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Senior Moments
Well, anyone who believes that never had a cat! According to Petcentric no one can “prove” that a cat feels love anymore than you can prove that a human feels love. Love is one of those things that cannot be proven. But what is love anyway? Here are some Merriam-Webster Dictionary definitions:
We, of course, show affection, other than just when a meal is about to be served. Unless a cat has had a traumatic history with humans, she will seek out her owner for affection in the form of play, stroking or perhaps a chat. But because we do what pleases us, we show affection to our humans on our own terms, some say that we are unattached, unaffectionate and unloving (can you believe that!!), as evidence they say we won’t even come when called. Now purrsonally, I don't know why anyone would say that, Sassy always comes when she is called. These crazy humans are comparing cats to dogs. Cats are more like people than dogs are, and they smell better too. Think about one of the most loving human relationships, such as the bond between mother and child. When the child calls from another room, and mom is occupied, she may not even notice. If she does, she’s most likely to call back, “Just a minute!” Unless she believes her child is in danger, she is not going to go bounding into the other room wildly excited to see what the child wants. So coming when called is not a sign or test of love and devotion. Or when a mother hugs and kisses her child, the child will happily hug and kiss back, then squirms out of her meowmie's arms. That doesn’t mean the child is unaffectionate and detached; it just means she’s had enough loving for now. Cats, like people, have their boundaries. But do cats form an attachment? There are many known cases where the owner had to leave, or died, and the cat showed signs of distress. Cats have been known to sit at the owner’s bedroom door meowing. They’ve gone into hiding. They’ve even refused to eat. Some perfectly healthy cats have simply died after the loss of their human, the only cause seeming to be a broken heart. And I know this is true because when the Uncle went to the hospital Dusty sat by the door and waited for him to come home, when he didn't come home the next day, Meowmie put one of his t-shirts down so Dusty could lay on it and still have the Uncles smell, and Dusty then laid down and took a nap, but he was waiting for his human to come home. The most remarkable evidence of a cat’s love for his human, are the documented incidences of cats traveling hundreds or thousands of miles to places they’ve never been to find their humans. It’s a phenomenon called Psi-trailing. What about the “unselfish loyalty and benevolent concern for others?” That doesn’t sound very cat-like. It’s true that if you hurt a cat, she’s going to run away. She won’t come back to grovel and plead with you to love her. Again, cats have boundaries and they are not terribly forgiving. But they are loyal, as shown with the Psi-trailing phenomenon. But selfless? Concern for others? Yes. Cats have been known to risk their lives for their humans. One kitty we know of fought off a poisonous snake and took the bite that was meant for her human. On a less dramatic note, many humans say that their cat knows when they are upset and will give comfort. Cats have even licked away tears. If the cat were truly self-centered, she would stay away until the owner was more in a frame to please her. When my meowmie had surgery a couple years ago, I insisted on sitting on her lap and leaning against her boo-boo, she had to sit with a pillow on her lap to keep me off the stitches, but I couldn't even consider not taking care of her. Though it may never be proven scientifically, those who give love and devotion to their cats, get the same in return, and usually sometimes much more. |
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