7 ms·

Read the article for the line, "[cats]blow everything out of the water in terms of being socially responsive to their owners’ behavior" i.e. You do your thing

Read the article for the line, "[cats]blow everything out of the water in terms of being socially responsive to their owners’ behavior" i.e. You do your thing human and I'll do mine. See you later if I think you're nice and there's nothing better to do.

say_it_as_it_is 6y ago
Your cat won't even notice or care if you're gone
- Cthulhu_ 6y ago
  Oh they do, it's just that they pretend not to when you're there. It's all on their terms.
  - PeterisP 6y ago
    I seem to recall brain scanning research that showed that, unlike how it might seem from their behavior, cats recognize being called by name as good or better as dogs, they just often chose to ignore it.
    - blonde_ocean 6y ago
      Anecdotally, my cat definitely responds to his name being called. Often around feeding time
    - worik 6y ago
      My dog does that. Easy to train, but not obedient.
  - buu700 6y ago
    Cats are tsundere: https://soranews24.com/2019/08/17/japanese-people-love-cats-because-theyre-tsundere-psychologist-says https://soranews24.com/2019/08/17/japanese-people-love-cats-...
- noir_lord 6y ago
  Except that is simply not true of some cats. I have two - one is remote, aloof and probably wouldn't notice I was gone. The other is affectionate, cuddly, always wants to sit on my knee and cries on a night when they get locked in the living room. Personality wise complete opposite ends of the spectrum.
  - dmos62 6y ago
    Tangential, but I wonder how does it affect the cats having nearby another cat that's different personality-wise. I've a guinea pig that's kind of insecure, and planning to get another that's probably more outgoing. Can security be learned by osmosis?
    - whalesalad 6y ago
      Can't speak to cats but with dogs generally the answer is no. These are engrained personality traits.
    - dominotw 6y ago
      > I wonder how does it affect the cats having nearby another cat that's different personality-wise I've had cats all my life. I would say it all depends on the cat. For some cats there is nothing worse that having another cat in their territory but some are more social. I've had older aloof cats come to life, perk up and become more social when there is new social cat in the house.
    - clairity 6y ago
      in my experience, there's a limited amount of osmosis. i adopted my current (female) cat as a kitten when my prior (male) cat was declining toward death, in the hopes that she would provide some youthful companionship after his sister had passed away a few months before (they were littermates, got them as kittens). surprisingly, he became solemnly composed and accepting of her almost immediately, despite spending his whole life trying to dominate his sister (out of both competitiveness and territoriality, i imagine). i picked her from the kitten rescue specifically for her mild temper, knowing how dominating and insecure he could be. she was playful but respectful, and i'd like to think he was a little less lonely in those last few months with his sister already gone. fast forward a couple years, and i have an accidental (male) foster kitten who's a crazy ball of energy next to my mild-mannered, now-adult cat. otherwise pretty lazy, she's learning how to play more energetically and socialize with the little devil (as i socialize him as well--his first-time cat owner didn't seem to know if or how to do this). so yes, there's some osmosis going on, as cats learn from each other and the social structure shifts, but it's limited. no wholesale changes in my experience.
- staticman2 6y ago
  You sound like someone with no experience with cats.
- pessimizer 6y ago
  Cats can like you. The difference is that dogs think of you as a big upright dog, and cats think of you as something other than a cat. Dogs think of you as a peer, cats think of you as a pet or a fancy piece of furniture.
  - worik 6y ago
    You cannot read their minds.
  - hackeraccount 6y ago
    I've always thought the difference between a cat and a dog is that for a dog being with you is like a job. You might have a great job. You may love your co-workers. You might have a crap job. Your co-worker may occasionally kick you in the side. But, you know, what are you going do? It's a J O B. It makes a dog a great companion. Loyal even to those who have done nothing to deserve it. Even an untrained dog will do it's canine best to be a good dog - though it will generally have no idea what we expect that to be. The problem with that from my point of view is that when you meet a good dog. Well, they're all good dogs aren't they? Who's a good dog? This dog right here! Anyhow - the problem is that I don't trust them. Because they're punching a clock. Do they really like me? Or am I just a co-worker they landed? A cat on the other hand is different. A cat is like that dude who lived with you and 3 other guys when you were all going to school. I think he was enrolled? Honestly I wonder; it seemed like all he did was sit around, smoke pot and try to fight off all the women running after him with that stupid guitar he played. Classical of course. Anyhow. If you had kicked him he might have kicked back if he thought he could but maybe he wouldn't if he thought he'd get hurt. What he would have done though is move out the first chance he'd get. If for some reason he couldn't he'd avoid you. Here's the thing though. When you come home and your cat rambles over and jumps up on your lap. When you scratch him behind the ears or rub a warm belly. It's a genuine thing. It's not much really but it's an unnatural act of empathy. People say cats view us a kittens. Or as mother cats. Or something. I'm not sure that's the case. I think it's possible at least that they know us to be something alien and strange to them. That they're living their life apart from us but they can choose to try and relate to us - and they do that in the ways that they know.
moosebear847 6y ago
If you raise a cat from kitten so it doesn't experience negative memories/associations with humans, consistently and empathetically analyze what it wants, and earn it's trust, they will be unbelievably affectionate and attached. If they meow at you or otherwise try to get your attention, they are trying to communicate something. I used to think they were just being cats doing random useless things like sniffing, pawing or meowing, but nearly every single time there was some scent I needed to deal with, a desire to poop/eat/move or something real that they were trying to communicate. If you consistently ignore their attempts at communication, they will stop trying after a few times (wouldn't you?) unless they're like starving. But if they know you pay attention and respond, they will communicate their wants to you pretty clearly. Nothing they do is random, there is always a reason for it.
- leetcrew 6y ago
  I agree cats are much more intentional in their communication than people appreciate, but sometimes you can't just give the cat what it wants. my cat mainly meows for two reasons. he either wants food or he wants to go in the kitchen. unfortunately he can't be free fed because he will quickly become overweight. he's not allowed in the kitchen because he eats plants and jumps up on the stove, sometimes right next to an open flame. serious question: how would you handle this situation?
  - Alupis 6y ago
    A properly fed cat, with an established routine, should only start going crazy around it's normal feeding time. Most cats and dogs crave a routine. Unfortunately, sometimes a routine is difficult to establish if your work hours don't permit, or other activities get in the way. That was the original intention behind the free-feeders, however as you noted that can lead to obesity in your pet (not all pets, some regulate their intake well on their own). So, if you're one that is establishing a feeding time, make sure you stick to exactly the same time every day (like clockwork, seriously). You may even consider providing "breakfast" and "dinner" to your cat (again on a fixed schedule), dividing the daily intake into two meals. Your cat wants into the Kitchen because they are curious creatures, and you've made the Kitchen some fun forbidden zone. Ideally you're in the Kitchen when the stove is on, so you can prevent burns. You could also try training them into a negative association with the stove by squirting them with a squirt gun (low pressure) every time they walk on it... same with nibbling the plants.

say_it_as_it_is 6y ago

Your cat won't even notice or care if you're gone

Cthulhu_ 6y ago
Oh they do, it's just that they pretend not to when you're there. It's all on their terms.
- PeterisP 6y ago
  I seem to recall brain scanning research that showed that, unlike how it might seem from their behavior, cats recognize being called by name as good or better as dogs, they just often chose to ignore it.
  - blonde_ocean 6y ago
    Anecdotally, my cat definitely responds to his name being called. Often around feeding time
  - worik 6y ago
    My dog does that. Easy to train, but not obedient.
- buu700 6y ago
  Cats are tsundere: https://soranews24.com/2019/08/17/japanese-people-love-cats-because-theyre-tsundere-psychologist-says https://soranews24.com/2019/08/17/japanese-people-love-cats-...
noir_lord 6y ago
Except that is simply not true of some cats. I have two - one is remote, aloof and probably wouldn't notice I was gone. The other is affectionate, cuddly, always wants to sit on my knee and cries on a night when they get locked in the living room. Personality wise complete opposite ends of the spectrum.
- dmos62 6y ago
  Tangential, but I wonder how does it affect the cats having nearby another cat that's different personality-wise. I've a guinea pig that's kind of insecure, and planning to get another that's probably more outgoing. Can security be learned by osmosis?
  - whalesalad 6y ago
    Can't speak to cats but with dogs generally the answer is no. These are engrained personality traits.
  - dominotw 6y ago
    > I wonder how does it affect the cats having nearby another cat that's different personality-wise I've had cats all my life. I would say it all depends on the cat. For some cats there is nothing worse that having another cat in their territory but some are more social. I've had older aloof cats come to life, perk up and become more social when there is new social cat in the house.
  - clairity 6y ago
    in my experience, there's a limited amount of osmosis. i adopted my current (female) cat as a kitten when my prior (male) cat was declining toward death, in the hopes that she would provide some youthful companionship after his sister had passed away a few months before (they were littermates, got them as kittens). surprisingly, he became solemnly composed and accepting of her almost immediately, despite spending his whole life trying to dominate his sister (out of both competitiveness and territoriality, i imagine). i picked her from the kitten rescue specifically for her mild temper, knowing how dominating and insecure he could be. she was playful but respectful, and i'd like to think he was a little less lonely in those last few months with his sister already gone. fast forward a couple years, and i have an accidental (male) foster kitten who's a crazy ball of energy next to my mild-mannered, now-adult cat. otherwise pretty lazy, she's learning how to play more energetically and socialize with the little devil (as i socialize him as well--his first-time cat owner didn't seem to know if or how to do this). so yes, there's some osmosis going on, as cats learn from each other and the social structure shifts, but it's limited. no wholesale changes in my experience.
staticman2 6y ago
You sound like someone with no experience with cats.
pessimizer 6y ago
Cats can like you. The difference is that dogs think of you as a big upright dog, and cats think of you as something other than a cat. Dogs think of you as a peer, cats think of you as a pet or a fancy piece of furniture.
- worik 6y ago
  You cannot read their minds.
- hackeraccount 6y ago
  I've always thought the difference between a cat and a dog is that for a dog being with you is like a job. You might have a great job. You may love your co-workers. You might have a crap job. Your co-worker may occasionally kick you in the side. But, you know, what are you going do? It's a J O B. It makes a dog a great companion. Loyal even to those who have done nothing to deserve it. Even an untrained dog will do it's canine best to be a good dog - though it will generally have no idea what we expect that to be. The problem with that from my point of view is that when you meet a good dog. Well, they're all good dogs aren't they? Who's a good dog? This dog right here! Anyhow - the problem is that I don't trust them. Because they're punching a clock. Do they really like me? Or am I just a co-worker they landed? A cat on the other hand is different. A cat is like that dude who lived with you and 3 other guys when you were all going to school. I think he was enrolled? Honestly I wonder; it seemed like all he did was sit around, smoke pot and try to fight off all the women running after him with that stupid guitar he played. Classical of course. Anyhow. If you had kicked him he might have kicked back if he thought he could but maybe he wouldn't if he thought he'd get hurt. What he would have done though is move out the first chance he'd get. If for some reason he couldn't he'd avoid you. Here's the thing though. When you come home and your cat rambles over and jumps up on your lap. When you scratch him behind the ears or rub a warm belly. It's a genuine thing. It's not much really but it's an unnatural act of empathy. People say cats view us a kittens. Or as mother cats. Or something. I'm not sure that's the case. I think it's possible at least that they know us to be something alien and strange to them. That they're living their life apart from us but they can choose to try and relate to us - and they do that in the ways that they know.

moosebear847 6y ago

If you raise a cat from kitten so it doesn't experience negative memories/associations with humans, consistently and empathetically analyze what it wants, and earn it's trust, they will be unbelievably affectionate and attached. If they meow at you or otherwise try to get your attention, they are trying to communicate something. I used to think they were just being cats doing random useless things like sniffing, pawing or meowing, but nearly every single time there was some scent I needed to deal with, a desire to poop/eat/move or something real that they were trying to communicate. If you consistently ignore their attempts at communication, they will stop trying after a few times (wouldn't you?) unless they're like starving. But if they know you pay attention and respond, they will communicate their wants to you pretty clearly. Nothing they do is random, there is always a reason for it.

leetcrew 6y ago
I agree cats are much more intentional in their communication than people appreciate, but sometimes you can't just give the cat what it wants. my cat mainly meows for two reasons. he either wants food or he wants to go in the kitchen. unfortunately he can't be free fed because he will quickly become overweight. he's not allowed in the kitchen because he eats plants and jumps up on the stove, sometimes right next to an open flame. serious question: how would you handle this situation?
- Alupis 6y ago
  A properly fed cat, with an established routine, should only start going crazy around it's normal feeding time. Most cats and dogs crave a routine. Unfortunately, sometimes a routine is difficult to establish if your work hours don't permit, or other activities get in the way. That was the original intention behind the free-feeders, however as you noted that can lead to obesity in your pet (not all pets, some regulate their intake well on their own). So, if you're one that is establishing a feeding time, make sure you stick to exactly the same time every day (like clockwork, seriously). You may even consider providing "breakfast" and "dinner" to your cat (again on a fixed schedule), dividing the daily intake into two meals. Your cat wants into the Kitchen because they are curious creatures, and you've made the Kitchen some fun forbidden zone. Ideally you're in the Kitchen when the stove is on, so you can prevent burns. You could also try training them into a negative association with the stove by squirting them with a squirt gun (low pressure) every time they walk on it... same with nibbling the plants.