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The Secret Instincts of Your House Cat

Explore the evolutionary reasons behind common cat behaviors in this B1 English worksheet based on the TED-Ed video 'Why do cats act so weird?'.

Title

Reading Text

Domestic cats are some of the most popular and entertaining pets in the world. However, their strange behaviors can often be baffling to their owners. Why do they climb on top of bookcases or hide in tiny cardboard boxes? To understand this, we must look at their ancestors. For millions of years, cats were both solitary predators and prey for larger animals. Their survival depended on instinctual behaviors that we still see today. Even if your cat seems perplexing, she is actually acting like a 'super cat.' In the wild, cats are opportunistic hunters. Because their prey is usually small, they need to eat many times a day using a 'stalk, pounce, and kill' strategy. This explains why your cat has a propensity to chase small toys and prefers several small meals rather than one big one. Their physical habits are also tied to survival. Cats have a unique muscular structure that allows them to climb to high places. From there, they can survey their territory and spot potential danger. Furthermore, when a cat scratches your furniture, it isn't being mean. It is keeping its claws conditioned and ready for defense while stretching its muscles. To avoid being caught by larger animals, cats evolved to be experts at hiding. This is why they love squeezing into small, conventional and unconventional spots. It also explains why they prefer a clean litter box; a strong odor could give away their location to a predator. Finally, one of their most predominant behaviors is purring. While we often think it just means they are happy, research suggests that the frequency of a purr can actually help heal bones and tissues. In your cat's mind, your home is not just a house—it is a jungle where every instinct helps them thrive.

Seo_intro

Explore the evolutionary reasons behind common cat behaviors in this B1 English worksheet based on the TED-Ed video 'Why do cats act so weird?'.

Activities

Vocabulary

Items:

Label: baffling
Answer: 1
Label: solitary
Answer: 2
Label: predators
Answer: 3
Label: instinctual
Answer: 4
Label: perplexing
Answer: 5
Label: opportunistic
Answer: 6
Label: propensity
Answer: 7
Label: conditioned
Answer: 8
Label: conventional
Answer: 9
Label: predominant
Answer: 10

Definitions:

Text: very confusing or difficult to understand
Text: done or existing alone; without others
Text: animals that naturally prey on others
Text: based on a natural, automatic behavior rather than thought
Text: completely baffling; very puzzling
Text: taking advantage of chances or opportunities when they happen
Text: a natural tendency to behave in a particular way
Text: brought into a good or desired state of health or fitness
Text: following what is traditional or done by most people
Text: most common, main, or strongest element

Fill In The Blanks:

Before: The detective found the clues to be very
After: .
Answer: baffling
Before: Tigers are
After: hunters and usually live alone.
Answer: solitary
Before: Wolves are natural
After: that hunt in packs.
Answer: predators
Before: A bird's ability to build a nest is
After: .
Answer: instinctual
Before: The math problem was so
After: that no one could solve it.
Answer: perplexing
Before: The bird is
After: , eating any seeds or insects it can find.
Answer: opportunistic
Before: She has a
After: to buy books even when she hasn't read the old ones.
Answer: propensity
Before: The athlete stayed
After: through daily exercise and a good diet.
Answer: conditioned
Before: They decided to have a
After: wedding in a church.
Answer: conventional
Before: Blue is the
After: color in the artist's new painting.
Answer: predominant

Comprehension

Questions:

Text: Cats climb to high places primarily to hide from their human owners.
Answer: false
Text: In the wild, cats' ancestors were both hunters and animals that were hunted.
Answer: true
Text: Scratching furniture is a way for cats to keep their claws in good condition and stretch.
Answer: true
Text: Cats prefer small meals because they are naturally opportunistic hunters of small prey.
Answer: true
Text: Scientific research shows that purring is only used by cats to show happiness.
Answer: false

Scrambled:

Text: Domestic cats are popular and entertaining pets.
Answer: popular / entertaining / cats / are / and / pets / Domestic
Text: Their ancestors needed instincts to survive.
Answer: survive / ancestors / their / to / needed / instincts
Text: Cats climb to high points to survey their territory.
Answer: high / cats / survey / points / climb / to / territory / their
Text: They love to hide into small spots.
Answer: small / they / into / hide / spots / love / to
Text: In a cat's mind the home is a jungle.
Answer: jungle / a / cat's / home / is / the / in / a / mind

Written Expression

Questions:

Text: Describe your favorite pet and some of its most unusual habits.
Text: Do you think it is better for cats to live indoors or outdoors? Explain your reasons.

Examples:

Example: I think cats are happier indoors because they are safe from cars and predators. My cat likes to sleep on the sunlit carpet and chase reflections on the wall.

Critical Thinking

Title: The Domestic Jungle

Instructions:

Discuss how humans have changed the natural environment of cats and how that might affect their stress levels.
The video suggests cats might view us as 'big, dumb cats.' If this is true, how does that change the way you think about your relationship with your pet?