Cats are often referred to as solitary animals. However, cats are actually highly social. An important difference in social behaviour between cats and dogs (to which they are often compared) is that cats do not have a social survival strategy, or a 'pack mentality'; however this only means that cats take care of their basic needs on their own (e.g., finding food, defending themselves, etc.).

It is not the same thing as being asocial. Living with humans is a symbiotic social adaptation which has developed over thousands of years.

It is certain that the cat thinks of a human differently than it does other cats (i.e., it does not think of itself as human, nor that the human is a cat). This can be seen in the difference in body and vocal language it uses with the human, when compared to how it communicates with other cats in the household.

Some have suggested that, psychologically, the human keeper of a cat is a sort of surrogate for the cats mother and that adult domestic cats live forever in a kind of suspended kittenhood. With proper training and reinforcement of social behaviour, poorly socialized cats can become more social over time. A cat that has been made a 'stray' or has been mistreated, can in time, with patience and understanding, become a social, family cat.

Understanding your cat is an important part of your relationship with your pet. A cats body language can tell you a lot about its mood. Cats communicate a variety of messages using cat body language. Examples include arching their backs as a signal of fear or aggression, and slowly blinking to signal relaxation. Take a look on next page: