The psychology of cats
MANILA, Philippines - I was walking down our driveway one evening and came face to face with an enormous black rat. I stopped in my tracks. The rat stopped, too. He glared. “Now what!” he seemed to stare balefully and arrogantly before he casually walked away. I was rooted to where I stood, petrified!
Imagine the horror of finding the same monstrous black rat deposited on your doorstep as you open the front door to get the morning paper! I quelled the urge to scream. But the rat was dead and bleeding. A marmalade tabby sat behind the carcass and looked up expectantly. “Hey, so do you like my present for you?” he seemed to say. I just managed to mutter “Good work, cat,” before calling the guard to dispose of the mess. Since then, I have secretly left out food for that street cat. He now constantly hangs out in the garage and waits near the kitchen door for his breakfast and dinner. He has become so tame that he rubs himself on my brothers’ legs and attempts to rush indoors when they open the door.
“Oh please! Can we keep the cat?” Encouraged by the sociable demeanor of the cats at a friend’s house, my youngest brother, a full-grown man, has been friendly with the cat. But three of us share the Manila house and pet-owning has to be a unanimous choice. There are the sneezing allergies to consider; we often travel home to our mountain city; and it might not be a good idea that the cat will be left alone.
Still, Catwatching, written by Desmond Morris, zoologist and former curator of mammals at the London Zoo is an enlightening read. As a comprehensive guide to cat behavior, it is a good idea to ponder and imbibe nuggets of cat-owning wisdom before taking the plunge and owning a cat. Here are some of Desmond’s ideas on cat psychology:
The domestic cat is a contradiction.
No animal has developed an intimate relationship with mankind, while at the same time getting independence of movement and action. The dog may be man’s best friend, but it is rarely allowed out on its own to wander… The headstrong cat walks alone.”
Why does a cat like being stroked?
Because it looks at humans as “mother cats.”
Why does a car tear at the fabric of your favorite chair?
The usual answer is that the animal is sharpening its claws. But what really occurs is the stripping of the old, worn-out claw to reveal glistening new claws beneath. It is more like the sharpening of a snake’s skin than the sharpening of a kitchen knife.”
Why does a cat rub up against your leg when it greets you?
“Partly to make friendly physical contact with you… Essentially what the cat is doing is implementing a scent exchange between you and it… The feline fragrances are too delicate for our crude noses, but it is important that friendly members of the cat’s family should be scent-sharing this way. This makes the cat feel more at home with its human companions.”
Why do cats keep crying to be let out and then cry to be let in again?
“Cats hate doors. Doors do not simply register in the evolutionary story of the cat family. They constantly block patrolling activities and prevent cats from exploring their home range and then returning to their central, secure base at will.”
Why do cats present freshly caught prey to their human owners?
They do this because they consider their owners such hopeless hunters. Although they look upon humans as pseudoparents, on these occasions they view them as their family — in other words, their kittens…The humans honored in this way frequently recoil in horror or anger…(but) the correct reaction would be to praise the cat for its maternal generosity, take the prey from it with many compliments and strokings, and then quietly dispose of it.”
Maybe we should really get a cat. But then, the family’s shared bane of severe sneezing allergies seems to be aggravated by cat fur. The prospect is tempting, nevertheless. Antihistamine tablets are available anyway.
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My favorite professor Victoria Rico Costina will launch her book Those Who Love Cats on March 4 at 3 p.m. at the Student-Alumni Center in UP Baguio. Vickie is a one-woman cat welfare advocate, adopting numerous strays and showing up to feed the gaunt cats in the UP Baguio campus even while on leave. Proceeds from the sale of the book will go to the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS).
