Cats are emotionally stronger than people. Discuss

Cats are emotionally stronger than people

Two useful tags. Click either to see the articles: Toxic to cats | Dangers to cats

Cats are emotional stronger than people. How do I know? I don’t know for sure but I know my cat. Today, I went to him. He was on the bed. I knelt down beside the bed and put my head near him and whispered. He licked my forehead and turned away. I said, “I wish you knew how much I need you right now”. He started to groom himself. Of course, he was unconcerned. He was confronted with a human issue.

At a time when we particularly need the companionship of our cat, he/she does not realise it. Sometimes, emotionally we need our cat more than they will ever realise. Practically, cats need us. We provide the essentials: food, warmth and protection. Emotionally we need them. Emotionally, a cat does not need us in the same way a person might need the company of a cat or another person. That is not to say that cats don’t like or benefit from an emotional connection with people.

I believe that people are more needy emotionally than the domestic cat. People need emotional support. They need it constantly. This comes from the attention of others. Usually a human provides the attention, the interaction. The requirement for emotional support is part of what the human needs to live rather than exist.

Our cat does not have this emotional vulnerability. Of course, a cat feels emotion. We know that. The domestic cat has become far more sociable. He can live in groups, satisfactorily, where he/she can make friendships with other cats.

There is no doubt that there is an emotional content within a cat-to-cat friendship. However, the cat will, in general, cope better than a person when called upon to live alone after being part of a friendly group. The cat endures more stoically under conditions of emotional stress. This may be because a cat has a smaller range and/or depth of emotion(s) compared to people.

As mentioned, I am not sure that what I write is true. It feels true. It is likely to be true because despite developing into a sociable animal, the cat retains the emotional strength of a solitary animal who hunts, eats and sleeps alone. This is the background, the ancestry. It makes the cat emotionally tougher than the human.

Please search using the search box at the top of the site. You are bound to find what you are looking for.

13 thoughts on “Cats are emotionally stronger than people. Discuss”

  1. i think all cats have a deep emotional attachement to us esp when we have bonded so well. Its very hard to say goodbye to a cat that as always been there for us and then theres an empty void. Im just thankful that all animals know that bond well at least i hope so.

    Reply
  2. I don’t think cats are as emotionally dependant on us as we are on them, but I do think cats know and care when we are emotional, grieving, upset or feeling ill. I know I keep on keep on harking back to John and Popsy but when he was alive she really was his cat, they adored each other and though she was kind to me I think she saw me as her rival for him, but after he died she turned to me, she was grieving and so was I and we used to cuddle up together in the way she used to do with John, and I think we helped each other, she certainly helped me. All the cats we’ve had have, I’m sure, cared about us if we cried, they look at you in a way that says “Come on and have a cuddle and see if that helps”. But as has been said already cats don’t worry too much, they live for the day, yes they grieve but they are sensible and accept things. I think Charlie would love the few moments of closeness with Michael, and I remember reading somewhere that cats love you to whisper things to them. Cats should really be available on the NHS, there would be less depressed and suicidal people if they had cat’s as therapists.

    Reply
    • I don’t think cats are as emotionally dependant on us as we are on them

      I hadn’t thought of that. It is a good observation. I wonder whether cats have any ongoing need for emotional support as humans do. Cats do feel emotion, however as you say. Thanks Babz for mentioning Charlie. He doesn’t know how I lean on him emotionally. We are the odd couple.

      Reply
  3. You are right Michael, I agree that cats are emotionally stronger than people and I think that is because they accept things which they can’t change, whereas we don’t. We worry about things, what we did in the past, what we do now, what will be in the future and sometimes we feel very alone.
    Is that how you felt Michael, very alone? Because we are alone, each and every one of us, no matter how many other people are around, we are alone inside. We can say here we love you Michael, but we are not there with you. Charlie is there with you and there is no greater comfort than a warm furry body to rest your head against, even if they do only give you a little lick then get on with the important business of having a wash.
    Cats are a great comfort and love us unconditionally if we are kind to them. They love us to whisper our secrets to them, they love us to sing a little gentle song, that cheers us up too.
    Take care
    X for that little furry head (Charlie’s not yours lol)

    Reply
    • Thanks at lot Ruth, your concern is very sweet. Yes, I felt alone and down on Sunday afternoon. I tend to. It is the quietens that makes me introspective. Just one of those things. It was a good example of how Charlie can step in and help me. He makes a difference. It is a tangible difference. At those times I see Charlie as a sentient being that is more solid emotionally than me. He is less demanding of life. As you say he accepts things which brings peace.

      Reply
      • Michael I totally agree with you. I would say my cats don’t need me emotionally at all. They want me to play, feed, occasionally cuddle, and talk a bit to them. If I stop talking to them they seem concerned but otherwise they are totally fine without me. Only Lilly ever really wants long cuddle times, Molly likes the odd little cuddle and Gigi doesn’t want to be touched but she will talk to me and she seems to need me to talk to her. If I don’t talk to her then she gets worried a bit I notice.

        I think the premise of this article is right – cats don’t need emotional support for the most part. Humans need it constantly because in all our amazing evolution we just totally forgot about evolving emotionally as well so we are all very clever and interesting as a species but we are emotionally backwards and that holds as back. That also means we tend to need cats emotionally where they don’t need us.

        Oddly Gigi who is the most of a loner these days and never wants cuddles yet she is the one who seems to need the most emotional support if any of them do.

        Reply
  4. Ihope that he senses how much you need him right now. For me, when I am isolating for whatever reason, Shrimp stays on my legs, up on the couch, purring. Now, I know from what you’ve said in various articles that you have a genuine problem w/Charlie on your legs when sleeping, so that’s out, besides that being an individual thing w/the cat. I’ll bet that you talk to him whenever he is close by, and he responds, indicating that he cares. 🙂
    Michael, it’s not enough, but you’ve got us…we genuinely care. <3

    Reply
    • That is nice of you to remind Michael of our caring about him. So true! There is nothing like our furry friends to make us feel loved, and receive our love.

      This story did remind me of something I was thinking about last week. I was remembering when Bigfoot was a random stray in the neighborhood. He seemed so self assured, like he didn’t have a trouble in the world. Never asking for anything. Keeping to himself for the most part, until that day he walked onto my porch. He has been here, mostly in the house by his choice, for over four years. I can’t imagine him being homeless and surviving now. But that is just me.
      It is somehow comforting imagining him needing me for survival. He doesn’t seem like that same cat I met four years ago. Now he is a cozy bedroom cat.

      I think they know how to live in the moment. We could learn from them.

      Reply
    • I meant, that you TALK to him, Michael, not just whisper. He doesn’t probly like it when you get in that whispering mode. He knows you.

      Now you just tell him in a confident voice, all your problems. He just might offer a few solutions. You’ve got a couple of years on me, Michael, but THAT does not keep me from offering you some wisdom!
      Just you know, that not only does Charlie love you and we love you, but our cats love you through us, and I do believe that you are loved by the world, in all of its Roses.

      Reply

Leave a Reply to Michael Cancel reply

follow it link and logo