the cat stare !!

என்னமா முறைக்கீர !! – Cat Stare !!  Ever came eye-to-eye contact with a cat ! – who won ? 

 

Cat staring is one of many forms of communications cats use towards others. Typically a cat might stare at new or unfamiliar faces as an intimidation tactic, in hopes that the other cats/ humans  will blink or shy away. Cats are visual hunters, so naturally, they tend to stare in order to keep a close eye on potential prey. Cats will also use a direct stare when they are feeling territorial, showing dominance, or posing a threat or challenge to other cats. 

Those wide-eyed fixed gaze can be a bit unnerving.  Rather than challenging you to a staring contest, this curious behaviour is actually something you may have trained your moggy to do without even realising it. As a solitary species, cats don’t naturally feel the need to hold eye contact with others to communicate but if they think they can get something out of it, then they might be willing to give it a go. Depending on your cat and their temperament, their stare might be a little creepy, especially if they are staring with dilated pupils right into your eyes! Cats' pupil sizes can shift dramatically depending on how focused they’re looking at something. Instead of staring, they might keep their eyes partially open or give you slow blinks    

Miles away in Boston airport, a three-week cat hunt  is over. Media reports state that after  nearly a month spent eluding not just the staff of Logan International airport but also hi-tech wildlife cameras and special traps, the cat, Rowdy, was finally caught on Wednesday. Rowdy first escaped on 24 June after a flight in the cargo hold from Germany with her owner, Patty Sahli. When Sahli went to pick her up from the baggage service office, airline employees admitted they had no idea where she was. 

Sahli posted on social media that her cat had slipped out of her cage after spotting birds in the cargo bay, sending staff scrambling to retrieve her, in vain.  Later, to lure her out from hiding, they set up traps with food and water throughout the basement, and Sahli laid out items of her own clothing in an attempt to attract Rowdy with her scent. As the fruitless weeks dragged on, Sahli began to despair that Rowdy – who always had a rebellious streak, according to her owner, chewing through bags of treats in order to eat them – would be found. Logan airport said Wednesday that the cat was finally caught in Terminal E in one of the traps.  

“Boston airport employees, Massport, construction workers, Lufthansa and local animal advocates worked in a great teaming (??) effort to locate her and safely trap her,” Sahli wrote on Facebook. “She looks great, is happy to be with people and I am sure will be happy to be reunited with us.” “Whether out of fatigue or hunger we’ll never know, but this morning she finally let herself be caught,” the airport said in a statement.

Rowdy, it said, had acted “true to her name”.  not sure the one in photo was another pettai rowdy !

 
With regards – S. Sampathkumar
18.7.2022