Little People in Fur Coats

To state the obvious, cats are a lot like people. They like to hang out together, and they also appreciate their privacy. Some need more sleep than others, and some love their food more. I also notice that some of my kitties just pack on the weight...and, yet, all things appear equal otherwise.

Like people, my cats have their favorite toys. Miki and Rudy prefer the occasional moving live bug, but Sophie is partial to very small furry mice. She does not play with balls other than to shove them into closets through the crack under the doors, or to gather them behind drapery in the far corner of the living room. She is very particular about which interactive wand toy she deigns to play with. Santino prefers the new crunchy foil balls sold in pet stores, and a particular kind of mouse of crocheted gray yarn. I find mice of all descriptions in both dry food dishes, which never fails to crack me up!:-)

Perhaps, some people would not agree with me that cats definitely have...or don't....a sense of humor, as well as either a good, happy attitude or a grumpy one. It seems to be determined both by nature and nurture. I imagine Rudy grinning frequently, whereas Miki definitely has a grumpy outlook. Santino is a happy kitty, and thinks life is all good as long as no one else comes into the house. He starts purring when he sees me! He is also very, very vocal about demanding treats, while the others beg quietly. :-) Rudy is the only real "talker", holding melodic trilling monologues often.
I think that genetics provides the "raw materials" for survival, a well (or not) formed and healthy body and brain, and breed characteristics in the case of a carefully bred cat. After that, though, nurture takes over. What fascinates me is that in humans end results depend on the interpretations as well as the decisions each individual makes about what has happened and is happening to them, but what about cats?

Cats do not all react the same, so obviously...to me :-)....they have interpretive and decision making powers, meaning, high intelligence. As cat lovers, all of us probably already knew this.