17 Jun Your Cat’s Emotional Intelligence

“Georgia is always right there whenever something’s going on. She’s even there before it starts,” said Diane. “It’s as if she has this magic sense. She’s so unlike her litter mate, Bubbles, who’s oblivious most of the time.” Diane went on to tell me how Georgia will appear at the door before the bell even rings. “She could be sound asleep in the next room but will show up in a flash if Bubbles is hanging out with me,” said Diane. “She will immediately position herself closer to me and push Bubbles out of the way.” Diane was aware that a cat had keen hearing but wondered how Georgia could figure out what was happening when she wasn’t even talking to Bubbles?

Georgia & Bubbles regularly hang out on the couch

Energy Fluctuations

As Diane talked, Georgia and Bubbles hung out on the couch. Georgia’s gaze was directly on us and Bubbles had her eyes closed. Georgia appeared intent on being connected to our conversation. Her demeanor was confident and relaxed. I could so easily envision her commanding front and center attention at will.

Cat Sense — Kitty Radar

I explained to Diane that a cat is a medium for fluctuations in surrounding energy fields — both human and animal.  I call this “cat sense”.  So the appearance of someone coming towards the door would increase the fluctuation of energy from that area and Georgia would, if interested, acknowledge the change. She might move toward the energy or perhaps look in that direction with a flick of her tail or even a meow.

“Ok, that seems reasonable,” Diane said, “but I don’t get it in relation to Bubbles when Georgia’s in another room.”

“When Bubbles is close to you and there’s a positive and intimate reaction, Bubbles feels good and her energy would reflect the good feeling. Georgia would be attracted to the positive energy and show up to be included. She wouldn’t want to miss out on a good thing. It’s the shift in energy she senses. She doesn’t have to “see” it.  Call this uncanny ability cat sense, kitty radar or even under the radar, it is a cat’s tell-tale signature,” I said.

Keep Georgia In The Loop — Acknowledge, Acknowledge, Acknowledge!

“Oh, I see,” Diane said, “especially when Bubbles is the recipient. Is there any way I can keep Georgia from feeling left out?”

I told Diane that when she was hanging out with Bubbles, she should refer to Georgia — “So Georgia must be having a great nap” or “You and Georgia are a neat duo.”

“Won’t that cause her to immediately barge in and join us?”

“No, more likely she’ll acknowledge your mention and process it positively. She’ll feel you’ve included her and aren’t trying to be devious or secretive.”

“Does she actually understand what I’m saying?” Diane asked. “No, it’s your tone of voice, your body language and the use of her name that affects her,” I said. “Once she feels a part of the action, she doesn’t feel the need to be front and center. She can remain where she is without feeling forgotten. It’s all about being acknowledged.”

This reminded Diane how she felt when she was a kid and her sisters were getting attention. She remembered how she would often stop whatever she was doing and hurry to wherever they were. A few times she was able to ignore it by telling herself it didn’t matter but most of the time her feelings overpowered her. I told Diane that a cat’s behavior is determined by emotions. A cat, unlike a person, doesn’t intellectualize or rationalize feelings away. So when Georgia feels left out, she takes action.

“Actually, this sounds quite healthy. Maybe if I can act on your suggestions, there will be less rivalry. It’s no fun to feel left out,” Diane added.

As we sat and talked Georgia jumped off of the couch and sat by Diane’s feet. “That’s my cue to scratch her head and she’ll lead me to her basket so I can give her some more rubs and scratches,” said Diane. So Diane did just that and Georgia sprawled out in her basket.

Georgia in her basket

“It’s almost like tucking her in,” I said.

A few minutes after Diane returned to her seat, Bubbles looked Georgia’s way and carefully made her way over to Diane. She rubbed her head against Diane’s legs and started to purr. Diane reached down to stroke her.

“Whoops,” I said, and looked over at Georgia.

“Oh yes,” said Diane. “Bubbles, so generous of you to join me while Georgia has her basket snooze.” Georgia slowly opened her eyes, gave a quick swish of her tail, stared at Bubbles and then closed her eyes, “Wow, Georgia didn’t budge. Great going, I’m impressed,” said Diane as she continued to stroke Bubbles. “Georgia really reacted great to being acknowledged.”

“Yes, Georgia felt included, so she continued her snooze,” I said. I told Diane that this simple little addition to her dialogue would make all the difference. To make it work, she would have to be consistent. Whenever she slipped, Georgia would take notice and, bingo, she’d revert to her monopolizing habit.

Diane felt she could succeed. “I saw how Georgia reacted and I want that kind of behavior to continue.” As Diane reached over to scratch Bubbles’ head, she jumped up on her lap. I pointed a finger toward snoozing Georgia. Diane immediately praised Georgia for teaching Bubbles how to warm her lap when she needed snoozing time. I applauded Georgia for her ingenuity. Her face lit up in a smile, Bubbles began to purr and Georgia rolled over so that her four paws shot up in the air with her belly on display.

“Good energy is certainly a winner now,” I said.

“There is one thing that Bubbles visibly detects. It’s when I plan to put her in her carrier. Before I can even get it out of the closet, she makes herself scarce,” Diane said. “What’s your read on that and what should I do so it’s not such an ordeal?”

Muscle Memory

I explained to Diane that Bubbles is keenly aware of Diane’s energy which includes her breath, body language and anything that she usually does that may be connected to an outing with the carrier. Bubbles has retained cues and motions within her muscle memory (her body), that surface when she is reminded of actions that happened before that are related to her carrier. You might compare this use of muscle memory to that of a ballet dancer who has perfect recall of a step or routine on first sight.

A ballet dancer relies on precise muscle memory

“So if she has the same ability as Georgia to sense fluctuations in energy, why isn’t she as sharp and as aware as Georgia?”

I told Diane that emotional intelligence is a combination of disposition or catsonality, curiosity, sensitivity and inherited traits.  Even though, Georgia and Bubbles are litter mates, they don’t necessarily have to share all the same traits. It’s possible that they might not even have had the same father. It’s not unusual for more than one father to sire a litter.

“So what you’re saying is that Georgia is more the mover and shaker of the two?” Diane said.

“Yes, that’s a good way to think of it. It might be more trying for you to have two cats with Georgia’s energy.”

“Yes, this way they complement each other.” Diane said. “I feel lucky to have two cats that are so different and yet have a real good relationship.” Diane went on to say that they had their spats but they were fleeting and much of the time they snuggled up together.

Carrier Angst

“Now Carole, what’s the best way to get Bubbles into her carrier without such a chase?” Diane said.

I told her to lure her into the bathroom with some tasty food or one of her favorite toys and shut the door. If necessary, Bubbles could be scooped into her carrier with a large bath towel. Diane also could leave the carrier out with some catnip inside on a regular basis and Bubbles might make it one of her cat-napping spots.

“Oh, I see, so this way her carrier will be a friend instead of a villain,” Diane said. She decided to take the carrier out and placed it by the window which was one of Bubble’s favorite hang-out spots.

Catnip Garden Nip would seal their attraction

I gave Diane some of my prize catnip, Catnip Garden, to sprinkle inside the carrier. Within a few minutes, Georgia made her way over to the carrier. She carefully sniffed the exterior. stuck her head inside and finally jumped in

“Looks like Georgia appreciates this new set-up,” Diane said. “She’s always been a nip lover so maybe Bubbles will follow her lead.”

I took some tissue paper out of my bag, sprinkled some catnip on it and placed it beside the carrier. As we sat and watched Georgia rolling around in the catnip, Bubbles very cautiously slinked over. She sniffed the tissue paper and looked over at Georgia who was now curled up with her eyes closed and a very, very relaxed face. Very slowly she made her way into the carrier and nestled herself behind Georgia.

Gradually, they would continually hang out in the carrier

“Looks like my two girls have decided to give their carrier a whirl,” said Diane, as she clapped her hands and grinned.

We ended with a Reiki chair treatment for Diane which would also give her cats a contact high.

Stretch Kitty