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Old September 12th 15, 01:32 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.anecdotes
Bastette
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Default Your cat doesn't love you: science

Christina Websell wrote:


"Judith Latham" wrote in message
...
In article , Christina Websell
wrote:

"J" wrote in message
...

http://news.nationalpost.com/news/wo...ve-you-science


Rudyard Kipling was right. Cats really do walk by themselves, and do
not need their owners to feel secure and safe, a study has shown.
Although absent owners might worry that their pet is pining, in fact,
cats show no sign of separation anxiety.



Let's just say that Boyfriend prefers me to stay at home with him and is
delighted when I come home, whether I've been out for a couple of hours
on a shopping trip or away for the day like last week. Whether this
means he *loves* me, I don't know. I do know he is very attached to me
and no-one else. No matter how many weeks he's been fed by other people
e.g. when I've been in hospital, once I am home he becomes afraid of
them again. He sees Claire at least twice a week, she was here 3 times a
day looking after me last year but he wants to go out the minute she
visits. Luckily she is not offended, she's Tigger's meowmie. I don't
know if animals experience love for humans in the human sense of it. I
do know that Boyfie only wants *me* to be with him. Is that love?
Maybe he is just used to me and feels safe with me. I love *him*
anyway..


Tweed


I'm sure my cats have loved me, and that Sootie does. I don't think I'm
deluding myself, their behaviour and desire to be with me, for me to show
them affection when they could be doing other things they like etc. They
just don't like to show it as dogs show it and you do have to earn it with
a cat.

Judith

But is it *love*? The scientific part of me says it's more likely that
cats just want to be fed and have a comfy bed inside when it's cold or
raining and will do what they have to to achieve it. My heart says that
Boyfie loves me.


I think other mammals have many of the same emotions that we have. Love
isn't strictly an emotion, although it involves emotions, but it also
requires thought, which humans do more of than most other creatures. So
what we think of as love might not mean the same to another species. But
I don't have any doubt that they feel affection - you can see that among
cats. They're a social species, even if not as much as humans are (or
maybe just differently). Cats also bond with non-human species, who don't
feed them, so the cats must be getting something other than their basic
physical needs from those relationships. Affection is an important part
of social relationships.

I don't have much investment in figuring out whether my cats feel the
same things toward me as I do toward them. I like the way they curl up
with me, rub noses with me, purr when I just talk to them (Licky), get
tremendous joy from walking down the street with me (Smudge), roll
around on the floor, squirming in anticipation of being petted, sit
there slow-blinking at me, and all the cute ways cats show affection.
We understand each other - we're mammals, we like touch and cuddling,
which are important parts of human interactions, too.

I might not be able to expect the same kinds of commitment from a cat
that I would expect of another person I'm close to. But I still get
plenty from cats and I'm pretty sure they get plenty from me, and not
just food and shelter.

--
Joyce

A clean house is a sign of a broken computer.