Cat behavior

This story was originally published by Grist. Sign up for Grist’s weekly newsletter here.Do We Have to Send Humans to Mars for Exploration?It’s almost that magical time of year that the Humane Society of America likens to a “natural disaster.” Kitten season.“The level of emotions for months on end is so draining, said Ann Dunn, director of Oakland Animal Services, a city-run shelter in the San Francisco Bay Area. “And every year we just know it’s going to get harder.”Across the United States, summer is the height of…

Scientists in France might have just found the most effective way to catcall an unfamiliar cat. The team discoveredthat cats living at a cat cafe responded most quickly to a human stranger when the stranger used both vocal and visual cues to get their attention. The cats also appeared to be more stressed out when the human ignored them completely.Octopuses Caught on Camera Throwing Shells at Each OtherThe study was conducted by researchers at Paris Nanterre University’s Laboratory of Compared Ethology and Cognition, led…

Image: Shutterstock (Shutterstock)Veterinarians have conducted the sort of research that most anyone on the internet would sign up for: Watching over a hundred videos of cats hanging out with other cats. The lessons learned from their marathon viewing may help owners better identify when their cats are playfully tussling or about to get into a serious fight.The study was led by Noema Gajdoš-Kmecová, a veterinary doctor and researcherat the University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice, Slovakia. As part of her…

Image: Shutterstock (Shutterstock)New research suggests that cats can distinguish their owner’s voice from that of a stranger’s, while also being able to identify when their owner is specifically talking to them. The findings are the latest to indicate that cats can indeed form strong social bonds with humans.For years now, lead author Charlotte de Mouzon and her team at Paris Nanterre University’s Laboratory of Compared Ethology and Cognition have been studying the intricacies of cat-human relationships. Earlier this…