Could be the type of pet, the breed, how they behave, their relationship…anything about the pet that informs you on their human.
If they don’t like cats because you can’t train a cat, and/or cats seemingly hate them, I consider it a warning sign they want people to obey them rather than exist with them.
Cats can’t be trained like a dog. So when people complain about that and don’t like them for that, I consider it a sign of “I want you to obey me, don’t question it.”
I also suspect they’ll have issues respecting boundaries. Most people I know who’re bad with cats are also bad at that.
One time I was dating this girl. She had 4 cats, and recently got a dog. She had ZERO self control with that dog. She straight up ignored the cats, let the dog do whatever it wanted, and could NOT understand why her cats didn’t like the dog.
Well, it’s all about body language. The dog was acting like it’s never been given attention in its life. It would run full speed at the cats, and then dive at them full speed. The cats did not like that. But this girl just said “See??? These cats have become so hateful since I got the dog!”
Uhhhh, no. The cats just don’t like an animal 2X their size and 15X their weight divebombing them. They see you treat the dog better than them, and so don’t view you as their protector anymore.
Then she said “You won’t be able to pet the cats. Don’t worry, its not you, it’s them.”
I’d say within 20 minutes I was holding one in my arms, one on my lap, one napping at my legs, and the skittish 4th one was making progress towards me.
She was right that it’s not me, but she was wrong about it being the cats fault. It was HER fault.
I never met any of her friends, but she said the cats never warmed up to ANY of her friends. This tells me her friends were just as self unaware of their body language as she was.
The cats warmed up to me because when I first got there, I didn’t chase them down demanding I pet them. I stuck my hand out, allowed her to sniff my hand, and the cat said no. She didn’t even want to sniff my hand. So I said “ok, thats cool too.” And I just maintained body language that I was calm and not a threat, but if she wanted to come say hi, she could.
Thats all it is. Just making sure they know they can be comfortable around you. And the girl I was dating at the time didn’t understand that.
100%. I’ve had a lot of similar experiences with people telling me their cats are mean or they don’t like strangers only for it to love me because I know how to respect it’s body language. When I was younger I was dating a girl who still lived at home and her family had 2 dogs and 3 cats. The dogs and one of the cats were totally chill and friendly to everyone. The other cat was younger and was constantly bolting around the house trying to play fight with everything. The third cat didn’t want to be involved in any of this so usually hung out in their parents bedroom unless she was eating. When I started coming over they told me she didn’t like people. It took me like 3 visits to have her coming down to sit with me when I came over and it was just like you said. When she was going by let her sniff my hand and pet her if she allowed it. If not leave her alone. It’s not that hard if you respect their boundaries.
They can be trained. https://youtu.be/Uu-hRtkaVLc shows a bunch of stuff in a few minutes. I wouldn’t train mine because that sounds like a lot of work for something that is just fine without the training, but it is definitely possible.
You just spend time with them and show them what to do and what not to do. It’s not that hard, as long as you pay attention to them.
Sorry about the double reply, but I watched that video and I can’t agree with doing that kind of training with your cat. It’s impressive, but it’s also treating your cat like a circus clown, in my opinion.
I get your reason for sharing it. I just wanted to express that is not what regular people should try to be doing with their pets. Everyday activities and training with a cat is way way simpler than that clip.
Cats are an experiment in consent
Cats are waaay easier to train than dogs too!
Cats can be taught how to do stuff, and if there is the right bond, they’ll do the action when you ask. I say that because I’ve known a lot of people with cats that could do “tricks” (e.g. a friend had a cat that would go fetch his backscratcher after work because the cat LOVED that scratcher and knew it meant something positive to the cat.).
By contrast I know a few people with crazy cats and its almost like you (as an outside observer) can see the tension and dislike for each other radiating from both the cat and person. Most of the people with crazy cats only really seem to feed them and clean up after them. The people with awesome cats always seem to do more with them (playing, cuddling, etc), they just seem to have a better relationship with each other.
I don’t particularly care for cats because I have a mild allergy to them. It’s not that they can’t be trained but because they make me want to scratch my eyes out lol
Generally the way they interact with the pet. Do they have empathy and respect for the pet or do they expect it to be and do what they want. You can usually pick up on this pretty quickly.
If stray cats in a town are friendly, that means the community is friendly. If they’re timid, beware the people.
I have a cat that’s afraid of plastic bags, what does that tell you? Cats are just weird it’s not really a good idea to base their reactions on anything.
My parents used to have a cat that was afraid of vans but not any other type of vehicle, event or situation. What’s that about?
I keep asking the pets for their owners secrets but they don’t tell me? I’ve tried pats, compliments and treats? Am I doing it wrong? How are you getting them to tell you about their owners?
Nothing … unless it’s a parrot
In Australia theres a very specific breed of bird that generally (although not always) indicates that a man is gay.
If a guy has ever had a cockatoo, theres a good chance he is gay.
Well duh it’s right in the name
Who doesn’t enjoy a cockatoo on the weekend?
I stereotype that all animals are a reflection of their owner’s behaviors. Mostly because I’ve shaped every animal I’ve ever been around for more than a few weeks. It is likely my consistent routine, intuition, and self awareness. I don’t put up with crap, I reward good behavior, but I punish bad behavior. I primarily withdraw my attention in a pronounced way, but when an animal intentionally acts out by biting, stealing, scratching or trespassing intentionally, I toss a pillow at them. It only takes a couple of times and it stops the behavior to the point where I only need to grab a pillow in the future. I might need to toss a pillow once or twice a year. Above all, I am simply consistent in positive attention. My cats come when I call, one will fetch toys, the other asks to be brushed. We all prefer quiet. I am never scratched, bitten, or threatened with play biting or scratching. I’ve had a dog that played by the same rules. But like, when people come over I herd them into my room, there is a hideaway under my bed. I make new toys out of junk all the time, etc. All of my pets are like this, so I view all pets as a reflection of the consistency, self awareness, and intelligence of their owners.
Just a question, no offense - are you diagnosed with ASD?
I’m in social isolation from disability. On a full day of testing for cognitive effects from a massive head injury with a psychologist, I’m well above average in every category tested. I’m an outlier for functional thought with an abstract focus based on intuitive thinking skills. It is not ASD. I can seem odd to some opposing personalities, but these seem just as odd to me.
To me it’s mostly the emphasis on consistency and routine that stood out. Best wishes
2 Dogs, 17 chickens, 5 hermit crabs, 1 fish, 4 shrimp, 1 snail, 1 silverfish. Tell me.
Silverfish?? Like the guys who crawl around your bathroom?
I had a decent idea until the silverfish, I think you’re an alien abductor now and this is your sick collection.
Smallholder with a leaky aquarium. Possibly vegetarian. Show the silverfish to the chickens if you don’t want to murder it yourself :-)
What is a silverfish? Like… The bug? Perhaps this is a regional thing
My sweet daughter rescued it from the bathroom.
Wait you didn’t include your kids in that list?
I thought about it, but no.
You sound a lot like me is what I’m saying.
eats the shrimp
Hey, you’re out of shrimp.
Don’t have a dog ATM, but when I did, and had scummy friends and neighbors, I noticed that thieves are always afraid of dogs.
a dog ATM
Is that like a golden goose?
Insert food: receive dog poo
Jackpot!!!
I have (have) had 13 cats at one time. I’m down to 6.
That’s too many cats.
Bruh I said I’m down to 6.
And can you blame me?
I mean look at them…
Well, yeah… when you put it that way.
I told a girl I moved in with that we have a limit on pets. Either 1 dog, or 2 cats. Thats it. I’m not going to be walking down the street with 15 dogs, and a room dedicated to cat litter boxes.
Zero cats? Maybe you need a cat.
One cat? Maybe your cat needs a friend.
Two cats? This is an acceptable amount number of cats.
Three cats? This is getting out of hand, but maybe you found a foster cat that you decided to permanently home.
Four cats? You’re officially the crazy cat lady from the simpsons.
Unless they own a parrot, not much.
Not much
I have a cat, a dog, a rabbit, and chickens. Now I’m wondering what people assume about me because of them.
I think people who have active dog breeds (like shepherds, huskies, and other working dogs) are probably active themselves. Beyond that it’s more telling to me how they treat their pet, regardless of what kind of pet it is.
I have multiple fish tanks and a shrimp tank. What’s that say?
That you have multiple fish tanks and a shrimp tank.
The other day a little Yorkshire terrier told me his owner eats dead flies.
He was shaking when he said it. I didn’t know what to do, so I just floored it and got the fuck out of there.
It tells me who has money and who doesn’t.
