Dogs and Cats Living Together: Body Languageby Aimee Amodio | More from this Blogger 19 Jan 2009 10:56 AM Dogs and cats may not always get along, but it seems they CAN learn to understand each other. Researchers from Tel Aviv University in Israel took a good long look at canines and felines who share a household. Taken individually, canine and feline body language often has opposite meanings. For example, a dog with his ears back or stretching out on his back is relaxed and even submissive. In cat speak, those behaviors are actually signs of aggression. But when the two species take up residence together, researchers have seen cats and dogs adapting their language. Dogs often greet other dogs by sniffing rear ends, but dogs who share homes with cats will greet their feline friends nose-to-nose instead. The key factors are time and observation. Dogs and cats can learn to understand each other, but it isn't necessarily a quick process. So far, the dogs and cats in my household aren't ready to exchange languages just yet. It's only been about two weeks since Moose and Lally (my canine family) met Shiro and Kachiko (my roommates' feline family). We're still working on just getting the furkids close enough to sniff each other. The cats are willing to watch the dogs from afar, but even with the lure of tuna, they aren't willing to come right up to the baby gate. I'm perfectly happy to take it slow. But I do find it encouraging that researchers have observed dogs and cats learning to speak each other's languages! I'll be very happy someday when the dogs stand nose to nose with the cats to say hello. The study had two goals in mind: learning about communication between two different species and encouraging the adoption of dogs in to cats-only households (and vice versa). I think they definitely hit goal number one. It may take more than one study to boost the number of multi-species households out there. Learn more about Aimee Amodio  Aimee is a fiction writer... dog lover... music lover... Relevantpets tags User Comments No comments on this article yet. Be the first to comment! Community Tags animal communication, apartment living, communication, dogs and cats Discuss this article
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