Recently, a new study shows that cats, unlike dogs, do not need their owners to make them feel secure and safe. Some pet-owners like to retreat their pets as babies or little children. However, secret cameras putting in houses showed that cats show no sign of anxiety at all. This conclusion may sway the image of little kitties waiting to be touched and to be cared. Comparing to dogs, cats are more desire to look after themselves. Some cat lovers may get disappointed about their little guests at home, but at the same time, cats become an ideal pet for people who live in cities and who have to work long hours.
In order to keep on studying cats’ relationship with owners, researchers divide twenty cats in three groups: with their owners, with a stranger and on their own. Then after a long-term observation, researchers found that though cats are more vocal if someone is near them, there is no significant difference between cats with their owners and a stranger.
However, the author of Cats Behaving Badly and How To Read Your Cat’s Mind, Celia Haddon said owners should not hold a feeling that their cats do not love them. They may love a owner as same much as a dog, the only differences are cats’ expression is different and act more independent, that’s it. She gave an example, if a cat feels unsafe toward a house or an owner, they would not give anyone a opportunity to be able to touch it. It will jump on wardrobe or hide under a bed. If it hang out around its owner, it must be satisfied about everything around it.
Being “aloof” is a genetic naturally for cats, owners should not worry too much about.
Perhaps this is the reasoning behind why Americans refer to dogs as “loyal companions” and “Man’s best friend”! It’s not that cats aren’t “loyal” to their owners (whatever that means); cats and dogs just have different behaviors and needs. However, I do know some pets that fit into the opposite categories- very playful, cuddly cats, and more independent dogs. That leaves me wondering, are pets born with these different personality traits, or are they brought about due to their surroundings?
How interesting! I had a cat and she would always do her own thing like you suggested. I wonder if there’s a study out there that tests cats’ level of anxiety in a stressful situation. I wonder how their reaction would be different than dogs. Might be cool to check out!
I have a cat at home and he actually lives outside. My family leaves water and food out for him. At first I was worried because I thought that cats were like dogs in that they need attention to feel satisfied, but after a fews months of my cat living outside I wasn’t worried at all. My cat still loves me, but he shows it differently now. He makes a noise every time I see him, while before he would avoid me. Great post, very relatable.
Your blog post was interesting because it directly applied to my cat at home. He is very independent and will venture off on his own for hours outside and will always end up home. It makes me upset as to why he is never home, but he loves to explore and your blog helped me understand why!