What the heck is with this trope that cats are jerks?

[Ameriblush]

I hate it! There seems to be dozens of articles on the internet using bs scientific studies saying that cats are inherently jerks, they hate humans and think they are dumb, they're better off without us, they are incapable of showing affection, they only care about food, they aren't intelligent, hate petting, untrainable, etc. There are tons of articles saying why your cat doesn't really like you, and that they are "evil" which is scientifically impossible of non-human animals, because they have no morals to abide to. It's so unfair and mean spirited.

I have a cat at my mother's home. She goes nuts whenever she sees me (and no, I don't feed her), she leans in closer to me for more scratches and pets, stands up to get my attention, answers to her name, "talks" to us by meowing even when she's clearly not hungry, gets excited when we return home, knocks the bathroom door open just to sit there with whoever's using it, and had even learned how to sit on command at one point.

She was a former stray who was scared of people when we first got her. Now, she's a proud housecat. This idea that cats don't care for handlers is stupid beyond belief. It sounds like people are comparing them to dogs, when they are nothing alike! And I know this might seem like I'm going off the rails here by saying this, but... do you think this is similar to how people compare NTs to us?

 

[Bolletje]

It's a joke.

 

[WildCat]

I've got a gray tabby who begs to differ it's all nonsense...

 

[Judge]

When I think of the frustrations, complexities and difficulties of conditional love, humans always top the list for me. Whatever their neurology may be.

After that, most any species of the animal kingdom looks pretty good to me. My bad!

 

[Catalyst]

I'm not sure where it comes from either. I mean, there's the show of My Cat From Hell, I think it's called. And the host goes to homes where the cat's behavior is extreme and everything and he teaches the owners what to do with the cat to create a good environment where the cat is less stressed, and how to read the cat's emotions and whatnot. He also goes into how to kind of train the cat in some cases.

Cats are also trained all the time for movies and TV shows.

I don't train my cats to do anything, but my older female cat absolutely adores my mom (dad and I joke that she's really mom's cat now) and I don't know why, but I figure so long as she's comfortable with her, may as well go with it. Though every so often she'll come to me for companionship. My younger male cat tends to lay in my bed and on my office chair, comes to me for pets and attention, meows when he sees me, even if we're outside and he's across the street (and then he comes running). Both cats know their names, too.

I think jerk cats are mostly a joke, and it kinda stems from their tendency to knock things over or be selective about the people they like. And while all cats are different with different personalities, people wind up saying, "these cats are jerks, so all cats must be jerks." And they usually just don't understand their behavior.

 

[Katleya]

I guess that it started as a joke or a bunch of memes, but it stems from a bias that a number of dog people (not all, I swear I like dog people) have against cats.

The idea that cats are dumb or jerks can only come from people who don't know cats at all, and don't know how to interact with them. Hint: they're different from both humans and dogs.

When I moved in with my boyfriend, he wasn't exactly happy about my cat moving in with me. He held most of these beliefs on the superiority of dogs. And then after a few weeks, he found that the cat played fetch. Opened cabinets. Put the little litter shovel in the litter to indicate it's time to get my lazy human butt out of bed and get to cleaning the box (every single day). Or, better yet, would go get a toy for us to play with when we'd get in arguments, who knew cats could be peace makers?
So, sure, a cat doesn't blindly live their owner like a dog might, and it takes some flexibility to accept that some things will be on their terms, not ours, but overall, most cats whose boundaries are respected are pretty cool.

As for your parallel with us and NTs, did you ever come across that book meant to explain AS to kids, All cats have Asperger's? I think the title itself speaks volumes

 

[pjcnet]

So if an animal doesn't obey your every command it's apparently dumb and hates humans? Who is more intelligent, a puppet or a being that makes it's own decisions? Cats can obey and may even decide to "fetch" on request, but only if they choose to.

My cat isn't driven by food since she's always got food and water available 24/7 and yet she only eats and drinks what she really needs while remaining a perfect weight (you can't do this straight away if a cat is already used to being hungry at times however as it could overeat in fear that it could be a long time before the next meal). Because of this she feels secure about her basic needs and has more time to concentrate her attention on other things in life, she will often play and also play hunt outside. Sometimes she will dig her back paws into the soil keeping her head down low before suddenly sprinting at very high speed using her powerful back legs to get off to a very fast start like she is chasing prey, but what is maybe surprising is she tends to wait until she is certain that I am watching her before she does this, like she is "showing off" to me like a child wanting to show off a talent to their parents, if I start walking away she doesn't usually bother and if I then go instead she will soon follow and start meowing at me to tell me to go back out to watch her, as soon as I get back up she will lead me towards the door. I will say she is very selfish a lot of the time however, but this is also similar to a young child who wants everything their own way. I could give loads of examples of intelligence as well as affection that doesn't just involve marking her scent.

Regarding cats apparently being better off without us, well I believe that big cats often are, but domestic feral cats have far less than half the average life expectancy of domestic cats that are cared for properly by humans. Also if a domestic cat is repeatedly abused it's common for them to leave home and not come back when they're let out which proves they must be at least somewhat satisfied with the situation when they choose to stay.

 

[kay]

I have had a lot of cats and always found them to be smart, too smart, and very affectionate. My mom's cat always wants me to pick him up and carry him around when I'm over. She used to have to wrap him in a blankie, rock him to sleep, and then tuck him in his bed every night. He doesn't seem to need that much at her new house, the move broke the habit, but he is still super sweet and friendly. Chickens are another animal that makes a much friendlier pet than most people think. And turkeys. Right now all I have is two baby bunnies that I obsess over pretty much every waking moment. They are also smart and sweet and friendly. They like me to pick them up and rock them to sleep in the rocking chair.

 

[Tom]

Its the internet. The font from which all BS originates and returns.

If you read serious sources you will not find it. They have their own feline characteristics but have been domesticated for a very long time. They are the rough equivilent to companion dogs. They do not do physical labor like cattle dogs, etc. They are there because we gain something from their companionship, like greater mental health and longevity. They do have emotions. They are animal versions but still emotions.

 

[Bolletje]

I'm very much a cat person, but I love the cats are evil/cats are jerks jokes. I love my cats, but they can behave like jerks sometimes. To each other and to me. The joke part is where we act like it's all premeditated evil schemes instead of mischief on a whim.

 

[Catalyst]

I have had a lot of cats and always found them to be smart, too smart, and very affectionate. My mom's cat always wants me to pick him up and carry him around when I'm over. She used to have to wrap him in a blankie, rock him to sleep, and then tuck him in his bed every night. He doesn't seem to need that much at her new house, the move broke the habit, but he is still super sweet and friendly. Chickens are another animal that makes a much friendlier pet than most people think. And turkeys. Right now all I have is two baby bunnies that I obsess over pretty much every waking moment. They are also smart and sweet and friendly. They like me to pick them up and rock them to sleep in the rocking chair.

My husband's parents had chickens, and when we would housesit for them, I would go get the eggs. If the black hen was sitting on the eggs, she would peck at me. None of the other chickens did, just this black hen. Rest of them were very friendly.

 

[Gritches]

My mom's cat always wants me to pick him up and carry him around when I'm over. She used to have to wrap him in a blankie, rock him to sleep, and then tuck him in his bed every night.

I wish there was an "Awwwwww" rating

 

[Fitzo]

I think most domesticated animals behave well or badly depending on how they are treated by their humans. It's like the way pit bulls are demonized. If they are well treated they are as sweet as any other dog. Unfortunately they often attract bad owners.

 

[Progster]

I wasn't aware of this trope, but I agree. Cats are just busy being... cats, and it is wrong to try to project such human qualities and emotions onto them. But they do have close connections, often strong bonds to people. It's not just about being fed, they do choose our companionship, even though they are independent and can probably survive on their own without us.

 

[pjcnet]

I think most domesticated animals behave well or badly depending on how they are treated by their humans. It's like the way pit bulls are demonized. If they are well treated they are as sweet as any other dog. Unfortunately they often attract bad owners.

I've always said this about Pit Bulls which happen to be banned in the UK along with just 3 other breeds, but what's even more crazy is many dogs that could be considered worse are legal, some are banned in other countries and there's a huge amount of variation worldwide, here is a worldwide list of banned breeds.

What I really hate is when authorities seize a banned breed, the dog can be as friendly as anything, yet they're usually condemned to a death sentence, that makes my blood boil and to me it's murder. Can the dog help being born a Pit Bull or any other banned breed? Even when a dog appears to be aggressive it's usually the owner's fault and they rarely get given a chance to be retrained before being killed even if they're not a banned breed (and I will use the word "killed" which is the correct word, not "culled" or "euthanized" as these are words invented to make people feel better about killing healthy animals).

 

[sneaky snek]

my roommates almost 1 year old cat will not stop attacking my feet and actually rams into my ankles when im trying to walk. she also wont leave my cat alone even though he's very clear he doesnt want anything to do with her. so she's a jerk for now. hopefully she chills the hell out soon. my cat is 7 years old and he's all nice and chill

 

[Bookmaker]

Cats are little four-legged narcissists. Give me a dog any day.

 

[pjcnet]

my roommates almost 1 year old cat will not stop attacking my feet and actually rams into my ankles when im trying to walk. she also wont leave my cat alone even though he's very clear he doesnt want anything to do with her. so she's a jerk for now. hopefully she chills the hell out soon. my cat is 7 years old and he's all nice and chill

She is most likely attacking your feet because they can appear similar to pray, especially as they move, she knows they're not really prey, but it's natural to play in order to train for the real thing. The main solution is to use toys to redirect her attention, you or your roommate could even carry a toy to try to get her interested in that instead every time she tries to attack.

Not leaving the older cat alone can be difficult and is more common than you probably think and play fighting can be natural too, you're lucky she's a young female as a young male cat could have been even worse. Again she needs to be distracted as much as possible with toys. Hopefully it will get better as she gets older.

Has your roommate's cat been spayed? If not that could be also be a factor for certain behaviour and female cats reach puberty at around 5 months of age. After that she can be on heat on average every 14 to 21 days for 6 or 7 days on average each time (it can be between 2 to 9 days). During this time she can wail, be very restless, show increased affection, can roll around, can urinate to spread her scent and more.

 

[sneaky snek]

She is most likely attacking your feet because they can appear similar to pray, especially as they move, she knows they're not really prey, but it's natural to play in order to train for the real thing. The main solution is to use toys to redirect her attention, you or your roommate could even carry a toy to try to get her interested in that instead every time she tries to attack.

Not leaving the older cat alone can be difficult and is more common than you probably think and play fighting can be natural too, you're lucky she's a young female as a young male cat could have been even worse. Again she needs to be distracted as much as possible with toys. Hopefully it will get better as she gets older.

Has your roommate's cat been spayed? If not that could be also be a factor for certain behaviour and female cats reach puberty at around 5 months of age. After that she can be on heat on average every 14 to 21 days for 6 or 7 days on average each time (it can be between 2 to 9 days). During this time she can wail, be very restless, show increased affection, can roll around, can urinate to spread her scent and more.

she was spayed like 3 months ago and has started calming down, its just taking a while. when the two cats are properly introduced theyll probably play with eachother but for now my cat still hisses when he sees her, but she doesnt growl at him anymore so i think she sees him as a friend, its just not mutual yet. We got my cat and one of his littermates when i was 12 and my mom had all our cats declawed so I've never raised a lone kitten that wasn't traumatized. She gets all the toys stuck under things so I guess we needa get more XD

 

[pjcnet]

she was spayed like 3 months ago and has started calming down, its just taking a while. when the two cats are properly introduced theyll probably play with eachother but for now my cat still hisses when he sees her, but she doesnt growl at him anymore so i think she sees him as a friend, its just not mutual yet. We got my cat and one of his littermates when i was 12 and my mom had all our cats declawed so I've never raised a lone kitten that wasn't traumatized. She gets all the toys stuck under things so I guess we needa get more XD

The hisses are almost certainly to do with territory which is extremely important to cats, the house is his territory that he instinctively feels he needs to protect and he still sees the younger cat as a threat. The hisses themselves are warning the younger cat to stay away and it's also showing her that he is the dominant cat. Thankfully most of the time it's just a warning and the younger cat will back off without a serious confrontation, but if the hissing becomes accompanied by a growl or shriek this can be a warning of an imminent attack, if the worst did happen you can try to distract them by talking loudly or even clapping.

The only real solution is gradually introducing them to each other, some people even separate them in different rooms for a few days leaving the resident cat in his usual safe room where he spends most of his time and then they put their food near the bottom of the closed door so they smell each-other's scent and associate it to something good, another trick is to swap bedding when they're kept apart and some people will even progress to the next stage by later separating them with a see through barrier at the door like a baby gate if that is feasible. There obviously should be at least 2 litter boxes with one for the younger cat away from the older cats territory as much as possible at first. You also shouldn't punish the cat for hissing as it is natural behaviour, but you can give both cats treats when they're near each other as this distracts them and also starts associating being close to each-other with something good. It can help to give both cats attention and toys to distract them too, especially the older cat because the worry about a threat to his territory can be really stressful for him. Some people even use special hormone spray to calm the cats down and make them feel more comfortable, although I don't know how effective they are. It can take a lot of patience, but as long as there's no actual blood involved by fighting they will hopefully get used to each-other on their own eventually and it sounds like a little progress has already been made.

Best of luck!