DOGS AND CATS

Ever wonder what your furry friend is trying to tell you?

SNEEZING DOG: You’re playing with your dog, or watching her play with another dog, when all of a sudden she starts sneezing. This isn’t due to dust in the air, or an allergy. It’s a behavioral signal that translates to: “This might look like fighting, but I just wanted to remind us both not to get carried away, because we’re just playing.”

TERRITORIAL CAT: Your cat roams all over the house, rubbing his face on curtains, chairs, table legs, your legs…pretty much everything. This behavior, called “bunting,” is your cat’s way of marking his territory. His scent glands are located around his chin, cheeks, and mouth. He leaves his barely detectable but unique odor on everything he rubs up against.

EYE OF THE DOG: Humans treat eye contact as a sign of respect when meeting others; dogs do not. When your dog sees a stranger (human or dog), he might turn his eyes or his entire head away. He’s not being rude, or expressing distrust or disinterest. By not staring the stranger down, your dog is saying, “You aren’t a threat to me, and I’m not a threat to you.”

LAP CAT: Does your cat try to jump on your lap or your laptop every time you sit down to work? You may think she’s seeking attention, but she isn’t. This action is actually of great biological significance. Your cat’s optimal body temperature is about 20 degrees higher than yours is, so when she’s feeling chilly, she’ll seek out the warmest place in the house…which is often you or your laptop.

YAWNING DOG: This is another case of people projecting their own behaviors onto their pets. Your dog might yawn when he’s tired or bored (like you), but in times of stress—such as when he’s being scolded, or he’s at the vet—he’s not being dismissive with his yawn. That quick gulp of air immediately helps to calm him down.

PROFESSOR CAT: Although cats have been domesticated for millennia, their instinct to hunt remains strong. Whether your outdoor cat plops a bird or a mouse on the porch, or your indoor cat presents you with a feathery cat toy, this isn’t a “gift.” Animal behavioral experts believe your cat is doing this to teach you. He doesn’t see you hunting, so by presenting you with this dead prey, he’s trying to show you how it’s done.

Pseudis paradoxa, or the paradoxical frog, is four times larger as a newborn than it is as an adult.