I mentioned in my previous post that I had a cat in my lap, making tough to type on the keyboard. That cat is a half-grown kitten named Bianca; she has a very loud purr, the loudest purr of any of our cats.
That got me thinking about cats and how some of them aren't as anti-social as the stereotype would have you believe. Oh, cats are independent, and you probably aren't going to teach them to sit or stay. And they can look dismiss you with a look and ignore you when they know you are talking to them. They are low maintenance; you can leave them at home for a weekend if you leave them with food, water, and clean litter boxes. They have much different behaviors and personalities from dogs.
But they also domestic animals, needing and wanting human interaction. Our cats are mostly shy around strangers, and they are rightfully very wary of children, but when they are comfortable with a person, they make it known that they want attention. That interaction must be on their terms, of course; many times I've picked up a cat, only to have it jump down right away, as if to say, "Did I say I wanted to be rudely picked up? Leave me alone." But I rarely sit on the couch without having a cat nap on my legs on the footrest, and often there is a cat in my lap.
And when we come home after being gone for the day, there are several cats waiting for attention, meowing and wanting to brush up against us. And sometimes they still want attention, even after we've given them treats and refilled their food bowls. Well, OK, sometimes the stereotype is true.
That got me thinking about cats and how some of them aren't as anti-social as the stereotype would have you believe. Oh, cats are independent, and you probably aren't going to teach them to sit or stay. And they can look dismiss you with a look and ignore you when they know you are talking to them. They are low maintenance; you can leave them at home for a weekend if you leave them with food, water, and clean litter boxes. They have much different behaviors and personalities from dogs.
But they also domestic animals, needing and wanting human interaction. Our cats are mostly shy around strangers, and they are rightfully very wary of children, but when they are comfortable with a person, they make it known that they want attention. That interaction must be on their terms, of course; many times I've picked up a cat, only to have it jump down right away, as if to say, "Did I say I wanted to be rudely picked up? Leave me alone." But I rarely sit on the couch without having a cat nap on my legs on the footrest, and often there is a cat in my lap.
And when we come home after being gone for the day, there are several cats waiting for attention, meowing and wanting to brush up against us. And sometimes they still want attention, even after we've given them treats and refilled their food bowls. Well, OK, sometimes the stereotype is true.
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