Writings in the Sand

Cat Training - it's good for you

I remember when I first experienced Facebook, I sneered at the number of people who used this great communication medium as a place to share photos of cats. They posted photos of cats all day long - fluffy cats, hairless cats, mischievous cats, fat cats, grumpy cats and cats who “can haz cheeseburger”. I just could not understand it, having been a dog person my whole life. Then, through no fault of my own, I became a cat owner.

My daughter had lobbied for a cat for years and I had remained steadfast. I did not want to be responsible for another pet as I had for the guinea pigs she brought home but tired of maintaining.

One day, nearly two years ago, I was entreated with pitiful pleas. My desire to see my child happy finally overcame my objections. I agreed to let her bring home a cat. This kitten with the tiny, perfect triangle of a head that sat atop long spindly legs, soon won us over with her boundless energy and appetite for fun. Then my daughter decided she was ready to move out on her own. Her own, meaning the cat did not go with her. And that was fine with me.

What I discovered when the cat came into my life is that cats aren’t as aloof or uncaring as they appear. They do care about you, but it’s not in the “just happy to be near you” tail-wagging way that dogs care. Dogs rush to you and win you over with exuberant expressions of their love and devotion. Cats are more subtle. They are so subtle, they don’t even know they are doing it.

Cats naturally exhibit behaviors that appeal to humans. They strike poses that we find irresistibly cute and adorable. With no effort at all, a decent cat can reduce the average owner to emotional mush by just rolling over, resting its head on a paw or displaying those big, round, dilated pupils that strangely, are often called “puppy dog eyes”. If we could resist these poses, these behaviors, then cats would never know that they could manipulate us. Alas, we are driven by instinct, too.

Because a cat who is sitting atop a cat tree, rolling onto its back and flipping its head upside down to look at you cannot be resisted, the owner rushes to the cat instead of the other way around as with a dog. Cats soon learn to lure you, to make you come to them and because they don’t want to make it easy for you, they let you guess what they want until you get it right. Food? Water? Treat? Window open? You want the window up so you can look out and hear the birds? Okay.

Cats do what comes naturally, and in doing so, alter our attitudes and actions. A curled up ball of fur makes us feel protective of something so soft and vulnerable and so, the cat can rely on the human to watch over it while it sleeps. We are satisfied with the feelings we get from viewing such cuteness, and in turn, provide our services and devotion. It’s a perfect arrangement and one that does not cost the cat anything. The cat does not learn to sit, or beg, or heel, or stay. It does not work as an alarm system to warn of strangers approaching. It will not eat your scraps to save you money. The cat does nothing more than be and that is all it takes to train a human to do the heavy lifting in the relationship.

I have realized that I can work to change the world through social media, and use the internet to influence the minds and hearts of all those who might listen, just by posting cute photos of my cat. If we could all just let our hearts be melted by these adorable felines, we wouldn’t have to worry about the future ever again.

The cats would be in charge.