Introduction
Welcome to this month’s blog! Are you curled up with curiosity? Excited to explore the language of cat lovers? You're in for a treat as we unravel the mysteries behind common cat slang terms you may have seen online!
Baking Bread / Making Biscuits
This phrase is very common in the cat world, and is known by many names. The phrases ‘Making Biscuits’ and ‘Baking Bread’ are used interchangeably when a cat kneads a blanket, carpet or other soft, comfortable surface. The act of kneading the blanket is akin to a baker making bread or biscuits, which is how the term gained its popularity. It has also become a trend on social media for cat owners to share their cats baking bread, and acting like their cat works at a bakery to further increase this term’s recognition with added humour.
The kneading itself is an innate comfort behaviour that is common in cats to mimic when they were kittens, and they would knead on their mother to produce milk. Cats will knead any surface they find comfortable, often paired with purring which signifies that they are happy and calm. Some cats will even take this behaviour further by sucking or biting the blanket or surface to provide further comfort, which can be known as ‘Suckling’ or ‘Smurgling’.
Head Bonks
One of the most common ways a cat can show their affection is through ‘Head Bonking’ or ‘Nuzzling’. This involves a cat headbutting and rubbing their body over your legs or hands whilst cuddling in order to spread their scent over you. This lets other cats in the area know that you ‘belong’ to your cat. The phrase ‘Bonking’ refers to the fictional noise that is made when your cat headbutts you, with a nuzzle being closely followed afterwards.
Biiiiiiiig Stretch
Saying this phrase can seem like an involuntary action when you own a pet, but rest assured that it is very common within the pet world. When our pets rise from a nap, they like to stretch all of their limbs to ensure they are ready for any action to come ahead. This involves stretching their back (Where the ‘Downward dog’ yoga position originates from), and stretching their hind legs by leaning forward, sometimes followed by shaking their legs.
It has become common for both cat & dog owners to alike to exclaim the phrase ‘Biiiig stretch’ in time to when their pet is stretching to showcase how long the stretch itself is. This can also extend into when a pet yawns, where the owner instead exclaims ‘Biiiiig yawn’.
3am Zoomies
‘Zoomies’ is a very common term used for many types of pets, which is used to describe a period of hyperactivity in an otherwise calmer animal. Cat ‘Zoomies’ in particular can be characterized by:
- Vocalisations (meowing)
- Running at a high speed, sometimes sideways (this is where the term ‘Zoomies’ comes from)
- Aeroplane Ears
- Big pupils
- Swaying tail
The “3am” section of this phrase is a reference to cats becoming unhinged and getting zoomies after their owners are asleep, in order to cause the most mischief possible.
Aeroplane / Airplane Ears
The term ‘Aeroplane Ears’ or ‘Airplane Ears’ refers to the shape of your cat’s ears when they turn sideways or backwards, with the shape of the ears resembling aeroplane wings. One of the main ways a cat can showcase their mood is through their tail, and their ears, and aeroplane ears are a communicator of many behaviours.
Some examples of when a cat may display aeroplane ears include:
- A focused cat listening to the sounds around them.
- An annoyed cat which is becoming agitated. This can be paired with your cat’s tail swaying from side to side.
- Cautious or curious cats that are investigating new objects in their environment.
Sploot / Splooting
The act of ‘Splooting’ is a very well known term across both dog and cat owners. It refers to when your pet is lying down (Typically on their stomach), being as stretched out as possible with both their front and back paws lying flat.
Whilst the origins for this term are relatively unknown, it is thought to be a phrase solely used in the pet world alongside other pet-ified terminology such as chonky for chunky, floofy for fluffy and smol for small.