Sunday, August 2, 2009

When a cat flattens its ears on its head... (see details for full question please) ?

Whenever I speak to my cat, 90% of the time she holds her ears back, pressed almost flat against her head. 75% of the time when you just look at her, she'll do this. Some other times she will, too. She's about 10 months old now and I've had her since she was 10 weeks.
Now, I'm pretty sure that cats flatten their ears when they're scared, but I don't see how this is the case with my cat. She's doing is constantly. I don't know if she's excited that you're speaking to her or looking at her or what, but I'm concerned. I hope she's not getting scared over every little thing. So, do you think when she flattens her ears she's afraid (like most cats when they do that), or something else, and if so, what?
Answers:
I think it's just trying to listen. My cat does this when I call his name and then he'll come next to me and meow so I can play with him.
You shouldn't be concerned :)
Well i dont have much experience in this but your cat might be too sensitive cus i have a kittten and like you said it only does that when she's scared so i cant see how ur cat does that maybe u need to lwoer ur voice a little bit lol joking
maybe you should stop abusing your cat..
Usually, the closer the ears are to the head, the more pissed off the cat is. It could be she's aggressive, it could be she's in heat and cranky if not fixed... she may be annoyed that you don't leave her alone (female cats sometimes just are not friendly when they grow up).
I always thought they did that when they were mad. Have you thought about getting her checked out by the vet? Maybe she is sick. Cats will not act right if they're sick.
There are many cat psychiatrists who are willing to talk about it. (I'm almost certain a human psychologist would even do it for an ongoing monthly fee. You wouldn't have to pay forever as cats only have 9 lives {i.e. 10 years x 7 = 70 x 9.....hmmmm, maybe I was wrong}.
Otherwise, you could have an up-and-coming serial attacker. Keep one eye open when you sleep, until the cat has completed it's psychiatric evaluation.
Be careful as this can also be a sign of aggression. You might try letting her get hungry and holding the food and having her come to you to get the food. Make sure if you try this though you let her come to you at her own pace. Don't reach towards her as it might intimidate her. This is a way to build trust between the two of you. I have a friend that has 5 cats. 4 of them are really friendly and one has always been like yours. We found her when she was only about 5 wks old but she had been thrown from a car. Evne though we nursed her back to health taking care of a broken hip and dehydration she has never been a people cat.
Its possible she doesn't like the sound of your voice. Try talking in a lower, softer tone. I'm sorry, I don't mean to be insulting your voice or anything.
Cats will flatten their ears down on their heads for a few different reasons. Yes , when they are alarmed and unsure about any given situation but they will also do this when in readiness to pounce (in playing,fighting, or just being silly) and acting like a nut chasing their imaginary friends up the wall or something.But on the darker side of the reason why, is that they could have ear mites or an ear infection. I would check your babies ears first before u chalk it up to just her being a silly cat. If she has a lot of black kinda gooey stuff inside her ears and when u touch them or mess with them all she wants to do is scratch the heck out of her ear , she probably has them.If this is the case , u can buy ear mite medicine in just about any grocery store in the pet isle or for sure in a pet store. If she doesnt have a problem with her ears , I wouldnt worry about it too much. She will grow out of it probably. Just talk to her in a cheery upbeat way when u explain to her that everything is just fine and you would never let anything bad ever happen to her. And how much u love her . U know - - - that reassurance thing. lol. Nothing a lot of love wouldn't handle.
you have bad breath thats why stinky jaw
It's hard to say what she's doing. If she seems otherwise healthy this may be a habit. She could also have some hearing problems and is concentrating to hear what you're saying. My cats seem to rotate their ears when I'm talking to them and sometimes pull the front part of the ear backward as if they're thinking, "What??". My son said the cat had "motorcycle ears" because he said they looked like the handlebars of a motorcycle.
If your cat was angry, you'd know it because rarely will the flattened ears be the only sign of anger. There's also growling and hissing and "chewing". When a cat is afraid, they usually run and hide or cower. So if you're concerned about your cat, a trip to the vet is in order. Any time you think your pet is acting strange, that's the best course of action. I hope your cat is just thinking "What??" because he can't understand you.
I've never seen a cat flatten BOTH ears when listening, unless the cat is afraid or angry. The cats I have had (including the one sitting next to me now) tilt one ear slightly when listening to me or if they hear me call.
Maybe your cat might be intimidated if you are too close to her face when talking to her.

1 comment:

  1. Our kitten thinks hide and seek is the best game going. She flattens her ears back as she is crouching down on the top of the stairs to hide from us. She continues this posture for as long as we want to play the game with her. We think she is adorable!

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