Cats and Others

Cats and Others isn’t a good title for a page. Cats don’t seem to need others much and don’t seem to want them, but in reality cats do need others. They need other cats and the need their humans. You may not think that they need you but they do and it shows in the way they love you and you know that you’ll love them all the more for occasionally showing them that you need them.

They need you when they’re hungry, they need you when they want stroking, they need you when they want somewhere comfy to lie down and they need you when they want someone to show that they love their cats, and we all do it. You can be feeling fed up and depressed but it your cat needs you it makes you feel a lot better.

There was one time I had lost my job and money was already tight. I hadn’t done anything wrong but the company was in the middle of a major restructuring and I was just in the way. I went home and couldn’t talk to my wife about it or the kids so who did I talk to, I talked to Tigger.

I took him into my den with me and just hugged him and talked to him. I hugged him tightly which is something he doesn’t like but he could sense I needed him and he just stayed with me. He didn’t struggle to get away he just accepted that I needed him and he maybe thought that sometimes he needs me so he was repaying the favor for once. He just accepted that I needed him there and then.

I don’t suppose this is about cats and others, its more about Tigger and me. What about cats and others. Well cats can be very wary about being with people who they are not used to. Don’t make them sit on other peoples laps if they don’t want to. If your cat wants to sit on someone’s lap or be petted by them then your cat will decide who it likes not you. Just let your cat make up its own mind about how they respond to others.

When I was in the Andalusian Mountains in southern Spain, the villa owners where I was staying, Di and John had a cat called Fred. They were a lovely couple who were very friendly, always helpful, had a beautiful house and Di loved cats just like me. Well they lived next door to the villa I was in and I saw Fred every day as he went round his neighborhood checking on the things that cats check on. There was something wrong as I spent the full 3 weeks I was there trying to get close to Fred but he wouldn't let me get close. I seem to have this ability to coax cats to me for a stroke at least, or a quick tickle under then chin, but not Fred. Well I eventually found out what the problem was. Fred had been rescued in the UK by Di and John’s daughter from a vat of oil and had been thrown there by a man. As a result Fred didn't like men. He was OK with women but not men, hardly surprising really when you think what some people can do to pets.

Fred had a friend, Concha who was a feral cat, well still is really but she's now part domesticated and she has adopted Di. She sometimes sleeps on her bed, she brings Di presents of dead animals and lizards and she eats Di’s food. It took Di a long time to gain the confidence of Concha, but she did it with soothing talk and most importantly food. Cats cannot resist a good feed especially when they don't have to catch it. I couldn't get anywhere near Concha either and when I got close she ran off, but the surprising thing is I could get closer to Concha than to Fred. This is a picture of Concha. I couldn’t get Fred to stay still long enough to get a shot when I had the camera. You can tell how wary she is towards strangers from her eyes and body language.

So just remember, don't force your cat to be loving with others. Your cat will decide what is best for it not you. If you end up trying to force your cat to be with others when it doesn't want to watch out for the claws I told you about earlier. Your cat will decide who it does and doesn't like, not you and this is especially important with children. Children love cats but cats and children sometimes do not mix. Remember you don't own your cat and make decisions for it, it owns you and makes its own mind up.