Different cats, different behavior.

So I just realized how different my cats are. Many people (obviously, not cat people) say they (the cats) have no personalities, and they are just some lazy, selfish, food wanting creatures, that have no love for their owners and do everything on the purpose of making themselves feel better.

Well, if that’s the case, I soooo want to be a cat.

Moreover, I want everyone to be cats. So they would just mind their own business and happiness.

The fact is, cats do have emotions, feelings and moods that are not simply concentrated around the food question. I am not talking about the obvious pet reactions for fear, excitement or so. I am talking about personalities.

To me, if they only reacted to certain impulses in an instinctive way they would all be more or less the same.

No. My three cats differ from each other in all ways possible.

Málna (Raspberry)

She is about 2. She is the first addition to the family and she was found in a box, very ill. When I first took her to the vet, he said she won’t be around for long, as she had several illnesses and she was very tiny and weak. She is still around and 1,5 years later: fit as a fiddle. She stayed tiny though and looks very skinny. Now, she is the one with the most complex personality. She thinks of herself as a human being. No, seriously. When I make dinner, she assists. Not for the food. (Although she would really love to taste that meat. Really.) She even assists when I cut the onions (and some teardrops fill her eyes, too), peppers, and also when it is cooked she “helps” with the dishes.

When I set the table, she jumps on a dining chair and sits at the table waiting to be served.

She sleeps in our bed and needs blanket. She comes to the bathroom to clean herself. She likes to travel in a car, and looks out the window or sleeps through it all on the back seat. She doesn’t mind traveling on a train, sleeping in a hotel room or walking on the beach. She likes to look at the water. She likes homemade, spicy “human food” a lot more than cat food. She likes to drink from the glass, not the bowl. She does not meow. Ever.

Xenomorph

She is the “middle” cat. She had to find a new home, as her owner’s boyfriend was allergic to cat fur. She was a healthy, bubbly nice little cat. Since we thought Málna would appreciate some company we took her home and imagined they will play together for hours and run around happily.

Xeni turned out to be anti-social, unfriendly and incredibly lazy. She lives in her own little cat world. She plays alone (once a week), and hates if other cats want to play, too. She owns all possible plastic bags in our home. Two things she likes, her tummy and dressing up. Her favorite color is pink (she chooses pink every time. We tested it, as we could not believe they actually see colors).

She wears a lot of things: hair-bands, hats, plastic bags (any bags really), my bathrobe etc.

She wears some overleft plastic thing as a skirt.. I came home to this the other day.

She likes to be complemented, if you say she looks good she turns into a model and everything is a runway for her. Oh, and if she wears something, she is very proud of it and holds on to it for at least a day. She hates travelling and throws up every time when has to travel in a car. She does not like to be away from home and hates to be outside. She also hates walking and adventures.

Blac(k)et:

He is the boy, and the youngest. When we realized Málna is still bored, as Xeni does not like company we figured we need a boy for Málna. Rumor has it, that black cats are very intelligent so we decided to get one of those from a cat shelter. It wasn’t long till we found him – he looked like a little bat and was the cutest little thing on Earth. He had a strong voice and talked all the time. He loves playing, adventures, doesn’t mind traveling but can be startled very easily. Everything takes him by surprise (he actually looks surprised all day long). Málna loves scaring him and running away.

He loves everyone whether it is a human being or a cat. He gives out a 1000 kisses a day. He likes to play hide and seek, but gets angry and meows if he can’t find the others.He likes to hunt. He hunts down anything and everything. If he can not reach something he gets very frustrated and meows hysterically. He is “cat like”. He likes boxes and hiding under things. He wants the attention constantly and follows us around. He is just very different from the girls.

All in all, I really don’t think there are two identical cats. They are all different in shapes, colors and personalities. It is easy to say they lack affection for their owners, therefore are bad pets. There is no denying that they can not be told what to do, and when to be with you. That’s what makes them so special for us. They are creatures that can not be controlled and formed to please us.

You have to earn a cat’s affection, it is not given by nature. And that is something that needs to be learnt. This is the basis of human relationships. Or at least, should be. I some ways, they are so sooo ahead of us.