Are Cats Solitary?
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Just a few moments earlier, I was sitting outside of my house under the dark blue with a blurry shy moon hiding in the background of the cloudless sky. Chirpy, my cat was there too, she was cleaning her paws the way cats do after they have their feed. She sat on a spot just close enough for me to realize that she is content that she has eaten. I could not exactly describe why I felt a bond with her then. It is a small detail, but I felt that she did not mind my company.
I never truly agree when people say that cats are solitary animals. Come to think of it, I have never heard of such comments, except for today when I googled: How to relate to cats?, and found a question post by a Dr.Flame asking: Are cats solitary animals? In my personal experience with my own pet cats, the thought never crosses my mind. Even Billy, who is now in Cat Heaven (I miss you!) with his unique behavior that did not enjoy the presence of unfamiliar people, behaved in many ways that did not place him under the word solitary.
Jimmy, my pure white prince (also in Cat heaven) was the most sociable in any given situation. I can say that he was never ever solitary even when he got sick, he meowed loudly (the thought can still bring tears to my eyes), for everyone’s attention. I remember it very clearly, but I will not make this a post of me going down to memory lane. My point is Jimmy was NEVER SOLITARY.
Chirpy, the only female cat that sleeps on the ping pong table facing a clear front sliding door, to stalk the people inside the house is pretty much a human stalking cat. She is too NEVER SOLITARY. Every time, she has finished with her food, and if I am still around outside of the house, she will sit somewhere close to clean her paws and just be in my company. I really do feel that bond. She really can be trying at times, as she likes to eat and eat and eat and never stops.
My mom says discipline is what that cat needs so that is what she is giving to her every single day. Mom only feeds Chirpy occasionally. The only person that is clearly not Chirpy’s favorite is my mom and I believe the feelings are mutual. It is almost funny. Her meowing can be intense sometimes that we often resort to drawing the curtains down so that she will stop meowing for attention. I do feel bad though because the cat used to be extremely fat, but now she’s a picture of a slim and trim model cat.
Back to the solitary issue, I personally feel that like humans, cats’ personalities are individually unique. Jimmy was the most happiest to have someone (almost anyone) petting him. Billy did not care for any petting session for anyone outside the family. He once went missing for one whole month, it broke my heart, but when he came back, I thanked the Universe for the cat miracle. He knew us, bonded with us, the bond strong enough that he came home that one time.
Billy was selective when it came to being petted. Chirpy is not really crazy about petting but she does not mind it either, or if she wants me to stop, she will move away. Unlike Billy, he would always get visibly annoyed from over petting.
I never truly agree when people say that cats are solitary animals. Come to think of it, I have never heard of such comments, except for today when I googled: How to relate to cats?, and found a question post by a Dr.Flame asking: Are cats solitary animals? In my personal experience with my own pet cats, the thought never crosses my mind. Even Billy, who is now in Cat Heaven (I miss you!) with his unique behavior that did not enjoy the presence of unfamiliar people, behaved in many ways that did not place him under the word solitary.
Jimmy, my pure white prince (also in Cat heaven) was the most sociable in any given situation. I can say that he was never ever solitary even when he got sick, he meowed loudly (the thought can still bring tears to my eyes), for everyone’s attention. I remember it very clearly, but I will not make this a post of me going down to memory lane. My point is Jimmy was NEVER SOLITARY.
Chirpy, the only female cat that sleeps on the ping pong table facing a clear front sliding door, to stalk the people inside the house is pretty much a human stalking cat. She is too NEVER SOLITARY. Every time, she has finished with her food, and if I am still around outside of the house, she will sit somewhere close to clean her paws and just be in my company. I really do feel that bond. She really can be trying at times, as she likes to eat and eat and eat and never stops.
My mom says discipline is what that cat needs so that is what she is giving to her every single day. Mom only feeds Chirpy occasionally. The only person that is clearly not Chirpy’s favorite is my mom and I believe the feelings are mutual. It is almost funny. Her meowing can be intense sometimes that we often resort to drawing the curtains down so that she will stop meowing for attention. I do feel bad though because the cat used to be extremely fat, but now she’s a picture of a slim and trim model cat.
Back to the solitary issue, I personally feel that like humans, cats’ personalities are individually unique. Jimmy was the most happiest to have someone (almost anyone) petting him. Billy did not care for any petting session for anyone outside the family. He once went missing for one whole month, it broke my heart, but when he came back, I thanked the Universe for the cat miracle. He knew us, bonded with us, the bond strong enough that he came home that one time.
Billy was selective when it came to being petted. Chirpy is not really crazy about petting but she does not mind it either, or if she wants me to stop, she will move away. Unlike Billy, he would always get visibly annoyed from over petting.
So, the conclusion that I can make from my own personal experience is that cats are never really solitary. They can be very independent, but they love company although some may be more people-specific than others.
shanaz@RS
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3:19 AM
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pet talk
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