What Do Cats Think About Us? You May Be Surprised

National Geograhic ^ | 1/28/14 | Christine Dell'Amore

[DallasBiff]

Since cats first got their adorable claws into us about 9,500 years ago, humans have had a love affair with felines.

Today more than 80 million cats reside in U.S. homes, with an estimated three cats for every dog on the planet. (Watch a video about the secret lives of cats.) Yet there's still a lot we don't know about our feline friends—including what they think of their owners.

[DallasBiff]

An article from 10 years ago, but I have only met one nice cat in my life, tortoise shell calico, 15 years ago that was nice to me.

Cat lovers flame away

[MeganC]

We get stray cats on the ranch with frequency. The ones who get along can get a home in the barn. The ones who don’t get shot and fed to the hogs...same as trespassers.

[reasonisfaith]

Some cats are affectionate in a self-centered way.

Others seem to be neutral.

They all scratch, which can produce fever.

[Kenny500c]

cats do not think, they are concerned only about their next meal.

[reasonisfaith]

However, the elephant in the room is how unreliable National Geograhic is.

[ArtDodger]

My young daughter asked me of the difference between dogs and cats as pets. I said, dogs are sad to see you leave when you go out, and cats are sorry to see you come home.

[Responsibility2nd]

more..

[Leaning Right]

Don’t expect cats to be super nice to you. If one does, it’s just a bonus.

Think instead of a cat as an interesting, yet independent housemate. One who keeps himself very clean, and who provides entertainment on demand.

And also as a housemate who will catch a field mouse dumb enough to stray inside. My cat - Mr. Whiskers - has caught two in just the last year.

Beware, stupid mice!

[Gen.Blather]

Dogs have owners. Cats have staff.

[bigbob]

Man think I don’t keep the food bowl filled to their expectations.

[cowboyusa]

Let the Cats run Congress, it can’t be worse.

[waterhill]

Had a Russian Blue who loved to play fetch with balled up paper. Lived to be 23.

Had a big fat tabby that terrorized the dogs, big dogs.

Have had many cats and dogs.

[mt tom]

Do you know why cats cover their poop they can’t stand the smell either

[Dr. Sivana]

dogs are sad to see you leave when you go out, and cats are sorry to see you come home.

Depends on the cat. My best cat, Jean-Marie, an 18 pound tuxedo cat, jumped into my arms and licked my face when I came back from my honeymoon. He also could hear my slant-six engine from 1/2 a mile away and came out to greet me, sometimes jumping into the open Dart window. Way too many stories for this response, but some cats are truly extraordinary.

[waterhill]

If mine see the bottom in the middle of the bowls, they think they are gonna die.

[Wuli]

“humans have had a love affair with felines”

False statement; only “some” folks have had a love affair with cats. And, I’d suggest that some has not been most.

I think cats think most humans they have residences with think humans are stupid to do for a cat things no cat would do for any human.

[ArtDodger]

Of course, it was a generalized statement. There are some great cats and dogs out there.

[gitmo]

I was at work one morning and the boss came in, laughing uncontrollably. He waved for me to follow him out to his pickup truck. He opened the hood and pointed at the right front spring. There was a cat inside the spring: it looked like it had been stuffed in there with a plunger. That thing was really stuffed in there. Tom said when he would turn the wheel he would hear this screeching sound. Apparently, the cat was getting pinched when the vehicle went around a corner.

We jacked up the truck to open up the spring a little. We grabbed the cat by the tail and pulled it out. That critter took off running and was never seen again.

[Dr. Sivana]

The simple message I would like to get across is if you do want to have more than one cat, go about it in a careful way—and be prepared to give up on it if it doesn't work.

That is SO untrue. We adopted littermates, male and female. The female (Wendy) got brain cancer at 3. We replaced her with a young orange tabby, and the two cats get along great. The only "tell" is that the newcomer (Marcel) lets the incumbent (Eustace) have at the dry kibbles first. However it works out because Marcel likes some wet food, and the Eustace doesn't care for wet (weird), so he gets dibs on that. They routinely hang out together, and when they think Mrs. Sivana and I have slept in too long, they make a joint entry, both jumping on the bed and walking on us while Marcel squeaks. I refer to them when they are like this as "the committee".

[thesligoduffyflynns]

My fellow cat lovers always remark that I treat my cats as if they are dogs and they respond well. Not only do they obey but they are loving and affectionate