Of dogs are more loving, why does my cat follow me into the bathroom, drape herself over my neck and purrs loudly, great me at the door with meows and purrs? Just because she's not always sitting at my feet?
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[Serious] Why do people who spend lots of time with cats often go crazy?
- Thread starter WhatchaCallKitty
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I consider Theodore as well as any cat I have ever had, to be my companion and buddy. I handle him so much with the grooming and bathing that he is quite attached to me. He comes when I call him. Most of the time he is where I am in the house and he has to watch/help daddy do whatever project he is doing. Theodore plays fetch with me. I imagine some may think me crazy cat guy due to Theo not being the "normal" type of cat and being such a fluff. I have always thought these cats are beautiful and enjoy my interactions with them. I simply feel more of a connection with cats than dogs. And my family had all kinds of animals. I grew up around farms. You come to appreciate nature I guess. These are little free spirits who decide we are OK and decide to bond with us. I feel special for that. There is such a special feeling having your soul touched by them.
Well that explains the lack of picket lines! If the number of cats is a crazy index, Christopher Walken is a crazy man. I'm wondering if you can get a Britney Spears Bald Head Edition. I shudder to imagine how many cats would come with it!
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LOL! Yes, a parasite, not virus (well...a virus is a parasite but a parasite is not always a virus.) There are a lot less parasites overall and they are much more likely to be a problem for a host. But the rest of what I wrote pretty much holds true. I am getting old and forgetful I guess... or maybe its all these cats I have around driving me crazy!Yes. Except that toxoplasma is a parasite not a virus
I love the Archie McPhee Cat Lady figurine! I need to buy it someday. I don't think the cat is green; I think the coloring/lighting is a little wonky.
You can blame the stereotype on solitary women, whether they were widows or "spinsters", who took in cats for companionship. Because cats can seem aloof and had a long history of being associated with evil within many Christian societies, the bad connotations that came with being a woman on her own, especially a "spinster," were seen as parallel to those associated with cats. It morphed a bit into what we know today as the "crazy cat lady" during the Victorian Era when it became the norm for unmarried women of a certain age to have a cat. I had to look it up, but I remembered something about cats and women during the Victorian Era.
"Old maids and cats have long been proverbially associated together, and rightly or wrongly these creatures have been looked upon with a certain degree of suspicion and aversion by a large proportion of the human race.’
Dundee Courier, 5 October 1880.
It can be assumed that the "suspicion and aversion" grew with the more cats a woman had, and, considering spaying and neutering did not start until the 1930s, if you have a couple of cats that are of opposite sexes or the cats can get outside, a woman with a cat was likely to end up with more. A woman who was willing to care for several cats but not have a husband or children were just plain crazy to the wider public.
Dogs, traditionally, were associated with men and as being helpers to men (guards, hunting dogs, what have you), so they could not possibly be seen in the same light.
"Old maids and cats have long been proverbially associated together, and rightly or wrongly these creatures have been looked upon with a certain degree of suspicion and aversion by a large proportion of the human race.’
Dundee Courier, 5 October 1880.
It can be assumed that the "suspicion and aversion" grew with the more cats a woman had, and, considering spaying and neutering did not start until the 1930s, if you have a couple of cats that are of opposite sexes or the cats can get outside, a woman with a cat was likely to end up with more. A woman who was willing to care for several cats but not have a husband or children were just plain crazy to the wider public.
Dogs, traditionally, were associated with men and as being helpers to men (guards, hunting dogs, what have you), so they could not possibly be seen in the same light.
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I feel a bit left out when it comes to the whole "crazy cat lady" thing. What about us, the crazy cat men? We exist too!
Wait, "crazy cat lady" isn't supposed to be a compliment? Are you certain about that? It sounds like one to me.
Seriously, though, when I read the letters to the editor in the cat magazines at the vet's office, it's pretty much 100% female names, and I think I'm pretty well outnumbered here too. It does seem that among cat enthusiasts, women greatly outnumber the men. But in vet's offices, I seem to see as many male cat staffers (dogs have owners, cats have staff) taking the cats in for their various ills and checkups, and when I strike up conversations with them, they are just as enthusiastic as any of the women.
I think that a lot of people inherently "get" dogs more easily because most humans, like dogs (and the wolves they're descended from), are pack animals. They "get" each other right off the bat, and the need for people to form social hierarchies meshes quite well with the dog's tendency to do the same.
Cats, of course, are not pack animals (talking domestic cats, not lions!). That doesn't mean they strive for solitude at all times, though; feral cats will spontaneously form colonies, and we know cats can bond quite strongly with humans as well as other cats. They're not asocial, but they're differently social than dogs, more like introverted humans (like me). Extroversion in humans is considered a positive quality... we always hear about some person described as "outgoing" as if that is a positive, laudable attribute rather than just another neutral demographic tidbit like being tall or having brown hair.
By contrast, introversion is seen as somehow weird, maybe even sinister, like there's something wrong with liking one's alone time and needing a break from people from time to time. I do like some contact with people and I can enjoy it quite substantially, but I can do quite well without it too. In that way, I can relate to the ways of a cat more than with a dog.
The first time I was exposed to cats as an adult in a significant way was with the cat that shortly thereafter became my first cat, several decades ago. I immediately felt a kinship and an inherent rapport that I'd never had with the family dogs I'd had growing up. That was when I discovered that I was a cat person, despite having had dogs for the whole part of my childhood that I can remember.
I don't think people who spend time with cats go crazy. I think there may be an element of people who already have mental illness feeling attracted to cats, particularly with regards to hoarding, which we often hear about in the media. It doesn't mean the cats cause the mental illness... they may actually help the human to cope with it substantially, and that may be an unconscious reason that such people choose to have cats. That is, if there is actually a correlation between mental illness and having cats, which may or may not actually be true.
It's important to remember that correlation does not imply causation. If it did, we could observe that a great percentage of diabetics can be found to have insulin in their homes, and therefore we'd conclude that insulin causes diabetes.
Wait, "crazy cat lady" isn't supposed to be a compliment? Are you certain about that? It sounds like one to me.
Seriously, though, when I read the letters to the editor in the cat magazines at the vet's office, it's pretty much 100% female names, and I think I'm pretty well outnumbered here too. It does seem that among cat enthusiasts, women greatly outnumber the men. But in vet's offices, I seem to see as many male cat staffers (dogs have owners, cats have staff) taking the cats in for their various ills and checkups, and when I strike up conversations with them, they are just as enthusiastic as any of the women.
I think that a lot of people inherently "get" dogs more easily because most humans, like dogs (and the wolves they're descended from), are pack animals. They "get" each other right off the bat, and the need for people to form social hierarchies meshes quite well with the dog's tendency to do the same.
Cats, of course, are not pack animals (talking domestic cats, not lions!). That doesn't mean they strive for solitude at all times, though; feral cats will spontaneously form colonies, and we know cats can bond quite strongly with humans as well as other cats. They're not asocial, but they're differently social than dogs, more like introverted humans (like me). Extroversion in humans is considered a positive quality... we always hear about some person described as "outgoing" as if that is a positive, laudable attribute rather than just another neutral demographic tidbit like being tall or having brown hair.
By contrast, introversion is seen as somehow weird, maybe even sinister, like there's something wrong with liking one's alone time and needing a break from people from time to time. I do like some contact with people and I can enjoy it quite substantially, but I can do quite well without it too. In that way, I can relate to the ways of a cat more than with a dog.
The first time I was exposed to cats as an adult in a significant way was with the cat that shortly thereafter became my first cat, several decades ago. I immediately felt a kinship and an inherent rapport that I'd never had with the family dogs I'd had growing up. That was when I discovered that I was a cat person, despite having had dogs for the whole part of my childhood that I can remember.
I don't think people who spend time with cats go crazy. I think there may be an element of people who already have mental illness feeling attracted to cats, particularly with regards to hoarding, which we often hear about in the media. It doesn't mean the cats cause the mental illness... they may actually help the human to cope with it substantially, and that may be an unconscious reason that such people choose to have cats. That is, if there is actually a correlation between mental illness and having cats, which may or may not actually be true.
It's important to remember that correlation does not imply causation. If it did, we could observe that a great percentage of diabetics can be found to have insulin in their homes, and therefore we'd conclude that insulin causes diabetes.
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I don't believe that "people who have cats GO crazy". I feel like those who fit the stereotype of "crazy cat lady" already have a mental illness of sorts, the stereotype I'm referring to would be a kin to someone in a hoarding situation. It's not the cats who made them become "crazy", but they find comfort and purpose with their furry felines. Although a hoarding situation is not healthy, cats are the perfect living being to fulfill the need that a hoarder has.
Then you have those (like many members on this site), who simply love their cats, and have the means to care for many at one time.
I have to agree with a point that someone else made about those who are more introverted tend to gravitate towards a cat as a preferred pet. What bugs me (just a bit) is how an introvert is seen by society - antisocial people haters - which is SO not the case, which I'm sure plays into the "crazy" part of our title. I'm very much an introvert, and cats just make sense to me. I do love all animals but I have a connection with our feline friends. Some people will tease me about being a crazy cat lady because of the care and attention I provide my cats...and I only have three. But it is a term that I take with great pride. Those same people who will tease, are also the ones who say that any cat that is cared for by me, is a cat who won the lottery, so how can I be upset about being a crazy cat lady when it means that I'm a loving, caring and awesome cat mom?
Then you have those (like many members on this site), who simply love their cats, and have the means to care for many at one time.
I have to agree with a point that someone else made about those who are more introverted tend to gravitate towards a cat as a preferred pet. What bugs me (just a bit) is how an introvert is seen by society - antisocial people haters - which is SO not the case, which I'm sure plays into the "crazy" part of our title. I'm very much an introvert, and cats just make sense to me. I do love all animals but I have a connection with our feline friends. Some people will tease me about being a crazy cat lady because of the care and attention I provide my cats...and I only have three. But it is a term that I take with great pride. Those same people who will tease, are also the ones who say that any cat that is cared for by me, is a cat who won the lottery, so how can I be upset about being a crazy cat lady when it means that I'm a loving, caring and awesome cat mom?
What a great compliment that would be!
If a woman who cares a lot for cats is the "crazy cat lady," I wonder how guys like me who love cats are perceived. As you note, introversion is not a valued trait in our society, and even though we've come a long way, neither are things perceived as feminine when done by males. A lot of people perceive feline as going with female. I don't care, personally; I love cats and I don't care if everyone knows it.
My brother is a crazy cat guy too... and he's a shaven head, tattooed, muscular manly-man type. One of his tattoos is a paw print from one of the cats he and his wife had, which he got in remembrance after she (the cat) passed on. He's like me, melting when he sees a cat somewhere, perhaps confounding people who know him as a tough guy type. He doesn't care about that either (if he did, I doubt he would have gotten a cat paw tattoo).
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My husband is just as "crazy" as I am. And he's proud of it also. My husband is much more of an extrovert, very social and has more friends and acquaintances than any person needs, although he does like his alone time too. He doesn't "look" like the tough guy but is a "man's man" yet he is openly loving and caring about our cats and get's nothing but compliments and support from everyone. I think it's much more common and "accepted" to be a cat lover than it used to be...at least where I'm from.
And I have noticed that there are quite a few men who are cat lovers, or simply animal lovers and very often they are the "man's man looking type". I've often noticed that it's usually the big guys that have the softest heart.
One of our more active members of our local rescue group looked like a mean scary biker dude, yet the kindness and gentle way he worked with even the most feral cats was astounding...he had a way with our felines. He unfortunately passed last year. A photo of him was posted online. This huge scary dude, with the big scruffy beard, tattoos, the whole nine yards...cradling a tiny little kitten, nuzzled up in his neck...so, so sweet. He will be missed.
