Did you know

[Lando]

I just found out that when cats rub against your legs, they some kind of chemical that rubs on your legs that will tell other cats or dogs that you are already "owned" or that a cat lives near you.

I also did not know that when a kitten gets a certain age, the mother will hiss at him/her to go away, for they have find their own territory.
did you know that?

[Lachesis]

Wow I didnt know that.... interesting...

I wondered why my cats have different tone purrs (2 of them purr at 2 different levels), why they sometimes "knead" on me (like they are kneading dough ) and why the male suckles my neck
Any thoughts?

[Sara luvs her Tinky]

I knew that.......
That is a cat's way of marking his/her territory.... they have some kind of scent glands in there cheeks..... makes my wonder why Tinky rubs her face all over her litterbox when I am cleaning it I KNOW SHE DOESN'T THINK THAT I AM GOING TO TAKE IT AWAY FROM HER?!?!?!!

As to Lachesis question... my best guess is that your cats look to you as their mother.... like when they are nursing they (knead dough) on the mothers belly to help excrete the milk, and same with the suckling on the neck he probably just thinks that you are his mommy OR MAYBE YOU JUST TASTE REALLY REALLY GOOD?

[Lachesis]

I dunno.... as long as they love me, they can do whatever they want (within reason )

[zippy-kat]

I knew the first but not the second--interesting!!!

[yorkster]

Me too........knew the first, not the second.

That must be why my cats rub all over everything new that comes in the house.

And the kneading thing: it means they REALLY like you and are comfortable with you.

[Lachesis]

All 3 knead me... reallllllly knead me luckily it never hurts. When they knead dh, they claw him or extend their claws. They never use claws on me, just soft little paws...

[Former User]

I also knew the first, but not the second.... intresting fact I have to say!

[Lando]

I wondered why my cats have different tone purrs (2 of them purr at 2 different levels), why they sometimes "knead" on me (like they are kneading dough ) and why the male suckles my neck

To answer your first question, I found out that cats will meow in different tones to speak with other cats to tell them different things.That even includes you sometimes. I haven't found anything on the purring yet, but I try to find out. I will try to find type answers to the others too.
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Now heres a question I need help on. Usually when cat is happy, they will purr. Well my cat does too, but sometimes even when she is in a bad mood she will purr. I don't get it. Why would she do that?

Another question: My cat always seems to flip her tail up and down when she is angry, is she telling me that she is angry?

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

Originally posted by Lando
Now heres a question I need help on. Usually when cat is happy, they will purr. Well my cat does too, but sometimes even when she is in a bad mood she will purr. I don't get it. Why would she do that?

Lando, what does she do to indicate she's in a bad mood? Sometimes when I'm petting Peanut, I'll tease her and pet her head backwards - makes her look like a little ruffian kitty - she doesn't like it and will try and bite me, but she continues to purr. It's not that she's in a bad mood, she just doesn't like it when I pet her backwards. Maybe your cat is doing something similar.

Another question: My cat always seems to flip her tail up and down when she is angry, is she telling me that she is angry?

I would say yes. However, again, how do you know she's angry? Tubby has flipped his tail since the day I got him. The only time his tail stops is when he's really sound asleep. I guess he's just a tail flipper. However, when he is angry, or playing, he really whips it - usually right before he pounces! So I would say yes, your kitty is telling you that she is upset with something that is going on.

Hope this helps!

[tuxluvr]

Purring is one of those magical cat mysteries - no one reallyknows why or how...I've read that some will purr when upset AND when happy - perhaps it's a "fail safe" mechanism, like when we "whistle in the dark" to pretend not to be afraid

The tail thing is fascinating. Ritz's tail whips around when she is excited or upset, but also has a very distinctive "wave" when we call her name. Calling "Ritz" will 99% of the time, unless she is otherwise occupied with a mousie or very sound asleep, will instigate a single left to right tail sweep.

[Lachesis]

I didnt know they purred when they were not happy. I thought a purr was always a happy thing....

[David_M]

When cats flip their tails, that can mean anything. My cat flips it when she is mad or playful. And yes, I knew the second fact, but not the first.

[Sara luvs her Tinky]

Now heres a question I need help on. Usually when cat is happy, they will purr. Well my cat does too, but sometimes even when she is in a bad mood she will purr. I don't get it. Why would she do that?

I read in Cat Fancy magazine a while back that a cat will purr when it is mad or nervous to relax itself. Like when I took Tinky to the vet and they were taking her temp. she was purring. I was totally confused about that!!..... I knew she wasn't enjoying it........ and about a day or two later I read that article.,,,,, I felt so bad for her after I realized why she was purring.

[AvaJoy]

Purring can be difficult to read . . . it can signify contentment as well as discomfort. I watched a TV program all about cats and it mentioned that cats never purr when alone . . . they had a microphone in a room with a person and a purring cat, and as soon as the person left the room, the purring ceased.

I've heard that hissing at your cat as a means of discipline works wonders . . . it is a language they can understand from when they were kittens and disobeyed mom!