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A deep question: why so many people here have cat avatars?

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MusicalWonders
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23 Apr 2013, 9:35 am

Interesting, I never thought of it that way.



whirlingmind
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23 Apr 2013, 9:52 am

Raziel wrote:
whirlingmind wrote:
Marybird wrote:
Yes, it is a survival instinct for humans also, love is a survival instinct, just like hunger or fear.

Of course we are different. We are a different species. But we have so much in common with other mammals. Our physiology, our instincts, our emotions. We evolved on the same planet, we have the same origins. If you have ever seen a dog or cat morn over the loss of their human companion, you would understand that they have the capacity to love.


Love is not necessary to reproduce, only attraction is. Love is not necessary to care for young, only the instinct of protecting & feeding to ensure the continuation of a species.


I once was away for 10 months, in another country. I was still living at home by my moms and had a cat back than. Usually the cat slept next to my bed in a chair when I was at home. This cat waited every evening for entire 10 months in that chair next to my bed that I would come, but I didn't, so late at night (every signle night) she decided to go to my moms room to sleep there until I came back.
She was the same in another situation. My mom had also a cat and when I moved I took my cat with me. But the problem was that my cat stoped eating, for days and days so that we had no other choice as to reunite the two cats again.

There is much more going on than just instinct.


Please refer to my post a little higher up regarding mourning for an explanation for these type of behaviours, which would account for the failure to eat etc.

One house I used to live in, had a cat which I used to stroke on the way up the stairs to bed, it used to go up a stair at a time ahead of me every time it knew I was going up, for stroking. Stroking is pleasurable to cats because it mimics the mother cat licking them clean when they were kittens. Even after I left that house, the landlady told me that the cat expected all new tenants to go through the same stroking routine on their way up to bed at night. Years later the cat has continued this 'tradition'. This was just because it was habit and most creatures like familiarity because anything (including the absence of their owner) gives them cause to feel insecure about all parts of their environment which in their minds contribute to their survival.


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23 Apr 2013, 12:21 pm

whirlingmind wrote:
Raziel wrote:
whirlingmind wrote:
Marybird wrote:
Yes, it is a survival instinct for humans also, love is a survival instinct, just like hunger or fear.

Of course we are different. We are a different species. But we have so much in common with other mammals. Our physiology, our instincts, our emotions. We evolved on the same planet, we have the same origins. If you have ever seen a dog or cat morn over the loss of their human companion, you would understand that they have the capacity to love.


Love is not necessary to reproduce, only attraction is. Love is not necessary to care for young, only the instinct of protecting & feeding to ensure the continuation of a species.


I once was away for 10 months, in another country. I was still living at home by my moms and had a cat back than. Usually the cat slept next to my bed in a chair when I was at home. This cat waited every evening for entire 10 months in that chair next to my bed that I would come, but I didn't, so late at night (every signle night) she decided to go to my moms room to sleep there until I came back.
She was the same in another situation. My mom had also a cat and when I moved I took my cat with me. But the problem was that my cat stoped eating, for days and days so that we had no other choice as to reunite the two cats again.

There is much more going on than just instinct.


Please refer to my post a little higher up regarding mourning for an explanation for these type of behaviours, which would account for the failure to eat etc.

One house I used to live in, had a cat which I used to stroke on the way up the stairs to bed, it used to go up a stair at a time ahead of me every time it knew I was going up, for stroking. Stroking is pleasurable to cats because it mimics the mother cat licking them clean when they were kittens. Even after I left that house, the landlady told me that the cat expected all new tenants to go through the same stroking routine on their way up to bed at night. Years later the cat has continued this 'tradition'. This was just because it was habit and most creatures like familiarity because anything (including the absence of their owner) gives them cause to feel insecure about all parts of their environment which in their minds contribute to their survival.


It's a policy of mine not to presume internal cognition of others, feelings cannot be known for certain by anyone except the person (or animal) experiencing them.


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whirlingmind
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23 Apr 2013, 10:18 pm

...and it's a policy of mine to use logic, when comparing the brain size and capabilities of humans vs animals.


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Raziel
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24 Apr 2013, 3:18 am

whirlingmind wrote:
Raziel wrote:
whirlingmind wrote:
Marybird wrote:
Yes, it is a survival instinct for humans also, love is a survival instinct, just like hunger or fear.

Of course we are different. We are a different species. But we have so much in common with other mammals. Our physiology, our instincts, our emotions. We evolved on the same planet, we have the same origins. If you have ever seen a dog or cat morn over the loss of their human companion, you would understand that they have the capacity to love.


Love is not necessary to reproduce, only attraction is. Love is not necessary to care for young, only the instinct of protecting & feeding to ensure the continuation of a species.


I once was away for 10 months, in another country. I was still living at home by my moms and had a cat back than. Usually the cat slept next to my bed in a chair when I was at home. This cat waited every evening for entire 10 months in that chair next to my bed that I would come, but I didn't, so late at night (every signle night) she decided to go to my moms room to sleep there until I came back.
She was the same in another situation. My mom had also a cat and when I moved I took my cat with me. But the problem was that my cat stoped eating, for days and days so that we had no other choice as to reunite the two cats again.

There is much more going on than just instinct.


Please refer to my post a little higher up regarding mourning for an explanation for these type of behaviours, which would account for the failure to eat etc.


Well I have a different opinion than you.


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24 Apr 2013, 5:47 am

:lol:


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Raziel
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24 Apr 2013, 6:32 am

whirlingmind wrote:
:lol:


:lol:


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24 Apr 2013, 7:16 am

:wink:


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