A
Appeasement
One possible distress response in which the cat offers conciliatory signals instead of confronting or fleeing.
Associative learning
Learning that links one event or stimulus to another so that one predicts the other.
Attention-seeking behaviors
Vocalizing, rubbing, or climbing onto people or spaces to solicit caregiver interaction—often reinforced when attention is given.
Avoidance
A protective strategy in which the cat distances itself from a perceived threat.
B
C
Capturing
Reinforcing a naturally occurring behavior the moment it happens so the cat learns it is desirable.
Classical conditioning
A neutral cue comes to trigger a protective emotional response because it consistently precedes a meaningful event.
Conditioned reinforcer
A neutral signal—such as a click or word—that, once paired with primary rewards, marks correct behavior and bridges the delay until the reward arrives.
Cooperative care
Training a cat to willingly participate in its own husbandry or veterinary procedures.
Cue
A verbal or visual signal presented immediately before the desired behavior once the cat performs that behavior reliably.
D
Distress
A state in which protective emotions exceed the cat’s coping ability, leading to avoidance, inhibition, or repelling behaviors.
Dysbiosis
An imbalance in the microbiota that can trigger behavioral and cognitive changes through pro-inflammatory effects or loss of neurotransmitter precursors.
E
Engaging (positive) emotions
Desire-seeking states that drive predatory behavior and make reward-based training highly motivating.
F
G
H
Habituation
The cat gradually stops reacting to a safe, irrelevant stimulus after repeated exposure.
Hypervigilance
An alert, watchful posture listed among body-language signs that indicate the cat is experiencing distress.
I
Immune/Inflammatory response
A physiological process traditionally associated with fever that also alters behavior and cognition because inflammatory mediators cross the blood–brain barrier.
Inhibition
A distress response in which the cat suppresses overt movement or vocalization.
J
K
L
Learning
Observable behavior changes linked to anatomical and physiological changes in the brain; together these processes constitute learning.
Luring
Guiding the cat through a movement by having it follow a visible reward such as food or a toy.
M
Microbiota (microbiome)
The bacterial communities of the gut and skin that help regulate metabolic and immune responses and influence a cat’s physical and behavioral health.
N
Negative punishment
Decreasing a behavior by removing something the cat wants—such as attention—immediately after the behavior.
Negative reinforcement
Increasing a behavior by removing something the cat dislikes (e.g., stepping back when a fearful cat advances).
Non-associative learning
Learning that happens when repeated exposure to a single stimulus, without pairing it to anything else, alters the cat’s response.
O
Object play behavior
Play that mimics hunting—chasing, pouncing, biting, and clawing at inanimate “prey.”
Operant conditioning
A learning process in which the cat’s voluntary action is strengthened or weakened depending on the pleasant or unpleasant consequence that follows.
P
Piloerection
Erection of the coat hairs, noted as body language indicating the cat is experiencing distress.
Play biting
Biting directed at hands or feet that develops when kittens are allowed to nip during play; it persists into painful adult bites unless redirected to toys.
Positive punishment
Adding an aversive stimulus after a behavior to reduce that behavior—discouraged in the toolkit.
Positive reinforcement
Adding something the cat finds pleasant immediately after a behavior to increase that behavior’s future frequency.
Preference assessment
Presenting several possible rewards and observing which item the cat interacts with most to find the best motivator.
Primary reinforcement
The reward given directly to the cat as soon as possible after the behavior is displayed, without any intervening signal.
Protective emotions
Fear-anxiety, pain, or frustration that activate the limbic system and prepare the cat to avoid or repel threats.
Q
R
Repelling behavior
A last-resort response that usually only occurs when the cat cannot successfully avoid what it perceives to be a threat.
S
Scratching
Normal behavior that maintains claw health and leaves scent and visual marks; cats choose surfaces and locations according to preference.
Scent marking
Behavior—such as scratching or rubbing—through which cats leave their scent on objects while exploring.
Sensitization
Heightened fear-anxious responsiveness that develops when a stimulus is judged threatening.
Shaping
Building a behavior by reinforcing successive, ever-closer approximations of the final action.
Sickness behavior
Illness depresses brain function; a sick cat is distressed, and a distressed cat is not a good learner.
Social play behavior
Reciprocal mock-fighting between cats; common in juveniles and declines after social maturity.
Stationing
A cooperative-care skill in which the cat moves into a certain position and remains there so husbandry or medical procedures can occur.
Stress response
The survival-oriented physiological and behavioral reaction triggered by protective emotions, overriding reward-seeking until the threat subsides.
T
Targeting
Training the cat to approach and touch a designated object on cue.
U
Undesirable behaviors
Normal feline actions that become problematic when performed in unwanted contexts—e.g., waking caregivers, counter-jumping, furniture scratching, excessive vocalizing, or house-soiling.
V
Visual barrier
A management tool, such as an opaque panel, used to block the cat’s view of stress-inducing stimuli and reduce redirected aggression.
W
X
Y
Z