Cat Perception of human question

dark_skyz · Oct 3, 2005

I have been looking up alot about feline psychology and social relations and there is this theory that i heard but havent been able to find anything on it. It's said that even though we think of cats as cats and we as humans they think of us as other cats "big cats"
Does anybody know anything about this or can help me out at all?

semiferal · Oct 3, 2005

I don't know if they think of themselves as humans or us as cats, but they definitely think of us as being the same.

A cat who is raised from early kittenhood without other cats will not recognize other cats as the same as them.

On the flip side, a feral kitten who is socialized with humans after around 8 weeks of age may become very bonded with their person but will continue to recognize that he is not the same as the human.

catnapt · Oct 3, 2005

Originally Posted by dark_skyz

I have been looking up alot about feline psychology and social relations and there is this theory that i heard but havent been able to find anything on it. It's said that even though we think of cats as cats and we as humans they think of us as other cats "big cats"
Does anybody know anything about this or can help me out at all?

i have heard this as well, and based solely on the way my cats act, i tend to think that cats do think of us as honorary cats, but i am not sure they think we fully the same as them.

my cats will do things with me that they normally would do with other cats, but they have never expected anohter cat to get food for them, they only expect that from me

so i think we might be like, close enough in their minds, only better because we can open cans

thats my theory anyway

rockcat · Oct 4, 2005

Originally Posted by catnapt

i have heard this as well, and based solely on the way my cats act, i tend to think that cats do think of us as honorary cats, but i am not sure they think we fully the same as them.

my cats will do things with me that they normally would do with other cats, but they have never expected anohter cat to get food for them, they only expect that from me

so i think we might be like, close enough in their minds, only better because we can open cans

thats my theory anyway

"Honorary cats." I like that.

mirinae · Oct 4, 2005

I think my cats consider me an inept kitten. Sure, my opposable thumbs help me open the crunchie tin, but I've yet to successfully catch and kill my own mouse. (Or even a spider ... but I'm arachnophobic.) In some ways they treat me as the dominant "cat" in the family, but in many ways I feel like they watch me and think Geez, when is she going to figure it out? when I don't spend the day sleeping, don't kill any errant rodents in the apartment, and don't get excited every time there's a bird or a squirrel sitting outside the living room window. It's like they love me for who I am and for the cat-like behaviour I will occasionally exhibit, but pity me because I'm not, really, a cat.

If that makes any sense?

middletown · Oct 4, 2005

Originally Posted by dark_skyz

I have been looking up alot about feline psychology and social relations and there is this theory that i heard but havent been able to find anything on it. It's said that even though we think of cats as cats and we as humans they think of us as other cats "big cats"
Does anybody know anything about this or can help me out at all?

Sounds like your reading Roger Tabor

catnapt · Oct 4, 2005

Originally Posted by Mirinae

I think my cats consider me an inept kitten. Sure, my opposable thumbs help me open the crunchie tin, but I've yet to successfully catch and kill my own mouse. (Or even a spider ... but I'm arachnophobic.) In some ways they treat me as the dominant "cat" in the family, but in many ways I feel like they watch me and think Geez, when is she going to figure it out? when I don't spend the day sleeping, don't kill any errant rodents in the apartment, and don't get excited every time there's a bird or a squirrel sitting outside the living room window. It's like they love me for who I am and for the cat-like behaviour I will occasionally exhibit, but pity me because I'm not, really, a cat.

If that makes any sense?

yeh you are probably right, they probably do pity us because we are not really cats, that must be why they put up with some things that may seem incomprehsible to them
like, step on a bug and then throw it away??! what a waste of a tasty snack!

mine, have, however, trained me to get very excited about the birds outside the window.
finally i am starting to make more sense to them

Cat Perception of human question

dark_skyz

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semiferal

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catnapt

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rockcat

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mirinae

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middletown

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catnapt

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