Do you belive cats are able to have feelings for humans?

[Vicke 3,189]

As the topic says, do you?

 

I have really started to doubt that they can have solid feelings and that they only follow their instinct.

Why you ask? Well, just listen to the following facts.

 

If you have had a cat for years, and for some reason your neighbor a staircase below you starts to ''invite'' the cat for food. The cat will start to ignore your door simply because he knows he can get food faster just by going to your neighbor. And it takes less energy.

 

If you happen to have a heart attack the cat wont give a buck about it. if its trapped inside your house it will eat you when it gets hungry and if there is an opening it will escape.

If the same thing happened to a dog it would know that you are in danger and act, and if you die it would never leave your side and would eventually die beside you.

 

 

These are just some of the reasons but i wanna hear your opinions and thoughts!

Share.

[Lady Rarity Pony 4,892]

Cats, like all other animals, run on instincts.

 

They cannot express true love and they cannot make moral decisions.

 

Certainly some animals can show physical affection and others can show some sort of altruism, but it's not in the same manner as a human does. A human can help someone because they choose to do it. An animal does it because their instincts make them do it.

They have no real choice in the matter.

[Demi 545]

Well, of course they do just run off of pure instinct, but I'd say they can develop some sort of loving bond with their humans. For example, I give my cats lots of love everyday and often (playfully) talk to her when she's near to me.. which is all the time as she follows me everywhere. Like even in the bathroom as I shower. But this weekend I had gone over to my cousin's house and whilst I was gone the cat wandered the house non-stop constantly meowing. The day I come back I find her lying on my bed, gave her lots of love, and now she's back to "normal" again.

 

Of course the instinct of survival will come first to any animal, but I honestly do think cats (or in general all pets) can and do grow a loving bond with their owners.

Edited September 10, 2012 by Demi

[Ron Jeremy 2,032]

Neither cats nor dogs can have "feelings" in the human sense. Humans simply choose to interpret the actions of animals as affection and emotions because they can.

 

The reason dogs are seen as having "feelings" is because they are pack animals, and rely on/hunt with a group. They form somewhat of a bond with a person who feeds them and spends a lot of time with them because of that. They see the human as a part of their "pack". The reason dogs protect their masters is through sheer instinct; defending their perceived pack leader as well as themselves. Dogs too have been known to eat their deceased masters.

 

The reason cats are not known to "love" their masters is because they are more capable of living a solitary life, and are not as reliant on having others around. They are self-sustaining, in other words. So, logically, they won't jump to their master's aid because they see them as more of a thing that is there, not their master. While they become "friendly" with people who they are around, the relationship is never as dependent as the one between a dog and its master.

 

Sounds like I'm being cold, but it's the truth.

[Vicke 3,189]

 

 

 

Thanks for the replies guys!

I agree on most parts but i do believe dogs are more then just, instinct. Even tho Chainsaw here gave a great explanation on how the dogs work.

[Arylett Charnoa 4,919]

I don't really think cats can have the same sense of attachment as dogs.

 

I would like to point out to those saying that animals and such run off of instincts and cannot feel affection is not something that any of us can know for certain. We have no way of knowing whether or not they actually feel love, or if it's just a bunch of complex instincts. The emotions and feelings of animals are not yet fully understood, and until we do, such claims, whilst having support behind them in general because of how animals behave, cannot really be proven for certain. Who knows? Maybe we're all just running off of instinct as well.

 

Now for my own personal opinion.

 

Because dogs ARE pack animals, and humans are extremely social, it is true that it is easier for us to understand one another. I've seen dogs get depressed, have neurosis, more vivid and distinct personalities, and similar psychological problems to humans. Things that went wrong with their minds. It seems beyond instinct in my opinion. (Mind you, this has no empirical evidence and is only based on observation, it's just my personal opinion on what I've observed) But our various instincts and feelings coincide well. A dog can have a sense of attachment to a human. The nature of which we can't really know or understand, but they behave in a way closer to humans than cats, which makes it easier for us to comprehend. Based on what I have observed, it does really seem like a dog cares more about a human than a cat.

 

I just believe though, because they are more dissimilar to humans than dogs (which is to say, that they are more solitary and independent), they don't form the same type of attachments that either are capable of. I do believe that they attach differently. More distantly, and probably see humans more so as sort of casual acquaintances than being completely dependent on them than dogs. I think that they have their own feelings in their own way. It's just a way that is foreign to us.

Edited September 10, 2012 by Doggess Arylett

[silvadel 1,393]

I think a lot of people have simply not had a genius level cat. Dale knew close to 100 words and phrases, could count to at least 6, played fetch, could even lead you to one of the other cats if she had a reason to. Definitely got her point across and even could put some pretty complex concepts together -- One example was she led us to the bathroom shower and it took us a while to figure it out but she wanted fresh water. Oh she also opened doors.

 

As for how I knew she could count to 6 -- she was kind of a stinker in some ways -- if you showed her how many balls you had she wouldnt bring one back till you were out of them. One other thing she used to do was make piles of balls so she would remember that she wanted to play later on(and she would typically place them in an intersection -- so yes you could trip over a half dozen stocking balls placed at the intersection of the hallway with the upstairs.

 

She was one really special cat.

[Demi 545]

Maybe we're all just running off of instinct as well.

 

Like survival and reproduction?

 

It probably isn't love that cats (or animals in general) feel, as in how humans love each other, but they do have some sort of "hey I know you and like you" kind of deal going on. Especially if you commonly feed them.

 

Of course, most pet owners are going to say their animals can definitely feel love, because when you have your face buried into your fluffy cat and they're purring like a motorboat.. if that ain't love I don't know what is.

[silvadel 1,393]

Fluttershy: Of course animals have feelings towards their caretakers. How could you ever think differently? (Fluttershy goes back into her house obviously flustrated with anyone thinking cats and dogs can't show love).

[~Sugar Sprinkles~ 638]

Well, I think they can sense our emotions. Cause whenever I am upset and crying, I swear that all my cats come in my room and suddenly rub on me. When I am mad, they always run and hide cause they know I am scary. When I am happy, I notice that my cat Oliver comes in my room and relaxes with me

[Vicke 3,189]

Well, I think they can sense our emotions. Cause whenever I am upset and crying, I swear that all my cats come in my room and suddenly rub on me. When I am mad, they always run and hide cause they know I am scary. When I am happy, I notice that my cat Oliver comes in my room and relaxes with me

 

I have never heard this about cats before, but i know dogs can read emotions.

When ever you are sad they will come to you and lick you in the face, i guess you can see that as both positive and negative xP

Good to hear that about a cat.

[~Sugar Sprinkles~ 638]

I have never heard this about cats before, but i know dogs can read emotions.

When ever you are sad they will come to you and lick you in the face, i guess you can see that as both positive and negative xP

Good to hear that about a cat.

 

Yeah, I noticed that about my dogs too. Like, whenever I am sad and crying, they tend to walk in and start licking me and laying next to me xD

[Lunar Guardian 80]

That's a really tough question... I have 3 cats. One doesn't care about me and only tries to direct any communication towards me if she wants to be let outside or be fed. Another kind of likes me and cuddles occasionally. The last one is really attached to me and really likes me and comes to me whenever possible. However, if I am gone for an extended period of time, when I return, it doesn't seem like he missed me at all and shows his normal behavior.

 

It's pretty inconclusive; I have no idea what it is....

[silvadel 1,393]

Dale was smart enough that she remembered WHO locked her in a room and would be angry at that person even if that person let her out -- the other cats would simply be grateful for being let out.

 

At any rate I have had experience with 10 cats directly. Four of them would not meet the qualifications here. One was dumb but still empathetic. One was genius cat as stated above. One was a ponderous intellect -- Eeper made plans and then followed them to the letter no matter what changed -- unlike Dale who could change plans in the middle. Eeper however was a very sweet cat and always stayed by the door waiting... Piewacket was also very smart and manipulative and was my mothers cat a long time ago.

 

Oh that brings me to one other thing about dale -- she knew how outside works -- In essence if you went out the door, she ran to the window to see where you were going after you rounded the house. The other indoor cats we have had didnt generally even recognize you through glass.

[Cakesplat 38]

Well... kind of...

 

Cats do form social bonds, but they don't have human bodies, brains, or programming. They don't think or feel like people do, but that doesn't mean they're not attached to their people at all.

[Midnight Seeker 302]

My first cat (Garfield) mourned his brother (who was killed by a car when he was two) and our first Samoyed (Snowy) who he had grown up with. The pair of them would cuddle each other a lot and groom one another. After Snowy was put down (she was old, and in a lot of pain). Garfy watched us bury her, and would often sit around her grave.

 

In my case, I had no friends at all during my younger years. I'm certain that Garfield knew this as he showed me nothing but affection. The more depressed and pathetic I got, the sweeter he was to me.

 

It might not be love as humans see it, but I am certain that loyality and empathy do play a role. In the case of dogs, we are a part of their pack. In the case of cats, we are companions.

[TheAsterite 15]

Cats definitely bond with each other and humans. As for "feeling" though, there aren't that many animals that really fell emotion. Marine Mammals, for instance, were recently shown to have some of the same cells as humans that are thought to be responsible for emotion.

[Fire_Fly 499]

Cats can be pretty affectionate toward humans when they want to. I usually have a pretty hard time getting mine to leave a room without me, and she always seems to know when I'm feeling depressed or unconfident. Granted, most of the time, she doesn't exactly seem to care beyond jumping into my lap and demanding to be petted, but I think it's her little way of helping out, and I'm always feeling a little better afterward.

[hana 217]

of course cats has feelings! like any other animel

i have about 6 cats, and because our dad is allergic they live in the yard, but they never leave us, we had cats like that for years, and only 2 went away (i think that we had about 20 cats till today)

another thing is, when you kick a cat, he will attack you later, wich means he is angry

[Jemboi 127]

I'm a owner of many dogs and cats and I can say without question that cats are perfectly capable of having strong bonds with their human owners and expressing loving attachment. They think and feel just as any other mammal does, just not the same as us humans. That's our problem, we try to humanize everything. Are cats more independent than dogs? Most of the time, but even so I have known some very clingy cats. It's really all up to individuality, because just like with humans, animals differ wildly in personality. I've always felt cats get the short end of the stick when it comes to love and appreciation in the pet owner world, and this topic helps demonstrate that. To the topic creator, if you met the right cat, I have no doubt your perception of them would change.

Edited September 12, 2012 by Jemboi

[Smokin'HotRarity 182]

Cats, like all other animals, run on instincts.

 

They cannot express true love and they cannot make moral decisions.

 

Certainly some animals can show physical affection and others can show some sort of altruism, but it's not in the same manner as a human does. A human can help someone because they choose to do it. An animal does it because their instincts make them do it.

They have no real choice in the matter.

 

The same can be said of humans. Everything you do is the result of mechanical processes in your brain, instinct. The other day I was thinking of creative stuff and I realized everything I created was related to the other thing in some way. I really had to buck down and try to think of something actually creative.

[Dusty Soul 2,611]

I think cats have feelings, but when instinct kicks in, it kicks hard. Cats and dogs will have feelings until their animal instincts kick in.

[Lady Rarity Pony 4,892]

The same can be said of humans. Everything you do is the result of mechanical processes in your brain, instinct. The other day I was thinking of creative stuff and I realized everything I created was related to the other thing in some way. I really had to buck down and try to think of something actually creative.

 

Not really.

 

Just because the brain takes part in the process of your thought does not make every outcome the pure result of instinct.

 

Your example doesn't really prove anything. Just because you have a tendency to do something doesn't make it the result of instinct. Not instinct in the sense I'm referring to, at least.

[Smokin'HotRarity 182]

Not really.

 

Just because the brain takes part in the process of your thought does not make every outcome the pure result of instinct.

 

Your example doesn't really prove anything. Just because you have a tendency to do something doesn't make it the result of instinct. Not instinct in the sense I'm referring to, at least.

 

Basically I'm saying your brain is a machine that abides by the laws of physics just like everything else. When you feel the need to help someone out, that is your instinct kicking in, even though it feels like a conscious decision, it's because you aren't aware of the inner machinations of your mind. Edited September 13, 2012 by glitterlicious

[Otter 1,942]

No. Well, actually, I do believe they can have negative emotions towards people. My family's cat hates me, and I hate her right back. I'm not sure where this hatred originated from. I was the one who named her, and I liked her a lot for a time. I like to throw her against walls now.

Edited September 13, 2012 by HylianMadness