Why Cats are "Independent" (The Social Lives of Cats)

  Ask a dog person who doesn’t like cats why this is. As someone who used to really be a dog person, my reason, like most peoples’ was, “they’re independent” or, “they’re not social”. Why is it that, overall, cats are independent?


Cats Pre-Domestication

“Dogs have owners, Cats have staff.” -Unknown

   Due to their roots, it’s natural that domestic cats are independent. Domesticated dogs are descendants from wolves (Canis lupus), who live and hunt in packs. They must learn social ways for survival. Domesticated cats are believed to be descendants from small species of wildcats (Felis silvestris), which, like many felines, are solitary hunters. Thus, domestic cats have evolved as solitary hunters as well. So to say that cats “hate” people is not so. Rather, it is just not in a cat’s nature to need to be as social as dogs.
  Is this to say cats are animals that will ignore you, not appreciating your attention to them? No.


Behavior

  Cats rely strongly on body language for communication and will commonly show behavior linked to juvenile memories being with their mother and/or siblings. In fact, it is believed mammals enjoy being pet as it feels like being licked, something their mother did to them when they were young.

Chances are you've once seen (or felt) a cat pushing out and pulling in their front paws alternately, appearing to be massaging. This is known as kneading, an act that nursing kittens to do the mammary glands of their mother to produce more milk. Though once they are weaned they no longer need to do this, the moments nursing with their mother were very content- thus cats associate this behavior with that emotion. So if a cat begins kneading on your lap, know that they are not intentionally trying to cause you the excruciating pain that it does. Instead, they are showing that they are enjoying your company.
  Cats often communicate with their tail and vocalizations. If lying down while spoken to, their tail will usually begin fluttering, displaying they're aware of this interaction. This may even be followed by the cat coming up to you and vocally greeting with a meow or chirp, probably followed by purring which is usually associated with happiness. If you develop an eye for noting their behavior, you will come to realize Mrs. Fluffyboots and her fellow feline friends are not as "independent" as commonly thought.

To learn more about cat body language, check out article: Cat Communication.

"I don't trust people who don't like cats. You disrespect independence, lack subtlety, and are devoid of poetic sensibility." -Steve Best