“Both male and female cats display rolling behaviour, researchers report, usually in the context of mating”
Domestics cat ROLL, this behavior caught the attention of scientists because is a often perform, so in 1994 Hilary N Feldman conducted a formal study on this behavior called “Domestics cats and Passive submission”. In this study Feldman center in roll and spent six month observing cats in kept in a large outdoor enclosure.Feldman defined the concept of “Rolling” like "involved an individual cat rolling onto its back, with forepaws held cocked, often with the legs splayed and abdomen exposed in response front of another cat in the majority of cases (79%).
But this study focused only in adult cats and specific that kitten behavior wasn’t examined.
Over the course of the half year Feldman was concluded that this conduct “had a obvious recipient”, because females rolled mostly while they were in heat, rolled also exclusively for adult males. For the other hand, males rolled “throughout the year” and this activity was directed toward other males.
Young males rolled toward adults, but the reverse almost never happened, so this suggesting to Feldman that “rolling may act as passive submission and inhibits the development of overt aggression".
In summary: "Rolling behaviour in domestic cats appears to have two functions. Females roll primarily in the presence of adult males, demonstrating a readiness to mate". But "males roll near adult males as a form of subordinate behaviour" and may have relevance for a similar behavior between pets and their owners.
9 May 2011 at 16:15
is very interesting and entertaining your story, if i had cats,would see if they too rolled like the notice :)
see you!!!!