Felinoterapie, NCHK

Body language in cats not only in felinotherapy - belly rubs yes or no ? - a view from the other side

D. Hypšová

We all know it - your cat is at home lounging on her back with her paws outstretched and her tummy is just begging to be scratched. Let alone when we're on a felinotherapy visit to a facility, the cat is lying on her side and the clients can't resist and are already getting ready to scratch her on that fluffy tummy. Should we let them? What is the cat actually telling us with this body posture, what is the equivalent of this behavior in human body language?

The ventral (abdominal, front) side of the body is the most vulnerable to animals, including humans, and we protect it for good reason. Both the thoracic and abdominal cavity contain vital organs - heart, lungs, intestines, etc. If we don't feel comfortable dealing with another human or humans, we will try to protect this vulnerable part.

This is an evolutionarily tested limbic system response - unconscious, automatic, reflexive and quick, J. Navarro calls it ventral denial. We can read it in real time. In the modern world, humans have many sophisticated ways to protect our frontal part and many objects or behaviors that we unconsciously use as a shield. At home, such an object can be a pillow, a cuddly toy,which we hold in front of our chest and belly, but it can also be an object on the table, which stands between us and the person we are talking to. At school, at university, but also at work it can be a laptop carried in front of our chest as a shield (J. Navarro, What Every Body Is Saying, 85-95). We can also cross our arms in front of our chest, placing our hands on the front of our necks to protect ourselves from predator attack. More subtle can be, for example, buttoning the buttons on a sweater or jacket, fastening a tie for men.

In general, it is about creating distance between the person we are dealing with and ourselves - and corresponding to this is pulling away from the person with whom we disagree or are not in harmony.

These are all signals of discomfort and uncomfortable feelings we have when we feel insecure, lack control over our environment, don't trust those we are dealing with, don't like what they say to us or expect an unpleasant response.

The most noticeable behaviour is then turning our back on an individual with whom we disagree or whom we refuse to help. We are showing our dorsal part (back) and protecting our vulnerable front part of our body from possible attack. It is not for nothing that someone is said to have "turned their back" on the person - that is, distanced themselves emotionally and physically from them.

On the other hand, when we feel comfortable, the conversation is pleasant, we try to remove all the barriers that stand between our front part of the body and the person/people we are talking to, we have fun, we laugh. This behaviour is referred to as ventral fronting. The body is relaxed and there is a synchronisation of the movements of those involved and a mirroring of them, with people sitting closer together, seek their presence. We turn our most vulnerable body part to those with whom we are comfortable. We see the same behaviors in cats - if a cat is tense, nervous, not in control of its environment, it doesn't show its most vulnerable part to the world.

When kittens or other immature cats are too intrusive or bite, the adult cat usually turns its back on them and walks away. If, on the other hand, the cat is relaxed and feels in control of its environment, we see it lying on its back with its chest and belly freely accessible. If a predator were to enter the environment at that moment, the cat would most likely have no chance to save itself.

If the cat is at home, in its environment, with its human or humans, we can certainly stroke its belly - but first we should warn it that we are approaching, we should not touch it on a sensitive part of the body unexpectedly and unannounced. The important thing is to know your cat and her reactions.

During the interaction within felinotherapy we should explain to the clients - according to their abilities - what the cat is communicating to us with this position.

When working with children, we can ask them to stand with their frontal part of the cat showing them their belly and also show them their belly.

The adult client should also face the cat with their frontal part, and should not approach the cat from behind or from the side. In a facility environment that is changeable and where there is a lot of excitement, a touch on the chest or belly - especially if the cat does not go into the environment regularly - can indicate a strong sense of threat, of danger. Not only do we risk injury to the client, but for the cat such touch means a strong disruption of the cat's perception of safety in the space and disruption of the intimate zone.

There are differences in the size of the intimate zone in kittens (smaller space) and in adult animals (larger space). As a result of the disruption of the perception of safety, the social interactions we work with clients for may be reduced or prevented. In extreme cases, a cat may perceive such a strong sense of threat that it may not want to visit the facility with us. The trust account we build up with our feline partners is one we continually put into - at home and at work.....And in mindlessly scratching a cat's belly, we can lose many valuable assets that will be hard to replace.

Ensuring safety in the environment where we work as handlers is therefore in our hands and in the interests of all concerned.

Literature used :

• Navarro J., Karlins M., What every body is saying, Harper-Collins e-books 2008, ISBN 978- 0-06-143829-5

• Porges, S. W., Polyvagal theory - Neurophysiological Foundations of Emotions, Attachment, Communication, and Self-regulation (Norton Series on Interpersonal Neurobiology), W.W. Norton & Company, 2011, ISBN 978-039370700