🐈Cats are experts at long-distance communication. As solitary hunters, they cannot risk being injured by fighting with other cats. Communicating remotely is much safer than meeting face to face.
🐈⬛ Urine marking is a well known method of long-distance communication, but did you know scratching also functions as a territorial mark?
🐈 Cats have scent glands on the base of their paws and their scent is deposited on to the surface as they scratch. However, in the outside world, scent marks are easily broken down by the elements, but the visual mark left from scratching serves as a more resilient mark.
🐈⬛ This wooden post is situated on a thoroughfare in an area with a high cat population. No doubt this post holds lots of information for the cats in the area and will help them create a time share when territories overlap, potentially preventing conflict.
🦮 I dread to think what it smells like though - so much dog pee underneath!
🐈In your garden, aim to provide lots of opportunity for scratching on natural substrates that leave a visual mark. Fence posts and tree stumps are ideal, especially located in areas where they may encounter another cat.
#catbehaviour #cat
