Your Cat Is Manipulating You - Here's How

Scientific Blogging ^ | July 13th 2009 | News Staff

[decimon]

The phrase 'like herding cats' resonates with people for a reason; it's difficult to get them to do anything they don't already want to do.

But they have no problem getting humans to do their bidding, according to a report published in Current Biology, which shows that even biologists are concerned about future feline-human relations.

It seems crafty felines accelerate the filling of food dishes by sending a mixed signal: an urgent meowing coupled with an otherwise pleasant purr. Humans find it annoying and difficult to ignore. It's not April 1st or December so calibrate your belief accordingly.

[NavyCanDo]

I think mine took a life insurance policy out on me. He likes to jump in front of me and lays down right in from of my feet when I go up and down our steps. Like he is trying to trip me. I don't know how many close calls I have had with him doing that.

[Republican Landslide]

And people still insist that dogs are smart and cats are not.

You can tell which animals are smart and which are not when it comes time to clip their toenails. We have one cat who disappears whenever you go near the drawer that has the tonail clippers, another cat who will leave the room when they come out, and the stupid dog who will come around to see what all the fuss is about.

We were talking to the breeder we got the dog from, and were explaining about how we have to clip the nails of the animals from smartest to stupidest. She thought that meant the dog went first. She was quite offended when we told her the dog went last...

[Domandred]

LOL pretty much the same situation at my house. The cats know what’s up and disappear. The dog runs in like “hey guys what’s going on!...ah crap”

[italianquaker]

My cat wakes me every morning by purring and tapping my lip with her paw(claws in safe mode)

[Lady Jag]

Of course, those who know cats understand why this is.

[MHGinTN]

It has come to my comprehension that a cat wants the approval to chow down when you're around ... when you're out, they eats they please. No matter how much food you place in their bowl/dish, they will eat some then resume begging until you wave over the food remaining, but only if they want to eat. I have, since realizing this axiom, begun placing far less food in the dish for my kittyboys, so when they begin eating when I enter the kitchen, they run out of food in time for their ritual to be efficacious ... I do want to serve properly don'tchaknow.

I have a little kitty who has taken up residence oaround my porch. She comes to eat when I call her, but feels it necessary to yowl at me loudly for the few minutes it takes to go get the food and pour some for her. I suppose she is ticked that I'm not trained better, but she's still young and my old indoor-outdoor boys only tolerate her presence if she remains out of the center of attention.

[chris_bdba]

Certain culture revered cats as Gods, cats have never forgotten this! I have never had a cat that wasn’t obsessed by their food bowls. There is always food out here since we have more than one cat and if there is even a slight dip in the bowl where they have ate from you know about it.

[woollyone]

...the same paw that just covered up the kittysnickersbar in her private sandbox?

...that paw?

[Jim Ralls]

Dogs have owners — cats have staff. :=)

Boy, is this ever the truth. And us “cat staff” LOVE it.

[COBOL2Java]

[jeffc]

But they (cats) have no problem getting humans to do their bidding.
And people still insist that dogs are smart and cats are not.

No. Both above statements are true. Cats have no effect on me (a "dog person". My parents have cats - I ignore them, they learned to ignore me). The humans who "own" cats are not as smart as either (hee hee).

[fishergirl]

Thank goodness we don’t have cats, our mini-dachshund is manipulative enough! So much so that my husband calls him the “cat-dog”.

[wordsofearnest]

My Vet buddy says never bet against a cat. They do have nine lives and would eat you if big enough.

[spectre]

Our kitty has taken to plopping himself down in the middle of the kitchen floor. I fear one day he's going to get squashed and he'll either die or scratch the heck out of who ever stepped on him..

We love him, but he's a total pain in the ass..:)

sw

[geege]

Same here....my cat is dying to see my trip and fall on my face....cuts me off all the time.

[italianquaker]

They gotta to do what they gotta to do

[decimon]

Certain culture revered cats as Gods, cats have never forgotten this!

They do know their history. SunkenCiv is a cat.

[Lady Jag]

Mine wakes me up by doing its morning exercises on me.

[italianquaker]

lol

[SunkenCiv]

Hey, I had to claw my way to the top. Mostly by stealin' graphics on FR...