Why Do Cats Hiss Like Snakes

Mimicking another species is a survival tactic among animals.

Why do cats hiss like snakes. Aggression Growling in Cats Cats hiss at people to communicate pain fear displeasure or aggression. It is completely normal. Where humans can use speech to communicate cats must rely on their body language to tell both us and other animals how theyre feeling.

If a cat is frightened by snakes then it may get defensive. If theyre attacked by a cat and wont be able to escape a snake will become defensive and will resort to hissing tail shaking rearing up and striking. This imitation called mimicry in the animal world is often used for survival.

A cat hissing is a form of protective mimicry a defensive tactic. Ever thought your hissing cat sounds like an angry viper or vengeful Boer constrictor. Also known as mimicry the hissing sound cats make imitates the sound of a snake preparing to strike and is meant to intimidate.

The reason for the snakes to hiss is to keep the predators away and as a defense mechanism against the other animals. How do cats make hissing sounds. As cat owners Im sure youre familiar with these scenarios by now youre putting your cat in a pet carrier or moving them from your favourite chair in the living room or they simply stumble across another cat in the garden and you hear a loud hiss.

Evolutionarily the hiss is coupled with fear for many mammals. Do Cats Pretend To Be Snakes. Even if they arent hungry they will hunt to play with the prey batting it between their paws.

Perhaps cats are taking advantage of this connection of the hiss with fear. It will hiss scratch and bite to defend itself against the snake even if the snake isnt attacking but is being defensive too. Just like snakes cats hiss to sound intimidating and to try to scare away whatever is threatening them.