What is a Peter Pan character?
Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. He’s a free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up. Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythical island of Neverland as the leader of the Lost Boys, interacting with fairies, pirates, mermaids, Native Americans, and occasionally ordinary children from the world outside Neverland. The character has become a cultural icon symbolizing youthful innocence and escapism.
Adult domestic cats are Peter Pan characters as they never grow up as explained and illustrated in the infographic below.
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Cat caregivers are well served to be aware that they are like mother cats to their domestic cat companion. Their cats’ original wildcat character would be quite impossible to live with if they weren’t little Peter Pans!
It is only through socialisation, selective breeding and their dependency on their human caregiver which turns them into pliable kittens. Until occasionally their true wild cat character emerges when for instance they go outside to hunt.
The concept that we are ‘moms’ to our cats is a little controversial although I am certain I am correct 😎.
Surrogate moms
Here is a paragraph on the topic taken from some well-respected sources such as icatcare.org
While cats may not view their human caregivers in the exact same way as they would their feline birth mothers, it is possible that they see them as a sort of surrogate. Cats recognize that they depend on humans for food, shelter, and affection, and they often respond to the loving behaviors shown by their caregivers. Research suggests that cats interact with humans similarly to how they do with other cats, indicating that they see us as part of their social group.
For instance, when a cat feels safe and comfortable, it may rub around the face and body of another cat, and they exhibit the same behavior towards humans by rubbing around our legs. This behavior stems from interactions within social groups in the wild, where smaller cats rub themselves on bigger cats, which could reflect a form of power dynamics that might also apply to their interactions with us.
Moreover, cats often bond closely with the person who feeds them and spends the most time with them, which can further strengthen this perception of humans as mother figures or primary caregivers.
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