Creeping humanisation of domestic pets happened years ago

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

In today’s column (which I am yet to read), Giles Coren has mentioned that Saturday’s The Times newspaper reported on a creeping humanisation of the domestic cat. This has been driven by 3.2 million households in the UK acquiring a new companion animal during the Covid lockdowns, which in turn has led to a booming industry in Christmas presents for pets. There are canine Christmas stockings, dog biscuit-making kits and a drink called “Pawsecco”. There’s a nice bottle of rosé ‘wine’ for £2 called Pethouse rosé.

While surfing the web this morning, I inevitably bumped into an advert for pet owners. This time it was a new cat food called Gourmet Revelations. This certainly is the humanisation of pets. The food looks a bit like a crème caramel for humans. Of course, it is designed to appeal to humans because they are the purchasers. And the manufacturers know that many years ago cat owners humanised their companion cats. So, when you sell pet food to cat owners you actually sell them human food or more accurately pet food that looks like human food. It’s got to look delicious to people.

Cat food ad
Cat food ad. Word added. Screenshot.

You wonder whether cats are swayed by the appearance of the food as humans are. My distinct impression is that they are not primarily influenced by the appearance but by the smell. When a cat judges whether their food is palatable or even interesting, they sniff it first. That is the gold standard test. Humans judge food by appearance primarily and initially and then by taste and smell. Cats judge it by smell and its appearance is very secondary. And what appeals to cats aesthetically is entirely alien to humans. Cats find the shattered carcass of a mouse highly appealing while it revolts their human caregiver.

Appearance must play a part however. It’s just a question of which sense is the primary one in making a decision about palatability. The humanisation of pets is perhaps more accurately described as anthropomorphising pets. The most common way that it happens in the cat world is when owners dress up their cats in clothes which makes them look like little humans. This is exactly what they are to the pet owner; little children or little adults. Little humans eating human-looking food. Ailurophiles don’t like to see cats dressed up as humans. They find it mildly abusive and silly.

Halloween clothes for pets
Halloween clothes for pets. Image: PoC.

Is it a good or bad thing? It’s a good thing to relate to your cat as a member of the family. In this respect the cat is being anthropomorphised because they have a status which is at the same level as the human members of the family. This guarantees near equal rights and enhanced welfare.

It can be a bad thing to relate to your cat as a human if you forget that your cat is a cat! You might play with your cat as if you are playing with a person. It might become too rough. You might give your cat too many human foods as treats resulting in their diet being deficient in certain nutrients. You might hold your cat as a baby which might make him anxious. A parent might allow their toddler to handle the family cat as another child resulting in a scratch or bite. That by the way is one of the main reasons why cats are abandoned to rescue centers.

It’s better to respect your cat and their behaviour. You will then be able to tap into their mojo as Jackson Galaxy calls it. He describes it as Raw Cat Mojo. The “raw cat” is the wildcat within. He is saying that you should always remember this and if you humanise a cat too much you can forget it.

SOME MORE ON CAT MOJO:

Feral cat pictures

Do feral cats sleep as much as domestic cats?

I'm sure that you can answer the question without much thought. Common sense dictates that feral cats do not sleep ...
Cat crazies

How do I know if my cat is bored?

About 10 minutes ago, my cat was bored. I knew he was bored because he started doing stupid things. He ...
Smart scratching post

How do I stop my cat scratching the carpet and furniture?

There are three points to make in response to the question in the title. The first point is that you ...
Gabriel

Does your cat predict your next move? Mine does. It’s about routines.

When a cat guardian's lifestyle is meshed with the lifestyle of their domestic cat companion you create routines which are ...
Kittens suckling at mother's breast

Why does my cat knead my hair?

Your cat kneads your hair for the same reason that she needs your lap or any other part of you ...
Hiding cat

Recovering a cat’s Mojo by crossing the “Challenge Line”

This is a concept, as you may have guessed by the title's language, of Jackson Galaxy, the celebrated cat behaviourist ...
Happy cat

How do I know my cat is happy?

The signs that your cat is happy will be subtle. It is easier to ask yourself whether you are happy ...
Language used is important in the human to cat relationship

What words do you use to describe your cat and his actions?

"When you nonchalantly say things like 'he hates me' or 'he's the devil incarnate' it paints your cat in a ...

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

Useful tag. Click to see the articles: Cat behavior

2 thoughts on “Creeping humanisation of domestic pets happened years ago”

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

follow it link and logo

Note: sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified.

I welcome and value comments. Please share your thoughts. All comments are currently unmoderated.

This blog is seen in 199 of the world's country's according to Google Analytics which is pretty much the entire world.

Scroll to Top