AUSTIN (KXAN) — Dozens of kittens pounce across the floor of Purr-fecto Cat Lounge in south Austin. Little furry balls of joy, looking to be adopted and spending their days draped across baskets hanging from the walls.
“They need to hide if they feel overwhelmed, they like to be up high where they can see what’s going on around them,” said Mikel Delgado Ph.D., a cat researcher and author of the book “Play with your Cat!”
This week, Delgado is presenting her work as part of the Hot-Science Cool Talks lecture series at the University of Texas at Austin. Her lecture focusing on a big question: How do you make a cat happy?
“They’re a little more closer to their natural instincts, and they’re much closer in behavior to their closest ancestors,” Delgado said.
While many people think of cats as predators, Delgado said they are actually mezzo predators. “They’re in the middle of the food chain. So they also have predators, and so they’re more cautious, wary,” she said.
It is something Jules Lennard, a vet technician at Purr-fecto, has observed as well. “That’s why there are so many active toys for cats, because it keeps that energy going,” Lennard said.
Decked out in cat themed glasses, Lennard said play is essential to bringing them joy. “They need contact. Even if you think, ‘Oh, my cat’s so aloof, they never want to be around me. I want to love on them.’ Well, you need to realize that it has to be on their terms, too.”
Delgado said that unlike dogs, cats have not been as domesticated.
“We really haven’t asked them to change very much. We’ve just said like, ‘Hey, be cute and cuddly,’ and, you know, killing mice is like a bonus,” Delgado said.
Lennard said for kittens taken away from mom, pheromones can be helpful. They replicate the sensation of being near mom.
Delgado said that giving them something to scratch is also essential. They’re need to extend their claws is part of who they are, and it’s best not to get in the way.
“If you don’t provide them with something that is acceptable to them to scratch, that also you’re okay with them scratching, then you will run into problems,” Delgado said.
Delgado plans to dive deeper into her research during the lecture. It takes place Friday, Oct. 10 at 7p.m. Events will begin at 5:30 p.m. at Welch Hall before Delgado speaks.
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