Glossary

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