A creature that fails to run to your side in a strange situation does not necessarily have a cold, unfeeling heart. Some couples show up at parties and hold hands the entire time, talking mostly to one another.
Others split up when they arrive, mingle, meet new people. But they still leave together when it ends. After wedging a seed of doubt into the emotional relationships between humans and their cats, the enemies of felinekind try to insert themselves into the physical expressions of human-feline love. Stromberg is no exception:. In other words, all the squirming and rubbing cats lavish on their owners are just the feline equivalent to a dog lifting its leg and peeing all over a fire hydrant.
Bradshaw says this notion is way off-base. The raised tail is a signal of good intent. When two cats know each other well they will rub their whole bodies against each other, including their sides, which have no scent glands.
They often then lie down together and purr. Cats will do the same thing with their owners. This difference — along with the extra evolutionary time — could explain why dogs are so much more interested in responding to the human voice.
A cat feigns affection to mark its territory. Erik Tjallinks. Cat lovers will probably respond here that their pets do show affection, purring and rubbing up against their legs. But there's good reason to believe that, much of the time, these sorts of behaviors that look like affection are conducted with entirely different goals in mind.
Many cats, for instance, will rub up against the leg of their owner or another human when the person enters a room. It's easy to construe this as a sign of affection. But many researchers interpret this as an attempt, by the cat, to spread his or her scent — as a way to mark territory. Observations of semi-feral cats show that they commonly rub up against trees or other objects in the exact same way, which allows them to deposit pheromone-containing secretions that naturally come out of their skin.
Purring, in some cases, also seems to mean something different than what you imagine. A s part of study , researchers at the University of Sussex recorded the purring sounds made by 10 different cats in two types of situations: when they wanted food, and when they didn't.
As it turned out, the food-related purrs were noticeably different: the otherwise low-toned noises had a spike in the to hertz frequency, which is similar to a baby's cry. Human study participants also rated these purrs as more urgent and less pleasant. What may be going on, the researchers concluded, is that cats have figured out how to purr in a way that triggers humans' parenting instincts.
They don't always purr this way, but they do so when they want food, because they know it'll get results. Finally, there's some evidence, turned up by Mills, that many cats don't actually like being petted by humans at all. In a study , he and other researchers measured levels of stress hormones in cats, with the intention of figuring out whether having multiple cats in the same household is a bad idea. That didn't turn out to be true, but they did find that the cats who allowed themselves to be petted had higher stress levels afterward than the cats who disliked it so much that they simply ran away.
An invasive cat destroys its local environment. Etienne Valois. In the US, domestic cats are an invasive species — they originated in Asia. And research shows that, whenever they're let outside, cats' carnivorous activity has a devastating effect on wild bird and small mammal populations, even if the cats are well-fed.
Of course, dogs are likely a net negative for the environment too. There isn't as much data available, but researchers note that dogs spread diseases such as rabies and also prey on various species, including many types of birds, as well. But in terms of raw numbers, it seems unlikely they can match the impact of cats. A study published last year found that cats kill far higher numbers of songbirds and mammals than previously thought: somewhere between 1.
Nowadays, I am actively involved in conservation. When a small but vocal group in my community started a TNR program, it was upsetting to see friends and colleagues vilified for trying to protect indigenous species.
We had a kill shelter and a no-kill shelter in town. The people in support of TNR were outraged at the idea of killing cats, but not at all bothered by the destruction caused by large populations of outdoor cats. It felt like their sense of compassion only extended to furry, pet-shaped creatures.
Valuing a functionally invasive species over and indigenous one is the opposite of how conservation works. The arguments I have seen against conservationists and others who are opposed to TNR skew toward the truly bizarre. I have seen people twist the arguments to try to accuse conservationists of hating immigrants?? It feels like living in some alternate universe to have someone call you selfish and narcissistic because your having allergies or caring about the natural environment is preventing them from having their way.
And it is really astounding to watch someone call people unintelligent for disliking cats, and then turn around and pretend their emotion-driven arguments are based on logic. Many people dislike having things pushed on them. And it is frustrating that these things exist in the same communities where there are leash laws for dogs. It just seems like a selfish and lousy way to treat you neighbors and it is hard to comprehend that sort of entitlement.
Thankfully, you have avoided doing this in your thoughtful post which I really appreciate , so it is definitely possible. Literally one of the best essays about the dangers of irrational cat lovers I have ever read. I also have made respect for because she is absolutely militant about not letting her cats roam the great outdoors.
It staggers the imagination to see how incredibly nasty irrational cat lovers can be towards those with a different point of view. Yes… cats DO bite and become aggressive for no reason, many times behaving like they want attention, to be petted, and leaving the unaware that the cat is exhibiting petting aggression. There are SO many other reasons most people hate cats.
You will get sued if your cat bites someone, and if your cat is deemed aggressive it will be out down. And that will be on YOU. How about that? And why not? Where is YOUR compassion for the vulnerable wildlife who are senselessly being torn apart, experiencing excruciating pain and fear? Where is YOUR compassion when tiny nestlings are torn from the nest where their mouths are gaped, not in expectation of food from one of their parents, but because they are expecting that same excruciating pain and gut-wrenching fear, not understanding at all what is happening to them.
Look it up on the web and see the devastating results of a cat attack. Ever seen a baby rabbit with its skin ripped off? What about a squirrel with its skin torn off of one side of its face… taking its entire ear with it?
Want to know why I can give such specifics? But I have a challenge for you…. Take a day and volunteer at your local wildlife rescue and rehab center, or spend a day with a rehabber who is federally licensed and works to save birds from cat attacks. Read the research data… if you dare. And anyone who loves birds and other wildlife respects all life… not just one particular animal, which is the very height of ego bordering on narcissism.
And almost all cat owners could care less about what their cat destroys when they let it out the door. And that… is a lack of compassion.
Cat owners are ultimately to blame for the destruction their cats do. The staggering numbers of birds and other wildlife killed by cats is said to be the top human-caused reason for the destruction of native wildlife, second only to habitat destruction.
I used to like cats much more than I do currently, when I was a child. It was only when I began to grow up that I gradually came to see the reality of the damage that cats can do to the ecosystems around them, and it changed my opinion. After becoming involved in wildlife rehabilitation, it became instantly and brutally obvious that the cats were contributing greatly to the destruction of native animal populations of many kinds I live in Australia where the problem is particularly bad.
As a result more than half of the eggs they were incubating or the nestlings they were raising also died. Nearly all of the offending cats were pets let outside to wander by irresponsible cat owners. When I moved to my current residence by the beach four years ago, a big reason was because of the beautiful ecosystem native coastal forest and the stunning array of native birds and animals: eastern rosellas, black cockatoos, sulphur crested cockatoos, galahs, musk Lorikeets, bandicoots, bettongs and wattle birds.
The birds would sing a beautiful chorus every morning and the little marsupials would cone out to play and forage at dusk. It was heaven, until the cats arrived with a neighbor who refuses to keep them indoors. I often wake up now to colourful, bloodstained feathers strewn across the grass, or dead uneaten bodies left intact and uneaten on the ground. The cats kill needlessly and for sport, not even eating their victims, and the behaviour of all of the vulnerable wildlife here has changed as a result.
Nothing anybody can say will change their minds. They call themselves animal lovers, but in reality the only animals they love are their cats and the rest can go to hell. They really do destroy native populations.
In their destruction they swallow parts of the animals they kill, and the majority of what they find are birds, lizards, frogs etc. Mother Nature balances everything perfectly if humans would let her do her job.
Meaning, everything will right itself if cats were kept inside… well, almost anyway. Cats have killed billions of birds and caused the extinction of over species world wide. Cats are decimating wildlife at an alarming degree. Cats are a natural specices that were transported to different parts of the world by humans. This was due to the benefits they provided to humans as a means of rodent control. They carried diseases such as the plague and destroyed food supplies. In fact the origins of the word mouse ment theif or robber.
Yes, cats do kill things. But doing what they do naturally is not a reason to hate them. Also, loss of habitat is one reason for declines in bird populations, but domestic and feral cats are right up there with habitat loss. Many of us garden for wildlife, maintain nest boxes, and do what we can to help our native species survive and thrive… until some cat comes along and tortured and kills everything in its path.
But hey… even the experts say that cats are one of the most destructive man-made causes in the deaths and declines of our native species. And there is no such thing as accidental cruelty. Cats have difficult body language that I cannot interpret fast enough, resulting in scratching and hissing. Cats are incredibly unhygienic and carry many kinds of deadly bacteria and parasites. I only put up with it because that cat means the world to her and I could never take that away from my wife.
The meowing and scratching everything is an earsore. Just something about their sounds pisses me off. The last thing I want to hear is claws raking off the door frame and whiny noises.
I refuse to let the cats sleep in our bedroom because of how disgusted I get just thinking about it. At least they listen, though. I like guinea pigs. I currently have Their body language is also extremely easy for me to read so I can pick up on very slight changes in their behavior and posture.
I could never handle something like that, so kudos to those who give these animals the love they deserve. As previously mentioned, my wife loves cats and I just want to become comfortable with them to make her happy. I love my cats to bits, but when either of these things happen, even I get incredibly frustrated. And to pass the bladder stone, mix some water with catnip and offer it to her daily — the additional water should really help her pass it easier.
No need for you to suffer through problems that can potentially be easily fixed! Not sure why I thought that, but this cat definitely requires a good bit of attention. A dog would definitely be worse though. Completely fair!
Enjoy your antisocial life and your stinky house filled with cat piss that has all the surfaces covered with traces of urine and feces. If you hang out with your cat, play games with him, talk to him, generally interact with him, you will be rewarded with a stronger bond.
Kind of like dealing with people; the more you interact with them in a good, constructive way, the more likely you will have a good relationship with them. In fact, cats remind me more of humans that any other pet! My cat, Kyrian, is totally my buddy. Although he loves my wife, he clearly favors me. He comes when I call, understands a respectable amount of my words and tone , and simply seems to enjoy hanging out with me. We have four cats not by choice; two were foisted on us , and one day, I accidentally stepped on the tail of one of the newer cats.
The cat, scared and upset, hissed and growled at me. In a flash, there was Kyrian, interposing himself between the other cat and me, hissing at the cat, and adopting a defensive stance on my behalf.
I like dogs, but I love cats. Dogs have their good points, as do cats. And dogs have their bad points, as do cats. For me, I simply prefer cats having been owners of both pet types at one point or another. And for every story about a cat barfing on a bed, or peeing that awful cat urine stench, I can counter with stories of dogs who eat poop or barf, or lick their privates then try to lick your face, or eat paper money or Super Bowl tickets.
Oh, and addressing the opinion that cats are useless, tell that to breweries, feed supply stores, and farms, all of which employ cats to keep rodent populations down. I have to agree with your assessment that the more you interact with a cat, the more you get out of that relationship.
Cats genuinely remind me of humans, too. I totally agree about the stories of dogs being unhygienic and a little gross to clean up after being about matched even with cats, and that each pet is different and some individual cats or dogs are just better behaved or easier to care for than others. So true about keeping rodent populations down. I cannot imagine what cities would be like without them. Ugh rats…. I try to be nice to the cat, help it play games etc, but I just feel such a strong aversion to cats since acquiring one through marriage.
When my husbands cat moved in I learned that it is common for perfectly healthy cats to randomly throw up places, like my mattress. Also their urine smells terrible and the dust from the litter gives me a headache.
My husband is disappointed but wont clean up after the cat at all so it just adds so much work. I clean my dog every week and clean up his messes right away. At this point the mere sight of cats makes me cringe and feel sick. It actually came close to ending our relationship because I can always smell the cat and no vet visit has fixed the disgusting vomiting.
I swear the cat throws up when I am waking up on purpose, when I was pregnant she would throw up on my things all the time while I was getting ready for work. I especially hate our cat, but having her in my home has given me such a strong aversion to cats that I feel sick to my stomach when one touches me. My dog has been trained not to lick faces at all and I wash up after I play with him.
It is not common for perfectly healthy cats to randomly throw up — no matter where. I would try switching over to a sensitive stomach cat food to see if that helps. The dust is horrible with most clay types, and I absolutely abhor the smells of them, but there are many litters that do much better at everything — clumping, staying clean, reducing smells, not smelling horrible themselves.
Need help? All this is great, but the real reason to hate cats is….. Everything about thier personality is everything we as humans find disrespectful, and repulsive in each other. That people hate cats.
I personally hate cats because I find them useless. Its as simple as that. They are small and fragile. They lay around all day and accomplish nothing. They arent working animals that can accomplish useful tasks.
They couldnt protect a family from an intruder, let alone even try to. They ignore their owners. Get hair all over the place. Hate people. You have never heard the term crazy dog lady. You dont see people playing at the park or beach with their cat. Throwing a ball or frisbee for the cat to retrieve. You dont see people proudly walking their cat. I dont think I have ever seen an advertisement for a cat breeder but I see lots of advertisements for dog breeders.
Who is going to pay money for a cat when they can go to the nearest grocery store and pick one up for free from a cute little girl that has a box of unwanted cats? But many people pay good money for the dog of their choice. Cats are a dime a dozen. You rarely see a dead dog on the side of the road but every day I drive by or over a flattened cat.
This is because if someone hits a dog they stop and try to locate the owner because they are devastated that they killed or injured a dog. Mans best friend. Cat videos rake in millions and millions of views , and a handful of websites devote a huge portion of their resources to cat-mania, not to mention the many cat celebrities who prowl our midst — Grumpy Cat, Colonel Meow and Keyboard Cat, to name a few.
For the cat haters among us, every day online is a landmine of cat content and a continuation of those feelings of increased isolation. You may feel alien, oh cat hater, but there are historic and scientific reasons for your disinterest in all things feline. Just like for all those cilantro haters out there, sometimes there are reasons beyond your control for hating something everyone else seems to love.
Studies show that some people have a psychological disposition towards cats. According to studies on cat and dog owners, cat owners are psychologically different than their canine-loving brethren. The study only identifies dog lovers vs. Conscientiousness involves is a tendency to show self-discipline , to complete tasks and aim for achievement.
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