Different Kinds of Feline Personalities

Although most felines may seem similar, they have very distinctive personalities. Some cats may have voracious appetites, ferocious behavior and aggressive tendencies, while others may prefer to nap, sleep and purr. In order to understand a cat's personality, it is crucial to know the different modes of behavior and expression, which can clue you in on who your cat is and why your cat acts in the way that it does.

  1. Personal Qualities

    • Although there are many ways to define and determine a cat's personality, there are a few specific traits that many look for in cats. Friendliness, alertness, placidity, activeness, vocality and inquisitiveness are among these traits, and each trait has its opposite as well. By combining these traits and analyzing their presence in an individual cat, you can begin to describe your cat's distinct personality. Even though some of these may pertain to specific breeds, cats are generally thought to have individual personalities despite any breed trends.

    Social Aspects

    • Although cats may not seem like social creatures when compared to dogs, they are social, but they express it in a different way. Cats generally prefer human interaction, although this may be through petting, being in the same room or meowing at humans outside of the window. The degree to which cats desire direct contact with humans and other cats can reveal certain personality quirks. Cats may also react to different sexes of humans in different ways.

    List of Personalities

    • Cats-Tell.com lists 32 distinct cat personalities: the claw mark, scratching post, lion club, rat trap, wildcat, lap-warmer, performance pussycat, furry fury, Cheshire cat, curiosity cat, Garfield, alley king, piqued panther, gentleman's cat, carpet cat, Schrodinger's cat, rumpleteazer, cat's caress, clever kitty, queen of the cat-stle, hissy fit, cat cushion, kitten everlasting, aristocat, frisky feline, quiet kitty, mousetrap mistress, lioness, funny feline and catnap. The website offers a more thorough description of these varieties, but this represents some of the most in-depth descriptions of the personality types of felines.

    Awareness

    • A cat's awareness of its friends and foes depends on three senses: sight, smell and sound. Although felines have good depth perception that allows them to leap to certain heights, they cannot see all that well, and so their other senses are more primary. Their sense of smell is their strongest sense, they can detect traces of human odor, other cats and foreign objects with relative ease. Cats can hear a wide range as well, allowing them to detect many sounds that humans cannot hear.