Why are cats so fond of some of us?
Hi everyone,
I wanted to share something odd but sweet and ask what you think. Cats are unusually warm towards me. The female ones especially. Nearly half the cats that hear my voice come over to me, rub against my legs, and some even lean in towards my cheek. Even cats that don't know me do this, as if they've met me before.
Honestly, I'm curious about why this happens. Is it the tone of my voice, the fact that I stay calm, or something else that cats can sense? If anyone here understands animal behaviour, I'd love to hear your take.
I've also been wondering whether this says something about me that I don't notice myself. Maybe calmness, body language, or some kind of energy. Perhaps cats pick up on a side of me I'm not aware of.
And of course the thought does cross my mind: I can't help wondering what it would be like if this same fondness came from women rather than from female cats. For now it seems this talent only works on cats.
Do any of you experience something similar? Do you have a strange bond like this with animals?
Comments
-
Yes animals cats and dogs mainly can tell if someone would be nice to them. I've taken on 2 that turned up in my garden. No chip not neutered. One semi feral, the other a stray really malnourished. I'm feeding a un neutered male at the moment. My brother s and sister the same .
0 -
@RestlessSeeker Ah that's so sweet that you're a cat magnet! I think animals definitely pick up on a calmness or kindness in humans. Animals are very senses-driven so it makes sense that they'd warm to people who look, smell and act calm and safe.
I had a friend who was really into animals but she'd be so excited that lots of the animals she met didn't immediately warm to her - maybe because her vibe towards them was too intense or something. Whereas people I know that are more chilled out and gentle are often more popular with the animals they meet.
Do you find it's just with cats or other animals too?
0 -
Thank you both, I really enjoyed your replies.
@Andi66 it's lovely that you open your home to stray cats . I think they really can sense who they can trust.
@Rosie_Scope I laughed at "cat magnet", that's spot on.
To answer your question: I actually had cows and dogs when I was a child, but I was so young back then that I can't say I observed them well. On top of that, as a child I used to panic and make sudden, exaggerated movements, and I think the animals read that as a kind of threat and got startled. Just like that excitable friend you mentioned. She was probably moving around too much out of excitement, and the animals were wary of it. To me it feels less like some abstract "energy" and more about movements being sudden and unpredictable. Animals seem to find slow, calm movement safe.
As an adult though, I've been much more involved with cats, and every one of them was surprisingly clever. They could open doors by jumping up and hanging off the handles, and they even learned to open the fly screens on the windows, pushing them from the inside and pulling them with their paws from the outside. That's why they always made me think cats are observant creatures who understand far more than we give them credit for.
Maybe that's exactly why they sense calmness in people so clearly. Do you think a cat's intelligence might be connected to their ability to "read" humans?
0 -
Hi RestlessSeeker, I think animals are able to sense when someone is a genuinely good person, they also tend to stay away from people who have a 'bad energy'.
I too have a strange bond with cats and dogs, most seem to really like me and will choose to come up to me and stay around me over the other people who are there.
0 -
Ive hada strong bond with animal s all my life
I had 2 horses at 18
Alwaya had pets at home dogs cats rabbits hamsters
I'm. Very drawn to cats, been given the nickname crazy cat lady
I. Used to. Have 19
I have 15 now
Not all cats come to. Me, some are timid
I. Have a calm soft approach to cats, a few are lap cats, many rub round my feet and in fact sleep onmy head
They are beautiful animals and deserve love and respect
I. Only wish they lived as lomg as us
1 -
@Amberpearl what a wonderful life , full of animals. I smiled at "crazy cat lady", I think it's a compliment. Looking after fifteen cats takes a big heart.
Not on your scale, but I also lived with a crowd of cats for a while, at one point we had seven. There's a special kind of joy in that chaos, you never get bored.
Nobody has ever given me a cat-related nickname, but maybe there's a bond between me and cats from birth: I'm a Leo, and on top of that the football team I support has a lion as its symbol. A lion is basically a giant cat after all, so maybe this fondness is just written into my fate.
I wholeheartedly agree with your last line though. I wish they lived as long as we do. I've lost cats too early myself, and that emptiness stays with you. But I think the fact that they fill even the short time they spend with us so beautifully is exactly what makes them so precious.
1 -
0
-
if i see a cat when i'm out and about, i always give them a good fuss, i have been followed down the road by a cat i have fussed
0 -
If we understood whatever the heck it is that cats secretly understand, we'd still be building Pyramids.
0 -
How did I miss a conversation about cats!? I adore cats and have 2 black girls. I always say hello to cats when I'm out and give them a stroke if they let me. I even knock on the window if a cat is walking past and wave to it ๐
I definitely think being calm is the best way to be @RestlessSeeker. I'm sure they can sense that energy. For example, I have a toddler and my cats tend to keep their distance as she has zero calm energy!
@Amberpearl do you ever have a giant cat cuddle with them all at once?
0 -
I'm going to go against the concensus here, and say that cats seem to make a beeline for me as well... but I am both allergic to cats and really don't like them either!
I end up at friends houses trying to surreptitiously push their darling(?) kitties away, or asking for them to be peeled off me, as I try to avoid their sneaky furry advances!
Any advice on trying to repel the smarmy little fluff/claw balls? Suggestions gratefully accepted!
๐
0 -
I think cats know when you don't like them so they come and sit on you out of spite @Scooby222 ๐ My friend isn't keen on cats so one of mine sat on her knee and started sniffing her eye! I'm pleased to say that this friend now likes my cats.
I'd suggest that you need more chaotic energy so they get freaked out ๐ Is there a particular reason you don't like them? Did you have a bad experience?
1 -
The main reason I dislike cats is that I am very allergic to them - think sneezing, streaming eyes, coughing etc. I have to take a antihistamine if I know I am going to be be near them, but that isn't enough to stop a reaction if they sit on me! I was once hugged by a friend who's jumper was covered in cat hairs, which caused an awful reaction. Proximity is a problem! ๐คง
I am not sure what I could do to exude 'chaotic energy'? ๐ Maybe I could try and convey my allergies through the medium of interpretive dance? I think that should give any nearby humans a good laugh if nothing else! ๐ With my luck the cat would just want to join in. ๐
0 -
I must insist that you do an interpretive dance @Scooby222 ๐
0 -
I managed to persuade a cat to illustrate the interpretive dance for me - as I predicted the cat just wants to join in the dance (๐) see below...
Please note: I don't know if this is going to work, I've never posted a gif on here before! ๐ค
Edited to add: nope, that didn't work - so you will just have to use your imagination Rachel! ๐
0 -
I suggest hugging a hairy dog before you visit and sneaking a spray water bottle into your overnight bag ๐
1 -
Hugging a hairy dog sounds fun! ๐ I am not sure the cat owners will be too happy if I start spraying water around their house though!
I did try carrying a bag of oranges with me on one visit to a cat owner, as cats apparently don't like the smell of oranges?? I never saw their cat at all on that visit though, so I don't know whether the oranges had worked of the cat was just otherwise engaged!
Now I just need to find me a hairy dog. And that is not a euphemism... ๐
0 -
Gus hates cats, they run away as soon as they see him.
1 -
As a cat owner myself I would not be too happy if a visitor sprayed my cat with water in its own home.
I have a friend that does not like cats so we either meet at her house or meet for a coffee/tea in a cafe.
Cats do seem to know when someone does not like them and usually sit right next to them.
2 -
๐ I'm so glad it's you @Scooby222
Very likely it was the oranges as cats hate all citrus smells plus lavender, coffee, all sorts.
Fair point @Bluebell21 I meant a sprinkle in an emergency if none of the above is working which it will be!
2
Categories
- All Categories
- 16.4K Start here and say hello!
- 7.8K Coffee lounge
- 123 Games den
- 1.8K People power
- 190 Announcements and information
- 25.9K Talk about life
- 6.2K Everyday life
- 445 Current affairs
- 2.6K Families and carers
- 890 Education and skills
- 2K Work
- 630 Money and bills
- 3.8K Housing and independent living
- 1.2K Transport and travel
- 676 Relationships
- 1.6K Mental health and wellbeing
- 2.6K Talk about your impairment
- 885 Rare, invisible, & undiagnosed conditions
- 950 Neurological impairments and pain
- 2.3K Cerebral Palsy Network
- 1.3K Autism and neurodiversity
- 41.8K Talk about your benefits
- 6.2K Employment & Support Allowance (ESA)
- 20.6K PIP, DLA, ADP & AA
- 9.5K Universal Credit (UC)
- 5.4K Benefits and income