Hearing things

I have been really interested in cat senses. They are so much interesting and mysterious. Cat senses are amazing to learn about. So the sense I have decided to investigate is a cats' sense or hearing.

I was sitting at my kitchen table eating cereal before leaving for school. There is a window that faces my neighbor's yard. Simba was sitting at the window in front or me and he was very focused on what he was staring at. He was focused on a bird on my neighbor's fence. I watched him and noticed his ears started moving rapidly. His ears were twitching and moving back and forth. I got curious of how well his hearing is.

Karen Cummings explains how good a cat's hearing is in "Cats' sense of hearing." A cat can hear better then a lot of animals such as, dolphins, whales, bats, seals, and etc. Cats will act like they don't hear you at all but they really do. A humans hearing is from "twenty to 20,000 hertz." A cat's hearing is from "forty five to 69,000 hertz" A cat hears high-pitched sounds better then lower pitched sounds. For example a high-pitched sound helps a mother cat call to her kittens so they don't wander off to far. When calling to your ball of fur use a high-pitched voice because they are more likely to respond to you. Hearing is a cat's second most important sense they have. That's why a blind cat can get around so easily. (Cummings)

Simba comes to me all the time when I call him in a high-pitched tone, but when he doesn't come to me I came to the conclusion that he ignores me. I have got my answer I was looking for so now I know Simbas' ears are very unique just like all cats.

             Work cited 

          Cummings, Karen. "Cats' sense of hearing." Thecatdoctoratlanta. N.p. n.d. Web. 9 Nov. 2014.

Abandonment and meows

My family and I have been letting Simba's mother outside (we usually don't). Simba loves his mom a lot. He lays with her all the time and cleans her. Well when she came inside after being outside for a couple days, she was a whole different cat. I don't understand why but she is aggressive towards Simba. I wanted to cry seeing how Simba reacted. He went up to his mom and she hissed at him. He stood there and slowly got closer to her. She attacked him and he let out a little meow, like a cry. I never have known for a mother cat that turned on her babies. Just the other day she was nursing him. This situation makes me think of how sad it is when human beings experience this.

Everyday Simba tries to get close to his mom, but she continues to show aggression towards him. He refuses to attack her back. 

While I was in the bathroom getting ready for school, Simba got up on my bathroom counter, sat there staring at me, and kept meowing. I tried to ignore him but he was so persistent. He is usually not like this. I thought maybe he is acting this way because of his mother abandoning him. He is very affectionate towards me. He follows me around and has to be with me all the time now. It frustrates me that I cant understand his meows.

I wonder what a cats meows mean. I wounder what cats try to tell humans when they meow. So I researched it. A cat leaves a scent message on a human and when a cat notices that the human is not picking it up, the cat will meow. They meow because the cat knows they can get a human to do what they want. Cats don't meow at each other except for their mother, but mostly to humans. There are different meows and they each have a different meaning. A pleasant meow is them wanting food, to go outside, or to get attention. When a cat has a more unpleasant. harsh, or loud sound is for demands or annoyance. Cat will figure out which meow will get them what they want. (The meanings behind the meows)

For more information go to: http://www.catchow.com/Catipedia/Behavior/50/The-meanings-behind-the-meows

I understand more about a meow of a cat. Simba uses a short meows a lot. I'm sure he wants attention, or food. He likes food a lot and a lot of attention. I understand my little fluff ball a lot more now.

Work cited

"The meanings behind the meows." Catchow. N.p. n.d. Web. 2 Nov. 2014.

Tones and Tickles

This week I was really paying attention to Simba's purr. I am interested in identifying if Simba has different tones in his purr for the different interactions I have with him.

On the second day of observing and writing my field notes, I noticed that Simba has a very soft, calm, and quiet purr when I'm petting him. I'll rub behind his ears where he loves being petted and he jumps into my hand asking for more. His reactions are different to any other cat I have had before.

The second tone I have observed is when I'm playing with him. He makes this really aggressive type of tone. The tone is like a growling purr. When I play with Simba he will wrap his tiny paws around my arm with his sharp talons out and he bites me. He will then let out a little rough purr. I know by this that it's on. He gets very riled up and and attacks me.

The tone of a cat's purr can do different things. The vibrations from the cat's purr can actually help with bone healing of humans. It is recommended to have a cat around when children are going through strengthening their bones. A cat's purr is a stress reduce for them selves and it relaxes them. It is said that in ancient times, people treated cats as divine beings. They believed cats had healing powers over humans. When a cat gives birth they give off a beautiful "music." And when a mother is nursing her kittens. (Falco)
If you want to know more go to this website:
http://naturesoundsfor.me/blog/cat-sounds-the-purring-symphony-that-can-heal-you/:

This week I have also noticed that Simba has a tickle spot. I never knew cats were ticklish. I was petting him and I started scratching his back. About four inches above his tail is where I saw his weird reaction. I tickled him by lightly putting my thumb on one side towards the top of his back and my pointer finger on the other side. Then I rapidly moved my fingers in circles and added pressure. His reaction is priceless. Simba gets up and his butt goes down while trying to walk. It reminds me of doing squats, but for cats.

He is a very mysterious cat and I never know what he is going to do next. I am excited to see what I will discover next week.

Work cited

Falco. "Cat sounds: The purring symphony that can heal you." The sound waves of nature. N.p. 22 Apr. 2010. Web. 26 Oct. 2014 

Purr

I have always thought a cats purr was fascinating. Cats don't just purr when they are happy. They purr with other emotions as well. They will purr when they have an injury or experienced a traumatic moment, even near death. There is even a theory that purring helps with pain. Finding this out it makes me wonder if Simba is in pain all the time or is he just happy. Other animals other then a cat that purr as well. There is about 15 species that purr, such as a Raccoon.
http://cats.about.com/cs/catmanagement101/a/why_cats_purr.htm 
Syufy, Franny. Why and How Do Cats Puff. About. N.p. n.d. Web. 19 Oct. 2014.

I found this video that will explain more on how cats purr.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHZJrx7RZ2w

Simba is becoming more and more affectionate. Maybe he is be coming in heat. He has been laying on his sister and biting her neck and from years of having cats I know that's an intimate sign. I think that's gross so I pull him off her. Maybe she is the one in heat and he is reacting to her. I notice that he purrs really loud when he is being intimate with her. Maybe his purr is a way of showing affection. I'm planning on really listening to each time he purrs because maybe a cats purr has a different tone based on their mood or during a certain situation.

Work cited

Syufy, Franny. Why and How Do Cats Puff. About. N.p. n.d. Web. 19 Oct. 2014.

Changes

Simba has been changing more and more. He has become more affectionate towards me. And for the first time I heard his purr. It was so soft and gentle. My grandmother cut a lot of his hair off a couple weeks ago. His hair grew very quickly. He is so much cuter when he's fluffy.

Simba reminded me of when a toddler says his first word. Its a special moment that should not be missed. Simba is like my toddler. He is still learning how to grow up and be a cat. And I'm watching him progress everyday.

He recently has an urge to go outside. He has never went towards the front door before. He bolted out the door, on to the porch, and stopped. He froze and acted like he didn't know what to do next. A truck went by and Simba hissed at the truck, like it would scare the truck away. Then in a split second he turned around, whipping his claws out and running into the house. He ran straight to my room and hid under my bed.

Baby Simba

Simba was in my Grandmother's room when I went looking for him. He was nursing which is not suppose to be still happening. He is six months. How does Mama kitty still have milk? It makes me think that a part of us never grow up.-Field Notes 1 Oct 2014

Simba makes me realize that we shouldn't try and grow up so fast. Him nursing older then he should be is that example. I know a lot of people wanting to be 18 already. But as soon as 18 comes you are responsible for yourself. You pay bills and cook your own food. Being a young is the greatest thing you could be. Take a step back and enjoy being a kid.

Simba also has a favorite toy. Its very ironic because the toy is a lion puppet. He's so much like a dog. If you throw it to him, he will fetch it and bring it back to you. He will do that process over and over again.

Noticing

Simba sleeps a lot, but he's still a kitten. When he's awake it's a whole new adventure. His personality is so energetic and wild with a touch of love. The giant but so small lion lurking for excitement. He runs around chasing, and jumping at anything that moves. I've noticed that he has a fascination with hair ties. He once spent 4 hours swatting at it. He also loves anything stringy (of course all cats do), but instead of playing with it, he puts it in his mouth and runs around while the other cats chase him. He's my little instigator.