Domineering Men Do Not like Cats | Blog About Cats.
As long ago as the middle of the eighteenth century, almost 300 years ago, it was realised by the more observant people in society that domineering men do not like cats.
If you click on the link above I expand on this theme in reference to the celebrated Samuel Johnson who lived in London, England and who loved cats. He had a companion, friend and helper (servant?), James Boswell (see picture below), who incidentally wrote a world-renown biography of Samuel Johnson.
Johnson was reluctant to ask Boswell to help them out in caring for his cats, one of whom was Hodge, because Boswell had an irrational fear of cats (ailurophobia). He felt uneasy around cats, and he was often around them, so this was quite an unlikely friendship between these two gentlemen.
However, it was a very stable and good relationship but the domestic cat, so beloved of Samuel Johnson must, on occasions, have been a barrier to the harmony in the house.
It was Jean-Jacques Rousseau, a Genevan philosopher and writer, who made the observation that domineering men don’t get along with cats. The observation was made in reference to Boswell.
Perhaps I’m simplifying it but for me it is common sense that he is correct because domineering men like to be the leader of the pack and I am referring to a pack of dogs because as we know cats don’t form packs although the lion forms prides but that is something else.
There are many alpha males in modern society and I am sure that in their households there are many domestic cats who are very well cared for but if they are there it is thanks to the wife who has got her way and all wives of alpha males get their way. It is just the nature of things because the relationship between alpha male and his wife is very much associated with money and the transferance of it from male to female to keep the relationship stable.
I won’t discuss what the female gives to the male but you can guess.
And domineering men do not like independent,strong women. What is that quote about cats and women……it implies how alike the two are,just like women and wolves,we are of the wild nature.
“There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats.
– Albert Schweitzer
Agreed. I wrote a subsequent article about cats and women.
https://pictures-of-cats.org/cats-and-women-an-essay.html
“CATS” are “INDEPENDENT SOLITARY THINKERS” akin to domineering men and hence like poles repel ! This could be the reason that cats as pets are not preferred by most dictators unless they are real ” BIG PET CATS” which are gradually becoming extinct in the wild.
That is a clever observation, Rudolph.
Domineering people male or female probably don’t like cats because they are independent thinkers and not easily controlled.
I consider myself an independent thinker but I like cats and all animals so I believe it is more about domineering men liking control over their lives and to have things their way and cats don’t fit into that situation whereas dogs are more likely to.