Introduction
According to Matt Davies Harmony Communities, non-cat owners often believe that cats are selfish creatures that don’t have any emotions or empathy since they don’t tend to act like dogs. However, cat owners know that it is simply not true. Cats simply tend to show their emotions differently through certain actions such as head-butt, purring, or curling with you when you are feeling down.
The Discussion
Let’s look at why cats are emotionally different than dogs below:
- Empathy in dogs and cats – One of the things that differentiate cats and dogs is how they respond to emotions. For instance, according to researchers dogs respond differently to negative emotional sounds such as crying compared to positive emotional sounds such as laughing. Thus, they can essentially mirror your emotional behavior whether you are feeling high or low.
Furthermore, the behavior of a dog can change depending on the result of the emotions you are feeling. For instance, if they notice that you fear the sound of thunder, they can associate the sound of thunder with fear too. Some dogs have high emotional contagion which causes them to display empathetic behavior even towards strangers.
Now, since cats tend to be more independent creatures than dogs, it is more difficult to read their emotional response. A lack of studies also adds to the confusion. However, it is proven that cats can learn to pick up nuanced facial expressions of their owners.
- Cats are more like humans than dogs – Dogs are known to be the most loyal animal. They will come to your aid whenever you call them and show affectionate behavior in a very aggressive manner which is pretty noticeable.
However, cats are different from dogs and tend to be more like humans. For instance, they will show their love and affection when they feel like it. Sometimes, they can act indifferent after they have their meals. However, if you ever feel down, they will come to cheer you up in their own way.
- Emotional attachment in cats and dogs – Just like dogs, cats also form strong attachments with their owners. In fact, they often show signs of distress when their owner dies or leaves them for a period of time. And, they become happy when they return home after a trip.
In fact, many cats who have developed a strong bond with their owners refuse to eat or go into hiding when they miss their owners. Sometimes, they refuse to leave the owner’s bedroom and meow constantly to get their attention.
- Love and understanding – Unlike dogs, cats have strict boundaries and if you hurt them beyond what is acceptable, they will leave you. However, this is just like how a human acts. Thus, cats are loyal too and they will travel to unknown territories with their owners believing that their owners will protect them.
Conclusion
Matt Davies Harmony Communities suggests don’t compare cats with dogs since they are different animals. Dogs have been domesticated by humans many generations ago to become useful to humans, but cats came into human society due to their own will due to the rewards.
