Cats 'are stressed because we treat them like dogs'
Cats are NOT Dogs. I feel this article is very important to share. Stop expecting cats to behave like dogs. Our cats love us but they could careless about visitors/strangers for the most part and forcing interactions will only cause stress. Our dogs on the other hand, are all about the visitors because they ARE dogs. It’s a bit mind boggling regarding how many people think cats should react to visitors like dogs—the conversations via email and other sources are bizarre. Are people really this out of touch with feline behavior? My dogs, they love company, but I am not forcing strangers on my cats. We are so out of touch as a modern society about animals and animal behavior, it’s alarming. *Also, don’t expect your kitten to behave like a puppy, cats aren’t dogs. I spend quality time with my kittens BUT they are NOT PUPPIES. These are two entirely different creatures and I won’t deal with anyone who doesn’t understand the difference. They are also socialized based on age appropriate activities and according to their species. *Of course there are always the oddball cats who do act more like a dog but that’s an exception vs the rule. Like my daughters cat Grady, he is an exception to the rule.
This is an excellent article on cats and why we shouldn’t expect our cats, to behave like less demanding dogs.
Article: “Cats suffer from stress because owners expect them to behave like dogs, according to a leading animal behaviourist. People expect cats to be thoroughly domesticated, to enjoy being petted and to be relaxed about sharing their living space, said Dr John Bradshaw. They fail to understand that lavishing a cat with affection will not necessarily make it feel more content.
"If cat owners understood their pets better, they'd recognise the demands we're putting on them and how that manifests itself in their physical and mental health.
“Unlike dogs, the cat is still halfway between a domestic and a wild animal, and it’s not enjoying 21st century living,” said Dr Bradshaw, director of the Anthrozoology Institute at Bristol University.
“People assume cats are going to be like a less demanding dog. They are equally interesting, in my opinion, and equally companionable, but they have their own way of doing things.
“Dogs were sociable before they were domesticated, and we domesticated them so that they would understand what we wanted from them. With cats, all we wanted was for them to keep our houses and farms and food stores free of rats and mice, and they got on with that. “It’s only in the last few decades that we have wanted them to be something else.”
Chief cause of stress is the proximity to other cats, Dr Bradshaw said.
“There are two aspects: people get more than one cat and expect them to get on with each other, and they are letting cats outdoors in a neighbourhood with lots of other cats.
“But cats are not very good at getting on with other cats. You might get on with your next door neighbour but cats are not like humans. When people move house they have lots to think about, and perhaps they don’t make quite enough allowance for the cat.
“And people want to have two or three cats rather than one, but just because two cats are owned by the same person doesn’t mean they are going to get on.”
For a BBC Two series, Cats, to be shown next month, Dr Bradshaw and his team installed infra-red cameras in homes and observed cats’ night-time activity. Owners who believed their cats got on with each other learned the reality was different.
“Fighting for who sleeps on the owners’ bed is a typical thing. The cameras caught the fight that goes on for the warmest spot on the duvet,” Dr Bradshaw said.
“Cats who don’t get on don’t have to be hissing at each other. They can simply carve the house up, and live in the same building but not in the same space.”
Dermatitis and cystititis, two common cat ailments, have a “strong psychological component” and can be brought on by living in just such a stressful environment, Dr Bradshaw said.
Owners should not expect the same level of love and affection they receive from dogs, he added.
“We make the mistake of thinking they should be affectionate towards us whenever we feel like it. There are cats that will do that, but the majority do not.
“Research shows that if you wait for your cat to come to you and say hello, it will spend longer with you than if you approach the cat first.
“Cats have other things on their mind. They are busy thinking about the neighbour’s cat, or looking out of the window to see what birds are out there. People get disappointed and think, ‘Oh, the cat doesn’t love me’, but the truth is that cats in general do love their owners but they have their own lives.”
However, Dr Bradshaw says cats can – with the generous provision of treats – be trained to some extent. In a separate interview with Radio Times, he claimed: "Most cats don't find human attention rewarding in its own right, so you can't rely on affection and approval to train a cat."
ARTICLE SOURCE: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/11097503/Cats-are-stressed-because-we-treat-them-like-dogs.html
This is an excellent article on cats and why we shouldn’t expect our cats, to behave like less demanding dogs.
Article: “Cats suffer from stress because owners expect them to behave like dogs, according to a leading animal behaviourist. People expect cats to be thoroughly domesticated, to enjoy being petted and to be relaxed about sharing their living space, said Dr John Bradshaw. They fail to understand that lavishing a cat with affection will not necessarily make it feel more content.
"If cat owners understood their pets better, they'd recognise the demands we're putting on them and how that manifests itself in their physical and mental health.
“Unlike dogs, the cat is still halfway between a domestic and a wild animal, and it’s not enjoying 21st century living,” said Dr Bradshaw, director of the Anthrozoology Institute at Bristol University.
“People assume cats are going to be like a less demanding dog. They are equally interesting, in my opinion, and equally companionable, but they have their own way of doing things.
“Dogs were sociable before they were domesticated, and we domesticated them so that they would understand what we wanted from them. With cats, all we wanted was for them to keep our houses and farms and food stores free of rats and mice, and they got on with that. “It’s only in the last few decades that we have wanted them to be something else.”
Chief cause of stress is the proximity to other cats, Dr Bradshaw said.
“There are two aspects: people get more than one cat and expect them to get on with each other, and they are letting cats outdoors in a neighbourhood with lots of other cats.
“But cats are not very good at getting on with other cats. You might get on with your next door neighbour but cats are not like humans. When people move house they have lots to think about, and perhaps they don’t make quite enough allowance for the cat.
“And people want to have two or three cats rather than one, but just because two cats are owned by the same person doesn’t mean they are going to get on.”
For a BBC Two series, Cats, to be shown next month, Dr Bradshaw and his team installed infra-red cameras in homes and observed cats’ night-time activity. Owners who believed their cats got on with each other learned the reality was different.
“Fighting for who sleeps on the owners’ bed is a typical thing. The cameras caught the fight that goes on for the warmest spot on the duvet,” Dr Bradshaw said.
“Cats who don’t get on don’t have to be hissing at each other. They can simply carve the house up, and live in the same building but not in the same space.”
Dermatitis and cystititis, two common cat ailments, have a “strong psychological component” and can be brought on by living in just such a stressful environment, Dr Bradshaw said.
Owners should not expect the same level of love and affection they receive from dogs, he added.
“We make the mistake of thinking they should be affectionate towards us whenever we feel like it. There are cats that will do that, but the majority do not.
“Research shows that if you wait for your cat to come to you and say hello, it will spend longer with you than if you approach the cat first.
“Cats have other things on their mind. They are busy thinking about the neighbour’s cat, or looking out of the window to see what birds are out there. People get disappointed and think, ‘Oh, the cat doesn’t love me’, but the truth is that cats in general do love their owners but they have their own lives.”
However, Dr Bradshaw says cats can – with the generous provision of treats – be trained to some extent. In a separate interview with Radio Times, he claimed: "Most cats don't find human attention rewarding in its own right, so you can't rely on affection and approval to train a cat."
ARTICLE SOURCE: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/11097503/Cats-are-stressed-because-we-treat-them-like-dogs.html