I often ask myself how much time I'm wasting online trying to figure out what's going on inside cats. In the end, I did what most people do when they struggle, which is to ask Google.
My search history shows that in the two years I've been a cat owner, I've asked Google 17 questions like "How do I know if my cat likes me?" or "Is my cat happy?"
How I love cats, let me count them all. When three-year-old Larry stared at me with a curious, free-spirited look, I loved the click of his twitching jaw. And little six-month-old Caddy, who often follows me, meowing in cadence, and I can't get enough of it. If it growls impatiently, it means it wants to eat; if it starts buzzing low, it means it wants someone to play with. I love being stomped on by Larry at night and woken up by Caddy licking his eyes in the morning. However, what are these two little guys actually thinking, and how can I be sure?
Little is known about cat behavior, says Carol Siracusa of the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. Cats are very territorial animals, she said: "Their behavior changes as the environment changes. So when you look at cats in the lab, you don't necessarily see their daily habits."
Other factors also contribute to the cat's Research is relatively lagging behind. "Cats didn't make a good impression in the past," Siracusa said. For a long time, cats have been the object of human vilification. In the Middle Ages, cats were seen as friends of witches and were often tortured or even burned to death. "People think cats have no morals and are the embodiment of evil," says philosopher John Gray, author of "The Philosophy of Cats: Cats and the Meaning of Life."
Much of what we know about cats today is based on observations made by scientists at home. Yes, many scientists have cats. "I'm a cat lover," said Saho Takagi, a psychologist at Kyoto University. "I first decided to keep cats because of their mysteriousness. What do cats think? How do they perceive the world? These questions are deeply fascinating. Follow me on this research.”
In the newly published paper, Takagi pointed out that cats can determine the location of their owners based on their voices, even if they can't actually see them. In the experiment, the researchers played recordings of cat owners calling them. Once the location of the sound source was changed, the cat appeared startled. "This shows that cats are still very concerned about their owners," Takagi said. "They may be secretly watching their owners' every move, trying to guess what will happen next."
A common saying about cats is that these willfuls The little ones will only use humans as providers of cat litter and cat food. "Actually, cats have feelings for people," Siracusa said, "and also for other animals." Cats usually express their feelings by approaching each other, "such as running to your room, or staying by your side. ". Extroverted cats will sleep directly on or next to their owners, as well as with other cats. Generally, though, cats don't like being kissed.
The misconception that cats don’t care about their owners actually stems from humans themselves—their frustration that cats can’t express their feelings the way humans do. "Cats aren't pack animals," says Karen Histand, a specialist in clinical veterinary medicine at the University of Sussex, "and they don't need friends." Of course, if you have a lot of cats, you might have the chance to see them interacting with each other. Mao's way of expressing love. Larry and Caddy are like that sometimes, and they're homely cute.
Histend also said that cats are also depressed, but we shouldn't use the word "depressed" to describe cats. "Terms describing the human state of mind should not be applied to other species," she said. "Cat behavior tends to be more subtle. When cats are unhappy, they usually stay motionless and don't do anything, so it's hard to get caught." Notice. We may be accustomed to thinking that cats will show their teeth and yowl when they are upset, but unless they reach the limit, they generally don’t do that.”
Cats also have memories, which I know very well. Last year, Larry accidentally touched an induction cooker and burned his paw, and he hasn't been to the kitchen for months since. "Memory is associated with emotion," Siracusa explained, "and memory that triggers negative emotions is more conducive to the survival of the species."
Cats just follow their own nature.
Of course, cats can also remember common things. The researchers placed the cat's favorite food in a designated bowl and then switched to another bowl. They found that the cat could not only remember the previous bowl, but also the scene when it happened. "This means that cats can look back on something that happened once," Takagi said. "This is what we often call 'episodic memory', and it's the same memory model as humans." However, cats' frontal lobes are underdeveloped and unpredictable. Going forward, Siracusa added: "They can't make long-term plans."
The author and her kitten Larry, most cats enjoy scratching the right spot, but overall, they don't like kisses and cuddles.
After all, what is going on in the cat's little brain? "It's a difficult question to answer," Siracusa said. "It seems to me that they are thinking about how to protect themselves, keep away from enemies, and maybe something nice, like eating a fat mouse. Of course, Since they live in the human world, what they think about should also be related to us. In short, safety and happiness are their first priorities." She paused, then laughed: "But I may just put my own Thoughts are projected into the cat's heart."
As I wrote this article, I became more and more obsessed with understanding the cat's thoughts. Of course, I can watch their every move in front of me, but what are they doing when I'm not home? To find out, I purchased an indoor surveillance camera from a home security company. I've seen cats kick pens off my desk, scratch my overpriced ergonomic chair, and drink dirty water from discarded glass bottles. They passed the time carefree and didn't care or care about my absence. Most cats don't wait for their owners to come back, just as they don't pick up balls or go vegan at other people's orders, they just do what they want.
In this way, the practice of the ancient Egyptians is more worthy of reference. They worshiped cats - the goddess Mut, who was seen as the mother of the pharaohs, was often seen in the form of cats. Perhaps, the relationship between humans and cats should follow the practice of the ancients. After all, cats don't need to be understood, they just need to be worshipped.
.jpeg)
