Can cats feel the emotion of guilt? Most cat companions have experienced this: you leave the room, and soon you hear the sound of breaking glass. When you investigate, your cat is standing in front of your favorite collectible looking VERY guilty.
So, do you believe cats feel guilt, or do they simply respond to certain stimuli and respond to the emotions put out by their owner? I’ve done a bit of research on the subject of cat guilt, and cat owners are in agreement that cats do feel guilty when they do wrong.
I believe it goes deeper than emotion. Guilt would have to be a learned response. It’s like the question of “if a tree falls in a forest and no one is around, does the tree make a sound?” A cat won’t associate guilt with breaking cherished items belonging to his human servant unless an unwanted response is directed toward the cat at the time the incident occurs.
I learned the hard way after Furby came to us that I needed to pack up any of my collectibles I didn’t want broken. I was a collector of a pattern called English Rose. I had miniature oil lamps and the sugar and creamer set and various other pieces.
Furby expressed interest in my fine china collection by scooting it over to the edge of the shelf and pushing one of the pieces right off. He appears to enjoy watching things fall and hearing them shatter. Now that my statues, china and cookie jars live in a steamer trunk, Furby must entertain himself by knocking down any pans he finds on the kitchen counters.
The thing is, he didn’t realize he was doing anything wrong until I ran into the kitchen flapping my arms and having a conniption. He gave me one of his big-eyed stares and ran out of the room, most likely trying to figure out what he’d done wrong.
We also have to be very careful with the large dry kibble cat food bags. Not with Furby, but with his adopted cat mama Lola. I buy the giant size bag (around 17 pounds), and usually purchase a month’s supply at a time. Only one bag can come into the house, and it must be emptied into the large feeding receptacle. If not, Lola knows how to use her claws to scratch her way into the bag.
I’ve always said that as long as a bag of their food is in the house, Lola will make sure all the cats are fed. Here’s a short video of Lola clawing her way into the bag.
Lola, much like Furby, knows this is unacceptable behavior, but doesn’t care. They may feel guilt, but it doesn’t stop the behavior. Which is why we found it easier to adjust to the cats than to force the cats to adjust their behavior to what we desired from them.
Our Sammy, who predicted the South Carolina earthquake, would break into any cabinet to get to Sealy’s special packs of wet food. He also has the ability to distinguish which grocery bag the wet food is in when it’s brought inside. We now have to store that food in a clothes dryer that no longer works. We now experience a stampede of cats whenever they hear the dryer door being opened.
Sammy doesn’t express guilt over hijacking a pack of food. He expresses his guilt by running away from the food when he can’t get to it. He also appears angry that we’ve outsmarted him.
Do any readers have a cat who shows guilt after being caught doing something you really wish they wouldn’t do? Please leave a comment.
Cats don’t feel guilty and why should they, they are never ‘bad’ cats, they are just doing what cats do. They didn’t ask to live in houses where people have valuables and as Babz so rightly said we should make our houses cat friendly, they have no idea of the value of material possessions. It’s people who are bad if they blame cats for being cats. Cats don’t understand the concept of punishment, they can learn to live alongside us by kind and gentle ways of teaching them ‘acceptable to human’ behaviour and we shouldn’t expect any more than that from them.
If a cat is yelled at for being a cat then the look they give isn’t guilt, it’s fear and bewilderment as to why the person is being unpleasant, why their tone of voice has gone angry or loud.
That cats are so misunderstood is heart breaking!
Michael,
I am positive that the look you describe is fear! I also think that some people who appear to look guilty- may be afraid as well.Some people are incapable of feeling guilt- sociopaths for example- they are just afraid of being caught doing something that is wrong. While others may feel shame- for having done something “wrong” or what they consider “stupid”.
DW so true!
We so need to be careful not to erode our cats’ trust in us by yelling at them or punishing them. Positive reinforcement always works extremely well. By doing so we build that crucial bond of trust.
When I am feeding the kitties, Sir Hubble Pinkerton used to jump on the sink where I was preparing their food. It drove me up the wall!! With patience and consistency I was able to teach him the word “wait.” Now he sits on the floor by the sink and waits patiently for me to give him his food. I keep reinforcing this behavior with lots of praise and pats at the moment I put the dish on the floor and both of us are pleased with the result!
Cats feel guilty? I don’t think so- Cats always think that what they are doing is right.. they have their own “value system” and their behavior is based on their needs.
When cats behave in a manner that is not appropriate according to humans, -for instance using the bathroom carpet to poop on- it is more than likely done because the human didn’t clean the litter box, and cats hate “dirty” toilets in the same way that we do. It can also mean that something has upset them- or they need medical attention if it continues without “reason”.
The reason that cats may “appear” to feel guilt when they are “scolded” and cower in the presence of their human, is that they are afraid, and the trust for their human has started to be eroded.
I found an excellent article on this very question.. it is well worth the read.
http://www.pet-happy.com/do-cats-feel-guilty-about-what-they-do/
Another “pet peeve” of mine is cats punish us for what they perceive to be “unacceptable” behavior- such as peeing in a suitcase when their human has returned from a trip- often this behavior is simply marking their territory if they feel insecure.
Cats are unconditional! They don’t punish us.. they don’t have the capacity to feel guilty. Cats never do anything that has a reason- a reason they feel is justified- like stealing a turkey off a dining room table because it smells yummy. After all- their human must have left it there for them:) LOL
I don’t think that my cats feel guilt.
What I think may happen is that they are aware that some actions will elicited a response from me. In that way, it may be attention seeking behavior and on purpose.
I, wholeheartedly, believe that Damon is that way. When he has stolen or shredded something, he will, often, just sit in front of me and look up at me with a look that I’ve learned to interpret as “Guess what I just did, Mom?” It sets me into motion, and we interact a lot. He likes this.
I love Lola and the bag. Same here. I have to dump kibble into a big plastic bin with a lid. Then, the empty bag is just up for grabs.
Like you, Elisa, anything that I really value is tucked away somewhere.
I realize that anything else here isn’t really mine. I’m just the purchaser.
Guilt is a human emotion that seems to have been passed on to dogs. Of course, that could be fear and not guilt. Hard to say. But a cat feels no guilt. I think instead, if they push a glass off the counter and it crashes, they feel pretty darned proud of themselves because, they knew you would come running. If they accidentally break something, they wonder what foolish human put it in their way. If you were to yell at her, that would be the end of your relationship with the cat. Cats are wise beyond our silly emotions of guilt.
Furby is very beautiful.