Feed a dog for three days and he will remember your kindness for three years. Feed a cat for three years and she will forget your kindness in three days – Chinese proverb
Many of us are cat lovers. There are those who love cats and dogs as well. Although we have understood dogs to a great extent, the same cannot be said about cats. When angry, dogs bark, howl or bite people. When they are in a good mood, dogs wag their tails vigorously. Some dogs even bend their bodies to show their happiness. We feed dogs and cats expecting them to render certain services. Sometimes, we train dogs to do various tasks such as bringing newspapers from a vendor. However, we do not take the trouble to train cats. We take them for granted.
If you feed even a stray dog, it will remember you for many years, but cats do not have that gratitude. If you feed a stray cat, it will not wag its tail. But the cat will come again when it is hungry. The cat thinks that it is your duty to feed it. The dog does not think so. It knows that if it does not show its gratitude, you will chase it away.
Dogs will bark throughout the night to show that they are protecting your house and property. Therefore, nobody wants to beat a dog for barking in the middle of the night. Meanwhile, we allow the cat to remain in the house thinking that it would catch the troublesome mice. A well-fed cat does not want to get up and chase after a mouse.
Cats believe in the good life and nap all day without anybody interrupting their slumber. They go out to meet their friends and mates in neighbouring houses. Even if you close all the doors and windows, they know how to get out of a house surreptitiously. They are smarter than some of the seasoned robbers.
All the comforts
You may love a cat and give it all the comforts. My granddaughter takes her pet cat to the vet every now and then. She gives it vitamins and fish, but she is not sure whether her cat loves her in return. Cats seem to love their owners on their terms. Unfortunately, we do not know their terms.
It is said that the cat has nine lives. There were torch batteries depicting a cat running through the figure ‘9’ to confirm that statement. However, when I go for a walk in the morning, I see the carcasses of cats run over by speeding vehicles. If they have nine lives, how can they die so soon?
One day I met a pet professor, I mean he taught veterinary science at a university. He knows many things about cats and dogs.
He said, “There are countless examples of cats learning how to fetch, open doors, turn on taps and flush toilets after use. But cats do not do any of these things.” I asked him why. He said, “I don’t know. Only a cat will know the answer.”
Self-esteem
Dogs seem to have a low self-esteem and they need reassurance from their masters. They know how to perform a trick and get praise. When satisfied they get a biscuit or a pat on their heads. But cats do not need a pat on the head because they have a different self-image. Just watch a cat after a misguided jump. It will nonchalantly start to groom as if to say, “Don’t think I made a silly mistake. That’s all in your imagination.”
From my childhood I thought that cats and dogs were arch enemies. My mother used to say, “The next door couple leads a cat-and-dog life.” I knew that they were always fighting. However, Amy Shojai, a feline expert and author of Complete Kitten Care says, “Cats – from lions to lap sisters – and dogs share ancestors called miacoids, weasel-like creatures that roamed the earth more than 50 million years ago.
That’s why cats and dogs share certain characteristics like padded feet and flesh-eating teeth. It wasn’t until three million years ago that the cats of today established themselves.”
We usually drag our dogs for a bath because they are not worried about their personal hygiene. Very rarely will you see a dog jumping into a pond, lake or river to wash itself. But cats are mindful about their hygiene. They lick themselves with their loofah-like tongues several times a day. They stay clean and give themselves a spa-like self-massage.
Massage experience
If you are a cat lover, you might want to brush or comb it every day. If you do not like brushes, there are grooming gloves with little bumps on the palm.
They remove excess hair while giving it that massage experience. Dr Robin Downing, pet columnist for the Denver Post recommends a flavoured gel formulated for cats.
Why do cats need so much sleep? Cat experts say they charge their batteries during sleep. Then why do they bring mice and squirrels home after killing them? Dr Rolan Tripp, founder of animalbehavior.net, says cats’ desire to hunt is independent of their need to eat. So, they bring back the spoils of the hunt to feed their masters. What is more, cats want to show off their skills.
Some people trim the nails of cats to prevent them from scratching. Larry Lachman, author of Cats on the Counter says cats claw to spread scents located in their paw-pads and to visually mark things like trees in order to establish their territory.
However, trying to get cats stop scratching things is like getting teenagers off their mobile phones. Some cats, however, find scratching posts in the home itself.
Supple tails
Unlike dogs, cats have long and supple tails. They use their tails for feline communication. A swish of the tail could convey, “Get the can opener” or “Drop me a fish.” Cats carry their tails high when greeting and lash them when frustrated. You will see the cat wagging the tip of the tail during stalking.
Have you ever wondered why cats purr? According to cat experts, purring is like an internal motor that starts and hums along. Anyway, do not assume that purring is always synonymous with contentment. Cats purr even when they feel pain.
Even if you do not understand cats, just love them because they are our dumb friends. If you feed even a stray dog, it will remember you for many years, but cats do not have that gratitude. If you feed a stray cat, it will not wag its tail.
But the cat will come again when it is hungry. The cat thinks that it is your duty to feed it. The dog does not think so. It knows that if it does not show its gratitude, you will chase it away.