Adopting a Domesticated Cat
Saturday, January 3rd, 2009 Subscribe To Our Feed
The domesticated cat of today has become the pet of choice for huge number of people worldwide. In the United States alone, more than 30 million domestic cats now eclipse the dog population by several million, with the gap growing ever wider every day. Why has the domestic feline become so popular? What is it about this puzzling animal that appeals to so many of us?
One possible reason certainly has to be the inscrutable personality of the cat. Extremely intelligent, it possess an exceptional combination of characteristics not found in other domestic pets. Intriguing and quiet, self-sufficent amd poised, athletic and fastidious, the cat is rarely needy. It appreciates company but is also content to pass the time alone for hours on end, making it an ideal pet for single people especially, let alone families.
This autonomous trait, a result of cats in the wild living alone by themselves, gives the household cat a slightly haughty attitude about life; for them, the sun does not rise and fall around humans, although they will take us when they can get us, thank you very much.
The ability cats have to survive, with or without the aid of humans may just be one of the primary reasons why we like them so much. Emotionally needy pets (or people) tend to wear one down after a while; cats are charismatic egocentric creatures. This, combined with their beauty, grace, dignity, and ease of care, make them always desirable.
Humans also love cats because they say, ” we are your roommate, not your servant,” and for their capacity to realise the value in taking a nap. And who can fail to appreciate the cat’s clean, fastidious nature and built-in toilet training? Good luck getting a Schnauzer puppy to use a litter tray!
Cats enjoy all the consideration we humans give to them, though they will, given the chance, never confess it. They are content to stay with us because we love them and carr for them, but if we disappeared from the Earth tomorrow, chances are the cat would feel sorrowful for a (short) time, meow some, and then get on with the business of finding a furry morsel to eat – all the while laughing at the millions of aimless, brokenhearted pooches wandering around aimlessly, trying to gigure out what to do next.
If my life experience is anything to go by, closer ties have been developed with a cat when an owner doesn’t smother the animal with unwanted affection at times when the cat just wants its own space. As my grandmother used to say: “You’ll never own a cat but one may choose to live with you”.
