I agree with much of what you say. I also think it depends on the cat. I’ve known cats that genuinely like people and I’ve known many who were really, truly quite aloof. The cat I have now would follow me around all day if he could. He’s a cat of the people. lol
Those were sweet stories you shared about your own cats, especially the one that waited by the phone while you were away. They can be great pets. :)
I don’t think cats are any different from other animals, including humans, in that their natures are formed not only by Nature itself, but by the animals’ experiences. So, they’re all going to be different.
As an aside: I had a discussion today with a co-worker about Pit Bulls. It’s popular to say that the pit bull isn’t any more dangerous than any other dog, and they cite statistics of dog-bites, showing what a low percentage are caused by the pit bulls. But which pit bull, where?
I lived for years in a neighborhood where the local teenagers thought it was ‘cool’ to have a pit bull, especially a mean one; and a lot of them abused the dogs horribly to MAKE them mean. The people in the neighborhood were terrified of these dogs - especially because one of the stupid kids let the dog roam alone. For awhile, I was carrying a baseball bat whenever I went out to my car, just in case.
And that doesn’t even address the genetic/culling issues: if you don’t know where your dog came from, you don’t know whether or not it comes from a line that was culled, for generations, for aggression. A lot of people don’t believe in this; but while I’ve known sweet pit bulls, I wouldn’t have one unless I knew its own experience and its human handling going back generations before.
The lower animals are no different than humans, in that they are the products of both genetics and culture.
We once had a rescue cat that was missing teeth, and we couldn’t figure out why, because its remaining dental health was fine. Then we noticed that every time we walked toward this cat, it was afraid of FEET. We became convinced that the poor cat had been kicked in the face.
It was a great day when my husband was down with the ‘flu, and that cat finally climbed up on his chest and lay there with him, allowing petting, for hours. (Husband finally had to pee, but held it in as long as possible, because he didn’t want to disturb CAT ;-)
-JT