5 ms·

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

by say_it_as_it_is 6y ago

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.

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.