When the truth is hidden deeper; people love having cats, and are looking for ways to make their cat experiences even more satisfying.
After all, the Internet is also full of parenting advice; and most of it is targeted at solving problems. Yet no one thinks this should dissuade anyone from having children; the joy is a given assumption.
And so it is with cats.
Humans enjoy pets out of the same nurturing impulses that reap happiness from parenting. Pets work in more situations, are less expensive, and have variables that are closer to our control. They are an outlet accessible even before and after our biological progeny window. They are accessible to any age and most circumstances.
It’s the impulse to love and be loved that can be accessed throughout our whole lives.
I often run across the saying, “When you get to three, you are a Crazy Cat Person.” I would hate to think such a saying would deter anyone from doing what makes them happy.
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Because when people enjoy collecting ancient coins, or running marathons, or painting pictures, the world is approving and celebratory. The world admires devotion and dedication.
Unless the object is cats.
What’s most bizarre to me is that the unspoken assumption the world applies to most Endeavors of Delight is that the person must get something out of their pursuit; something wonderful that is worth the effort.
Unless the object is cats.
The cutoff point, that magic number three, is instinctively understood to be when the barrel goes over the edge of the falls.
It’s an accurate understanding; three cats is when we have a Cat Civilization. When their communication starts to develop a fine and subtle edge, when their antics become more elaborate and amusing, when we realize that there’s something going on in front of us and behind us.
Yes, the cats are plotting and scheming and negotiating and maneuvering. They are working their environment, they are working the other cats, they are working us.
It has all the enjoyable gear-meshing of a good caper movie, the emotional involvement of an epic novel, the mental satisfaction of working out a complex puzzle. Throughout history people have become besotted with drama, art, and games involving narratives of heroic endeavors, cooperation and competition, and the building of vast imaginary alternate realities.
These are all considered to be demanding, elaborate, and rewarding pursuits.
Unless the object is cats.
Cats are considered an exception to the Passion Rules because much of the world thinks cats are not affectionate. The myth is that cats are simply cold-blooded opportunists who con us out of food and shelter, are indifferent to our overtures, and would not miss us if we were gone.
In this view, people who collect cats are suckers. They are deluded, victims of a mad belief that cats make good pets, driven to get more because they are actually mentally ill; maybe they do hold down jobs and volunteer and parent and do all the other things normal people do, but they must be crazy to enjoy cats.
If the part of the world who thinks that way gave it any further thought, they might get the glimmer of a suspicion that if this is a delusion, it is one that is remarkably widespread.
There are bird fanciers with aviaries in their home, there are dog professionals who preside over their own pack, there are herpetologists, budding and academic, who keep aquariums full of snakes. But there is no other pet that so many people acquire in such abundance, worldwide.
It makes me think that the part of the world who thinks that way; should brighten up and get with the program.
Is there a skeptic in your life? Could this article explain your feelings?
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There’s more ways to get our cat to be affectionate in The Way of Cats than the article you are reading now. See all of my CAT AFFECTION posts.
I LOVE this one Pammy! It is so well-written and so very true!
I’m not much of one for the “crazy cat lady” label, as it often implies both a dislike of women and a dislike of cats on the part of the speaker. (And, in my experience, sexism and cat-hating often come bundled in the same person, which is interesting to me.) It also reinforces the idea of cats as “girls’ pets” and “old folks’ pets” which annoys me to no end. It also encourages the conflation of people who own many cats with animal hoarders, when the two are not the same.
I would applaud such wariness if it typically came as an expression of concern for the animals involved, but it’s not. It’s merely a condemnation of someone deemed “eccentric” because they have affection for an animal widely perceived as manipulative and coldhearted, to the extent that they acquire more than a couple of them. And make no mistake, you can get called a “cat lady” at one cat if you happen to meet the other criteria for cat-lady-dom, such as being old and living alone and being generally weird.
I have to admit that I am really uncomfortable with using the word “collect” in reference to the process of acquiring living animals and giving them good homes with good care, and I have to acknowledge that this isn’t like collecting stamps or coins in that there does come a point of diminishing returns for the animals themselves, when the owners have “collected” beyond their means. Cats are frequent victims of animal hoarding. I have had a run-in with one of these desperately ill individuals and it’s an ugly and miserably depressing thing. I don’t want to be confused with that kind of person. And frankly, I think “crazy cat lady” is a completely inadequate term to describe these people. I think it trivializes the suffering this illness causes, among both the humans and their helpless charges.
I have had many run-ins, too, with despicably irresponsible dog owners, and I wonder why there is not a pejorative term for the sort of disgusting oaf who leaves his dogs outside all day long to bark and bark and bark or to jump the fence and attack other animals (cats, usually) and strew garbage up and down the street. In addition to the misery they inflict on their neglected animals, these “dumb*** dog dudes” can drive their neighbors to literal madness with their inconsiderate boneheaded stupidity. I had five of these morons on the street I lived on until late last year, for a total of nine to twelve dogs, depending on whether the guy next door had his sister and her dogs staying with him that week. I moved to prevent myself from doing something unforgivable.
Six indoor cats will at least be quiet. Two or three ill-kept dogs are enough to make a whole street miserable.
i just love it…. dumb dog dude……
I read somewhere that the culture & media bias against cats is worse in some countries (such as the US) than others. Where is it better though?
And how about the latest “scientific study” about cats to hit the news? I really hated the spin on that one – I am talking about “how cats manipulate their owners with soliciting purrs.” I fail to see how a well-cared-for animal would need to manipulate their owner to get basics like daily feeding and a minimum level of affection, which is what the articles seemed to imply. You know, basic responsibilities that an owner should be doing anyway, hopefully because they love their pet? If you need to be manipulated in order to NOT neglect a pet there’s something wrong, and its not the fact that it’s a cat!
Its so depressing. I don’t have the social skills to fight it, so I just try not to bring up the subject of cats when there might be haters around.
Very nice article…if you think about it, people don’t own cats…cats own people! lol
Scoopable Cat Litter´s last blog ..Scoopable Cat Litter: Feline Pine
Well I sure am a crazy cat person. But like someone else said, I don’t own the cats, they own me. I am not even going to tell how many hang out here. But what am I to do, NOT feed them. And for sure, it is really hard to find them all a good home.
So I am the Queen of the Crazy Cat people. 3, I wish I only had 3. LOL
Margaret Elmendorf´s last blog ..Why does you dog dig and what to do about it??
Like so much of what people do and say unthinkingly, denigrating people for liking cats makes as much sense as making fun of smart kids, who might grow up to take out your appendix.
I know sometimes people find out I have three cats, and they get puzzled-looking. Like they can’t figure out why anyone would want to.
Oh I almost forgot! I have found a site to meet lots of other ‘crazy cat ladies’ online in a hate-free atmosphere! In some areas, they are even making friends in real life and meeting up. Soon we will take over the world, muahaha!:
Catster.com – if you can deal with the Myspace-like pages and tradition of most owners speaking as their pet, it can be well worth joining.
I must admit the whole thing about the cats “posting” takes a little getting used to. But it does promote thinking like a cat!