What type of person likes cats?

“Artists like cats; soldiers like dogs.”

Cat lovers and and those who like cats tend to be female. And they have a personality bias towards independent thought and behaviour. This is a meeting of minds between cat and human. A group organised society is alien to domestic cats while a dog’s life revolves around it. Cats do have a “complex social organisation” but they don’t hunt in packs. With the exception of the lion cats spend their time stalking prey alone. It is a solitary pursuit. Going for a walk with a cat is considered by some as an absurd thought unless on a lead and provided the cat is meticulously trained and even then, it is barely workable. Dogs love walkies.

There is group loyalty amongst a pack of dogs. No such thing exists in the feline world. Group loyalty is also somewhat alien to a cat lover. The boardroom of a company is packed full of men, ostensibly loyal towards each other in one cause; ideally there is a pack mentality. They are probably, to a man, dog people. Conversely, in general, artists and authors like cats. I am being somewhat sexist and painting a black and white picture because there is a lot of middle ground where there are men who like cats and women who like dogs and those who like both equally. However, the general tendency is as stated. It is caricatured by the crazy cat lady label, which is distinctly unfair and misogynistic.

There is this well-known gender bias: females like cats and males like dogs. It is said that this is a reflection of the division of labour in prehistoric times. Prehistoric males became specialists at hunting in groups. Females focused on gathering and child-rearing. Human males developed a pack mentality. This mentality is less well developed in females. As wolves, the forerunner of dogs, became pack hunters the dog has a lot in common with male humans and less in common with females. There lies the attraction between male humans and domestic dogs and a barrier to a fondness by male humans towards domestic cats.

The domestic cat has been described by Dr Desmond Morris as “bi-mental”. Mentally the domestic cat is part feline and part human. On the one hand, after around 12 weeks-of-age, cats are raised by humans and then they live with them for the rest of their lives. On the other hand, cats are raised and live with cats during the precious early weeks with his litter mates. When adult the cat is mentally a cat except for his relationship with his human caretaker who he treats as a “pseudo-parent” because the human took over at a sensitive age of development.

Quote, idea and thoughts from Catwatching by Dr. Desmond Morris.

P.S. Clearly lots of artists are men which reminds us that we have to generalise.

P.P.S. People of both sexes might be encouraged to adopt a cat if they are at work all day as they believe cats are more independent than dogs. Although this is not really true you might add them to the list i.e., busy people who are away from the home a lot.