In Defence of the Feline

I notice that Doctor Vee has taken agin cats. The debate traces back to shuggy and the flying rodent. A couple of things spring to mind on reading some of the silly comments (accepting that some of them are deliberately silly).

Intelligence, aloofness and cruelty. Actually that’s three things…

The flying rodent questions cats’ widely presumed intelligence. Quite apart from research demonstrating that they are able to solve practical problems due to their instinctive inquisitiveness and opportunistic nature, any observation of them evidences this inquisitive nature and its indication of a degree of intelligence. One of our cats appears to be convinced that a mouse she once chased is still hiding behind the skirting board and checks periodically should it make a run for it. Of course, I could just be imagining it…

Doctor Vee and others appear to dislike cats’ aloofness; equating it to arrogance that would be unacceptable in human beings. This misses a vital point; they are not human beings and to attribute such features as arrogance is to indulge in anthropomorphism. The domestic cat, unlike the dog, is a solitary animal and does not display the same social behaviours inherent in a pack animal. It is this independence that appeals to those of us who share our lives with them. While they can and do live in groups, they are essentially solitary beings preferring to walk alone rather than in a group. This ability to manage by themselves makes them ideal companions for people with busy lifestyles – we can come and go and the cat is indifferent to it all. Why, Doctor Vee and The Flying Rodent appear to ask, do we share our lives with a creature that is indifferent to us, that couldn’t care whether we are there or not and, in exchange for bed and board, uses our legs as a scratching post, pukes over the carpet and may; if we are lucky; treat us to a purr. Chaps, you miss the point. It is precisely because of their indifference that cats are so appealing to those of us who adore and admire them. That and they are beautiful creatures to watch. A cat sitting on one’s lap gently purring lowers the blood pressure and relieves the stress of the workaday world – at least that’s what the research tells us. From personal experience, I find it relaxing and somewhat less damaging to my health than alcohol or tobacco. These creatures stay with me for no other reason than it suits them. They demands nothing of me that I do not willingly give. Our relationship is symbiotic. I do not own the cats in my life – I share my life with them and they with me. The relationship is voluntary.

There are complaints about hygiene (and morality, FFS!?!) on the Flying Rodent’s site. The Flying Rodent is doing as Doctor Vee is; indulging in anthropomorphism. What people see as unhygienic is simply grooming activity and is perfectly natural. Indeed, there is far too much obsession in modern society with making the world clean and hygienic to the point where we are no longer exposed to pathogens to the disadvantage of our immune systems.

Then there’s that old cliché about cruelty. This, from Doctor Vee:

They are pure evil. Full stop.

No, good doctor, they are not evil. Cats do not rationalise, therefore they are not capable of evil. People are, cats are not. Nature appears cruel to our eyes, but, then, we have the ability of reason. Cats do not. They are hunters first and foremost. That they have adapted to a life as symbiotic scavengers is simply a consequence of evolution. They are still at heart, hunters. The toying with their prey is nothing more than instinctive behaviour. In her book; Chats With Cats, Celia Haddon explains the instinctive hunting programming hard wired into the cat’s brain:

The hunting programme, installed by nature into the cat’s brain, is a set sequence of moves. These occur in a predictable serial order, one action succeeding another…

• See or hear prey.
• Stalk prey. This can take some time, with the animal slinking, then stopping to look. There is sometimes a final fast run forward. pounce on prey and grab. This is often a grabbing bite, or the victim may be held down by a paw with claws out.
• Bite prey. This is the killing bite at the nape of the neck.
• Tear off skin or feathers.
• Eat.

All these actions are immensely rewarding and fulfilling for the cat that performs them. Happiness for a cat is doing what it was designed to do: hunt. The hunting sequence is almost a compulsion. Each action follows the other; sometimes one move can’t be performed until the previous moves have preceded it. The sequence often stays in its set order.

In other words; it’s nature and nature is frequently fatal for organisms lower down in the food chain. It is not cruelty, it is survival of the fittest.

Perhaps, though, before accusing cats of cruelty (another example of anthropomorphism), the accusers might want to ponder on this; there is only one organism on the planet that kills purely for pleasure; is prepared to annihilate other species for its own ends; is prepared to cold bloodedly wipe out thousands of its own kind for spurious reasons such as power, greed, personal gain and hatred. That organism is not a cat.

One final thought; I can contemplate a life without human interaction. I cannot imagine life without a cat.