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submitted 4 days ago by ickplant@lemmy.world to c/cat@lemmy.world

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[-] Jhex@lemmy.world 15 points 4 days ago

I don’t believe this. Our cats will watch a cat on TV, but not a human. Our cats act differently to my wife and I than they do each other.

So here is an article about the book that discusses this:

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/article/140127-cats-pets-animals-nation-dogs-people-science

Please note that I did not mean to imply cats do not know us from them. What I was trying to convey is that they treat us like they would treat a [giant] cat (discussed in the article).

Cats are individuals and treat each other differently, they know one cat from the other and they can distinguish each member of the household as they do different things with each of us; however, what they do with us, with the exception of meowing, are things they would do with other cats... i.e. they will snuggle, try to groom us, head butt us, show us their butts, expose their bellies or hiss at us in the same way they would to other cats

[-] ragepaw@lemmy.ca 23 points 4 days ago

I actually have read the book, and the book doesn't say or even imply that cats think of us as cats.

Please note that I did not mean to imply cats do not know us from them.

Fair. But there is a lot of nonsense around that subject on the Internet because people misinterpret what it says. Even in the article you linked, they ask that question and he corrects them.

In the book [I say] that cats behave toward us in a way that's indistinguishable from [how] they would act toward other cats.

Specifically that. Because dogs operate in unit groups and they recognize a hierarchy. Cats, even in social groups do not have a hierarchy and treat us as members of their colony. They socialize with us as such, but in an equal but different capacity. That's misinterpreted a lot.

I apologize for assuming that was the point you were trying to make.

[-] Jhex@lemmy.world 13 points 4 days ago

Oh cool... thanks for the clarification. You can see how the line quoted from the author easily twists into "cats can't tell we are not cats" but the clarification is welcome and the difference is huge!