A cat has absolute emotional honesty: human beings, for one reason or another, may hide their feelings, but a cat does not.
Ernest Hemingway
Cats are arguably the most misunderstood pets – they are often projected as these unfeeling, self-centered animals that are devoid of any love or feelings. We have all come across people who dismiss cats as mean creatures. Nothing, however, could be further from the truth.
The first step to decode the behavior of our feline friends is to understand – and appreciate – the fact that they are not dogs, who have become our benchmark for an ideal pet.
A cat is probably not the right pet for you if you are looking for a companion who would be forever dependent on you for all its needs, wag its tail nuts and lick your face wet when you get back home in the evening, play fetch with you, and obediently follow all your commands.
Cats are independent animals. Their ways of showing affection are completely different from those of dogs – they are very picky about the people they choose to bond with and show their love in the most subtle forms. For instance, a cat’s purring or head rubs are just some of its many ways of telling you that it enjoys being around you.
Part of cats’ undeserved notoriety also has to do with them being vocal about things they do not like. Unlike dogs, who are known to silently endure every silly thing their owners put them through, a cat will never let its displeasure go unnoticed. Unfortunately, this honesty is often misunderstood as spitefulness or arrogance.
Ernest Miller Hemingway, popularly known as simply Ernest Hemingway, was an American novelist. An avowed cat lover, Hemingway is known to have remarked: “A cat has absolute emotional honesty: human beings, for one reason or another, may hide their feelings, but a cat does not.”