From taking your cats on trips to giving them gifts to remembering them in your will, this issue of Inside Your Cat’s Mind explains how to make our kitties feel safe and loved. The true key to feline happiness, covered in this issue, turns out to be freedom, according to the bioethicist Jessica Pierce in her important essay, “Free Them.” Our cats, themselves, should be given space to decide what and where to eat or sleep, when to play, when you can touch them and when they need time alone. A cat is happiest as the master of her day, and it’s this very penchant for self-determination that has caused some people to question the sincerity of cats and the bond they have with us. Put your doubts to rest. In a series of pieces inside this issue we explain how cats, though not quite as domesticated as dogs, came to be our faithful life companions; how they invented a language for us; and why they miss us badly when we’re gone. We’ve also devoted several pages to the baffling aspects of cat behaviors. If you want to learn why your cat kicks litter or rubs his cheek all over your face, just read on!
Born Free
CULTURE OF THE CAT • They live in our homes, but their language, food tastes and love of the wild remain their own.
Cutest Kitties • Feast your eyes on the sweetest pics we’ve come across. While some breeds are known for charm, individual beauty is caught in the lens of the photographer.
5 Ways to Help Your Indoor Cat Feel Wild • Felines have a need for nature. Here’s how to indulge their free spirit.
A Partnership Is Born • We live happily with our feline friends, but we’ve never managed to domesticate them. That’s what makes the relationship sizzle.
Cat Advantage • Kitties aren’t just adorable, they actually improve our health and state of mind. Here are five benefits cat companions have come to expect.
Q&A: What Meow Means • The linguist Susanne Schötz has translated the vocalizations uttered by domestic cats.
Finicky Felines • Does your pet gobble up a meal one day and turn her nose up the next? Here’s how to deal with a picky eater.
THE FELINE SELF • Understanding cats’ baffling behaviors, their unique need for love and the ability to see things we cannot.
5 Ways to Read Your Pet’s Body Language • From the position of whiskers to the flick of a tail, a kitty’s features and movement reveal his inner feelings and state of mind.
Do We See What They See? • Can cats detect the ultraviolet rays of a black light? It’s possible they live in a world of color of which we are only dimly aware.
Night Vision • How cats see dusk to dawn.
The Social Mind of Cats • They seek human society and true intimacy with us, but in a very feline way.
Understanding Your Kitty’s Love Language • When your cat truly trusts you, these are the tells.
Stranger Things • Bad, mad or just crazy? Your pet may not be as inscrutable as you think. Researchers have explanations for many of the weird feline stunts we struggle to grasp. What they’ve learned could improve our relationships with cats and save their lives.
Blasts From the Past • Breaking vases, hiding in boxes, night yowling, kneading paws: Evolutionary instinct informs these notable feline acts.
Kicking Litter • Why they create a bathroom mess, and what you can do about it.
BETTER TOGETHER • The idea of the loner cat has been soundly debunked. It turns out that your pet needs you for play, enrichment and companionship for life.
5 Ways to Touch (or Not Touch) a Cat • Felines prefer to choose when and where you stroke them. To navigate this territory, you need to know what yours likes.
Missing You • The post-pandemic era has revealed a new feline reality: They can have separation anxiety, just like a child.
Signs &...