

7. Your cats will leave their scent in strategic places all over their territory. They'll also leave their scent on you and other animals in the house. This creates a communal scent, and provides your cats with comfort knowing that these animals are part of the same social group.

8. When you scratch your cat's back, you'll notice that she will raise her back end up so as to better scent your hand. She'll also very often stiffen her tail while keeping it bent.

9. The tail up is a sign of happiness. It is also used as a greeting. If people had tails they could raise, cats would like us more.

10. Curled up front paws with the claws retracted mean that your cat feels safe and comfortable. Back feet extended out also indicate a relaxed posture.

Hopefully, at least some of these cat facts surprise you. If you read between the lines, most will allow you to better understand cats. Now, go communicate with your kitty!

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Kurt Schmitt writes more about cat facts at the best web site for cat lovers. You can get a unique content version of this article.