By: John Young
There are expert opinions that state that cats are entirely independent animals that have chosen to associate themselves with man strictly as a "survival strategy". There is probably some truth to this opinion (it's held particularly by people who don't like cats).
But any veteran cat owner will tell you that cats *do* "bond" with humans, but only particular humans, and will actually "choose" a person in the household to bond with. For example, the kitty you picked out for yourself might bond with your roommate instead of you. You'll find this out when you are sitting in the room and want your cat to jump up on your lap and instead discover that your kitty has snuggled up to your roommate instead.
There's no real explanation for why a cat chooses a particular person to bond to ... sometimes it's their voice, their mannerisms ... or perhaps it's just the way they "handle" the cat. It could be that the person is more gentle, or maybe a little more forceful (sometimes older male cats will "take" to men and not women, and vice versa for females).
Then there's the interesting notion that cats are psychic ... that they bond to a particular individual because the person gives off a psychic "aura" that is compatible with the cat. And, vice versa, the cat will avoid a person who gives off "bad vibes".
There are many people who have owned cats that will attest to this.
Whatever the theory, there's no real data to prove that cats attach themselves to humans for reasons beyond physical survival, but cat owners know...cats do form affection for individual humans, and sometimes for reasons that just aren't explainable in human terms.
For the novice cat owner, a knowledge of your cat's motivations and psychology is of enormous help in introducing your new cat to your home environment. I've tried to help with my new book "Your New Cat's First 24 Hours."
