Aloof? Not so much. Study finds cats bond with their owners just like dogs
- Thread starter JournalBot
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Hmm there seems to be something off in the article, I think "their owners" needs to be replaced with "their humans".
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The underlying conclusion is obvious to anyone who has ever lived in a home with a non-awful cat, but quantifying phenomena which are qualitatively well-established is perfectly good science.
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It's worth noting that the attachment theory underlying the study (secure vs. insecure attachment, caused by nurture vs. nature, use of brief separation to test, etc.) is controversial and not universally accepted as valid.
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Dogs: "They feed me, they care for me, they give me a place to sleep...they must be gods"
Cats: "They feed me, they care for me, they give me a place to sleep...I must be a god."
Cats: "They feed me, they care for me, they give me a place to sleep...I must be a god."
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My cats love for me spans a wide chasm between divine reverence and biting me in my sleep to see if I'm alive to see whether or not they can start eating me. These feelings seem dependent on my proximity to any form of canned good.
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Cats are basically the pet version of being the hotter person in the relationship.
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My feline overlord approves of this article and the conclusions of this study.
My feline overlord has now finished his breakfast and now requests his morning massage.
My feline overlord has now finished his breakfast and now requests his morning massage.
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Ive got 2 cats and 2 dogs at home.
One cat is 16 and only comes around crying and meowing at me when her food bowl is almost empty(anytime she can see the bottom of it at all), or when she doesnt know what she wants(shes old, and im pretty sure senile).
The younger cat follows me sometimes, comes and sits in the room with me, while im in my office, and squeeks at me alot just to say hello.
The dogs come running any time i come home, and are at the door to greet me. They also follow me around more then the cats do, but they are dogs.
The younger cat however will follow the dogs to the door at night and waits for them to come inside before going upstairs to bed. Its kinda cute.
The older cat likes my wife more because she babied her when she was a kitten. Its why we have to be present in the morning before she will eat her breakfast.
One cat is 16 and only comes around crying and meowing at me when her food bowl is almost empty(anytime she can see the bottom of it at all), or when she doesnt know what she wants(shes old, and im pretty sure senile).
The younger cat follows me sometimes, comes and sits in the room with me, while im in my office, and squeeks at me alot just to say hello.
The dogs come running any time i come home, and are at the door to greet me. They also follow me around more then the cats do, but they are dogs.
The younger cat however will follow the dogs to the door at night and waits for them to come inside before going upstairs to bed. Its kinda cute.
The older cat likes my wife more because she babied her when she was a kitten. Its why we have to be present in the morning before she will eat her breakfast.
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The greeting I usually get from my cats over the years has been to meow at me to lay down. From what I've heard from family, the cat gets anxious if I'm late and antsy when I'm expected to return. That's been a pattern my whole life. But no, my cat doesn't jump and climb all over me as soon as I enter the door, content to know I'm there while respecting personal space, and I think we both prefer it that way.
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When I get home my cat will first run off; once I'm seated in front of my computer she will start meowing until I give her attention and then will sit on my lap and start purring like crazy.
Granted, any sudden movements or noise will scare her off but she will come back once the "danger" has passed and continue purring.
Note: we rescued her when she was ~2weeks (so the vets. said) and was abandoned in a sideway by her mother; she was so sick and thin than walking over a keyboard would not press any key. Now she's a 5kg croquette ^_^
Granted, any sudden movements or noise will scare her off but she will come back once the "danger" has passed and continue purring.
Note: we rescued her when she was ~2weeks (so the vets. said) and was abandoned in a sideway by her mother; she was so sick and thin than walking over a keyboard would not press any key. Now she's a 5kg croquette ^_^
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Same - our two cats always greet us when we get home, physically (they're waiting for us) and verbally (they let us know we shouldn't have been so long).
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In 1983, I joined the US Navy and shipped out to bootcamp. My cat stayed with my parents, where I had been living. After I left. he sat on my bed and cried. He refused to eat and by the time my parents flew out for my boot camp graduation 8 weeks later, he was dead. I don't think I've ever cried harder in my life than when my Mother told me what had happened. Anyone who doubts that cats bond with their owners has never been a cat owner.
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The half-dozen cats I’ve shared my home with have all greeted me. They can’t knock me over like a dog (although they can trip me), and the cats slobber and wet the floor less than my beloved canine friends tend to. I love dogs, especially beagles and terriers and mutts, but I have no doubt that my cats enjoy my company, as I do theirs. It doesn’t have to be a contest, I like both bagels and donuts.
Physician, heal thyself!
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The male cat on the first video shows more attachment to the door that leads outside than his owner. I wonder what would have happened if his owner left the door open when she came back...
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I was thinking more along the lines of "Desperate dog owners fail to prove dogs are superior."
Seriously, any cat owner already knows this. My cat is so codependent she cries whenever I leave the house, but not when anyone else leaves. I have no doubt she's bonded to me.
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Just for context, I've had a cat as part of my family for more than fifty years. My now-wife asked me to take in her cat due to a landlord issue before my wife moved in with me. When friends suggested she had sent in the cat as a canary in the mine, she didn't deny it.
Most cats tend to hide in a new environment until they can suss it out. This cat planted herself on my chest about 4 a.m., and gently pawed my face, until 4:30, when she began slapping me.
I fed her before the claws came out.
So, to all those not seeing from wence my prior comment shave come: yeah, I get cats.
Most cats tend to hide in a new environment until they can suss it out. This cat planted herself on my chest about 4 a.m., and gently pawed my face, until 4:30, when she began slapping me.
I fed her before the claws came out.
So, to all those not seeing from wence my prior comment shave come: yeah, I get cats.
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ApplePaladin
Ars Praefectus
We have four cats, ranging from 12 to 15 years old. They're all affectionate with us, though they show it in different ways and at different times. When I wake up and when I get home they put on the "omg we're starving!" act, but then again so does the dog. After I feed them then the affectionate bits start. Fallon will follow me around the house until I sit down, then she'll get on my lap for a few minutes. If I start doing something on my tablet or phone she'll leave, and then Oszkar will curl up next to me or on me so that the arm I'm using to hold up my device is also cradling him. Any time I sleep in Imre will hang out on the bed with me being sweet until he thinks I've slept in too late and he starts licking my arms until I get up. Tessie always wants to be nearby, either on the armrest or the back of the couch, and she's the one who sleeps on the bed with us most nights.
I'm so sorry.
When I was still living with my folks we had a cat, and he was definitely more my cat than theirs. He slept on my bed with me every night without fail. There were a couple of times I got sick when I was around 19 - once with strep, the other time with an upper respiratory infection. I couldn't get out of bed for a few days each time. He went into guard cat mode both times. He wouldn't leave my room. He only got down off the bed to eat and use the litter box, and my folks had to bring those into my bedroom for him to do that much. He wouldn't let anybody get close to me unless I was awake. I went off to school a few months after that, and within a few months he passed away. He was a damn good cat and I still miss him.
I'm so sorry.
When I was still living with my folks we had a cat, and he was definitely more my cat than theirs. He slept on my bed with me every night without fail. There were a couple of times I got sick when I was around 19 - once with strep, the other time with an upper respiratory infection. I couldn't get out of bed for a few days each time. He went into guard cat mode both times. He wouldn't leave my room. He only got down off the bed to eat and use the litter box, and my folks had to bring those into my bedroom for him to do that much. He wouldn't let anybody get close to me unless I was awake. I went off to school a few months after that, and within a few months he passed away. He was a damn good cat and I still miss him.
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Oh yeah, this is something I could definitely tell with my old cat. She was always comfortable with me and her previous owner in ways that she never was with other people. That right there was a clear sign that she formed real bonds.
But with this, I can clearly classify her as being insecure-ambivalent. Whenever I'd return home from a vacation, she'd follow me around everywhere and sound off a bunch of irritating meows. It was like she was saying "I thought you were gone forever! Don't ever do that to me again!"
But with this, I can clearly classify her as being insecure-ambivalent. Whenever I'd return home from a vacation, she'd follow me around everywhere and sound off a bunch of irritating meows. It was like she was saying "I thought you were gone forever! Don't ever do that to me again!"
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I don't want my pet or any one to love me unconditionally. I want there to be conditions, so that when someone loves me, I know I earned it.
Edit for clarity: I don't mean to disparage dogs, just explain where I'm coming from. Frankly, I think dogs do have conditions. Abusive owners of dogs definitely don't deserve their love, and neglectful ones won't ever really have it. I just prefer cats and their selectiveness more personally.
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I'd get home from work, and our Sheltie would greet me, delightedly. I'd say hi, and say "You know you have cat litter on your nose, right?" He had the good grace to look guilty.
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If I'd been out till quarter to three
Would you lock the door?
or hold it open as I make up my mind whether to come in or not.
Would you lock the door?
or hold it open as I make up my mind whether to come in or not.
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This seems to be the go-to for cat haters for some reason. Toxoplasmosis gondi isn't some forgone conclusion for cat owners. The infection rate isn't anywhere close to what they seem to assume it is.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3497129/
In fact, it's lower in the US than in many places in the world. All it takes is, you know, washing your hands after cleaning the litter box. Keep in mind not every cat is infected with it either, so a lot of cat owners aren't at risk in the first place.
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I read somewhere cats are the only domesticated species we did not domesticate.
They picked us.
They picked us.
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