To learn more about the internet’s favorite animal, we reached out to Alexandra Taylor, Registered Veterinary Nurse at International Cat Care and Cat Wellbeing and Behavior Advisor, and she was kind enough to have a chat with Bored Panda. First, we wanted to know what Alexandra loves most about kitties and what makes them so special. “That’s a tricky question to answer – what’s not to love?” she asks.
“Cats are intelligent, beautiful, agile, and adaptable animals. People say cats are independent, but this really stems from the fact that they are programmed to be little survivalists. Because their ancestry lies with the African wildcat – they have not really been domesticated that long compared to other domestic animals. Cats are all essentially little wildcats in one way or another, and I think that makes them very special indeed.” Alexandra also shared a link to more interesting information about the origins of the domestic Cat at International Cat Care right here.
We also asked Alexandra if it’s common for cat parents to have many inexplicable photos of their kitties in their camera rolls. “Most cat caregivers take and keep lots of photos of their cats, as they are so photogenic!” she told Bored Panda. “I have thousands of photos of my own cats Spud and Mr Monkey Business,” she added, attaching two of her favorites in her email to me. One is a hilarious close-up that looks like a curious cat taking a selfie, and the other is a cat completely sprawled out on a sofa, appearing to have more human than cat proportions with two “arms” and 2 legs. Both could definitely earn a spot on Unexplainable Cat Images!
As far as why cats make such wonderful pets, Alexandra says, “They provide companionship and can form very strong bonds with their caregivers. Cats can be fun to spend time with, especially during playtime (or watching them zoom around the house!). Studies have shown that interactions with cats can help lower heart rate, blood pressure and stress in humans.”
“However, it is important to recognize that, as a species, cats have very unique needs which are our responsibility to understand,” she adds. “Us humans have a habit of anthropomorphising and assuming cats have the same needs we do, but in many cases they don’t, and this can result in unintentional stress. More information about what cats need and making your home cat friendly can be found on this International Cat Care webpage."
Alexandra also addressed some of the common misconceptions people have about cats. “There are many, but [one] is how we feed cats living in the same household,” she noted. “I think this is because humans see eating as a social behavior and might assume that cats like to eat this way too. I can see why cat caregivers might feed cats together, i.e. to save time, but cats are solitary hunters and feeders.”
“This doesn’t mean that cats won’t eat next to each other, they will do so because the drive to access food overrides the need to eat alone,” she went on to explain. “However, the downside of feeding cats this way is that it can cause stress over competition for food (which is a valuable resource) and can result in cats eating too quickly (and regurgitating their food), being underweight because they cannot access their food, or conflict and fighting."
“For these reasons, I would always recommend feeding cats away from each other, or at least giving them the option to do so,” Alexandra says. “Conflict can also arise during food preparation too, so keeping cats separated during this time can help maintain harmony in a multi-cat household.”
"I would like to signpost all cat caregivers towards the International Cat Care website for reliable advice on feline health and behavior," Alexandra went on to say. "It is a fantastic resource, written by experts and packed full of useful information. Our vision at International Cat Care is a cat friendly world where each cat, owned and unowned, is treated with respect, compassion and understanding. We strive to create knowledge and engaging learning experiences to motivate change and inspire more people to understand and care for cats.”
“I am also running a half marathon for the charity in May," she added. "So if anyone would like to sponsor me and help raise funds to help others understand cats and improve feline welfare, please visit my JustGiving page.”
We also reached out to the kitties at Bionic Basil, and their “purrsonal assistant and cat staff”, Cathrine Garnell, was kind enough to have a chat with us too. Bionic Basil is a UK-based “supurr fun cat-centric blog featuring feline enrichment tips, hacks and ideas, cat health, book reviews, adventure stories for all ages, Crafting with Cats, Gardening with Cats, Colouring with Cats, Brain Training with Cats, product reviews and lots more.”
When it comes to what Cathrine loves most about cats, she shared, “I love all animals, and have had the pleasure of owning many rescue dogs, horses, donkeys and even cattle, though I find cats are inherently unique in their ability to be completely independent; they make up their own minds, have their own rules and are not adverse in the slightest to letting their human staff know what they like, when they like it and how they like it. I love their quirky personalities and their desire to do what they want and when they want to; they are so fluid, spontaneous, playful, and free in how they live their lives.”
“All the cats I’ve had the pleasure of being guardian and custodian to over the last twenty-six years, every single one, has been completely different, and special in their own distinctive way,” Cathrine went on to tell Bored Panda. “They all have their likes and dislikes, their favorite places, their favorite way of being held and petted, when they like to be brushed, where they like to eat, etc. They are very intelligent, and sometimes rather complex companions, but the love and loyalty of a cat is rather magnificent. They make excellent listeners too. They never judge or give you poor advice.”
Cathrine also revealed that she has amassed an impressive collection of over 45,000 photos of her cats, plus many videos. “Being part of a cat blogging community, I know many of my blogging friends have similar, if not more, as fresh content requires new photos every week,” she added. “And who can resist taking pictures of their very own supurr meowdel? Melvyn, our youngest kitty is a catwalk/runway veteran; he struts his stuff every Wednesday on our blog wearing the very latest cat bandana fashions.”
