Why We Love Our Cats

Many American house owners treasure keeping pets and one of the favored pet animals is the cat. In the United States alone, about 80 million cats are kept as household pets and even though we have experienced years of socialization with the cats, we still do not quite understand them as we’d like to know. Perhaps, cats tend to be more mysterious than dogs or could it be that cats tend to look to us as their equal companions? In other words, could cats be treating us on the same level as their fellow cats? That’s quite a thought to mull over but research has indicated that cats may be treating us like another fellow cat while dogs are known to treat us separately. Sure, by all means noted, cats may realize we’re different from them and much taller too! But that has not diminished the feline enthusiasm in treating us the way they like us to see them as. And the truth is cats can be very affectionate and playful. They like to have fun and they naturally appreciate the love they get from their owners rubbing about our legs and sticking their tails up in the air. And yes, cats love attention and they love to get that attention constantly from us!

 

Cats have long been associated with mankind for about 9,500 years and there have been many cases of domestication of cats as early as the Neolithic era. Cats were also highly venerated in ancient Egypt and were regarded as sacred in ancient Egyptian society. In fact, the Egyptians worshipped a female Goddess called Bastet who is said to be half feline and half woman. Because of that, killing a cat in ancient Egypt may lead to uncertain death for any one. They were treasured and kept by the wealthy often paraded with pride. Unlike ancient Egypt, the ancient Romans did not keep cats as frequently as dogs. Actually, they did not appreciate cats and preferred dogs and birds as pets.

Research has also indicated that cats can get stressed very easily and do not always get along with other cats. In fact, whether we realize it or not, cats can be easily affected mentally and health wise. This means that cats should be visiting the vets more often than we think although the reasons why they are sometimes sent to the vet may arise due to a wound which came from fighting with another cat. In other words, what all this means is we are not always aware when a cat might need the treatment from a vet because most often than not, we do not understand when they are stressed and in need of hospice care. We send them to the vet because of an obvious need to treat them such as a wound in need of care but as household pet owners, we still do not understand how to assess a cat when it is truly “sick” and in need of help. And so, when you think about it, cats can be fragile animals. They may acquire diseases like dermatitis and cystitis, and all this is said to arise due to psychological stress. As such, more studies are needed to study the behavior of cats and their social lifestyle.

However, it is obvious that man loves their cats a lot. Although there is a need to still understand them more, we tend to find ways to associate with our pet cats. Cats in turn, acquire their socialization habits with us by carrying on the grooming that their mother cat gave them. As such, cats would cling on to us moving about our legs and sticking their tails up as a way of relating to us closer. They may also knead and purr to show their approval to their owners. It is the way they communicate with us. However, cats will avoid someone if they feel that the person is causing them stress and anxiety. So, it is common to see a cat relate to one member of the household more than the other. Perhaps, the other person is simply giving it too much stress and cats deal with the stress by avoiding the person.

All of us love our cats but more needs to be done to research the behavior of cats as they relate to people. It is not always easy to understand how cats think about us but cats are known to be highly intelligent. They are clever at assessing an environment and learning what works with them. Cats adore us. When they rub their bodies closely to us, it means they value us. Cats never rub their bodies with another cat that they consider to be inferior to them and that’s because cats do not appreciate another cat around them. Most people do not understand this and purchase additional cats as companions. They must be prepared to let go if the environment becomes stressful for all the cats in the household to take. In all, cats are one of the favorite pet animals in the American household. We treasure our cats and we care for their dietary needs. Perhaps, what remains, is to understand them better so we know how to help them when the need arises for that.