Cat Owners Explain How "Dog People" Often Misread Cat Body Language
Cat lovers know the look: the slow blink, the belly flop, the sudden swat that gets mistaken for attitude. A Tumblr user, Rabbit In Headlights, jumped into that debate with a playful explanation of why some dog people think cats are mean when they are really just being cats.
The post breaks down a few common cat behaviors that often get read the wrong way, from exposed bellies to intense staring. It also taps into a bigger conversation about how people interpret cat body language, especially when they expect cats to act more like dogs. Read on.
Are Cats Evil? No.
Cat Belly
More Cat Belly
Cats have a way of getting blamed for body language that is really just cat behavior.
Cat Snaps
Loner Cat
That is where the misunderstanding usually starts.
Cat Slaps
Cat Staring Session
Cats Blinking
The idea that felines don't like humans, even their owners, isn't new. It resurfaced not long ago with British research suggesting that in unfamiliar situations, felines don't see their owners as a safety figure in the way that a human child perceives a parent.
Media outlets really had a field day, and the deceptive headlines on this matter included "Sorry, But Your Cat Really Doesn't Need You Around," "Your Cat Doesn't Care About You," and the all-time classic "Your Cat Hates You." However, the study conveyed something quite different.
Most of these clickbait articles failed to mention that the analysis wasn't about affection. To quote LiveScience, "Ask any cat person, however, and they would swear that Mr. Whiskers does love them."
They may be right. The new findings simply mean that cats don't see their human companions as parent-like figures.
For instance, in the Strange Situation test, parents don't form a secure attachment to their babies because they don't see their children as a 'safe base' - but it would be wildly inaccurate to say that parents don't love their kids. It may simply be that feline-human love is rooted in something other than dependence.
Like the vet-office standoff where a scared cat owner told others to keep dogs away.
Want more cat owner chaos? Read how a random Facebook user told everyone to “seek help.”
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