I
know this guy, and he’s no friend of mine. He hates cats. His standard line is:
“cats are scavengers and they would eat their dead owner while a dog would
never do that”. Then he makes shooting gestures. I guess he’s the kind of guy
who would hurt a cat, simply because he doesn’t like them. Not my kind of
person. He’s also completely wrong.
First
of all, cats are hunters who, if the opportunity is there, will scavenge as
well. So do dogs. Second, there are quite a few newspaper articles on the
internet about dogs eating their owners, even dogs gnawing on owners while they
are not dead. Their limbs were numbed by diabetes or a disability and they
didn’t feel it. I know this all sounds gruesome. but I just want to set the
record straight and this guy really got under my skin with his misconceptions.
Dogs
are in fact more of a danger to humans than cats are. Ever heard of a human
being attacked by a pack of cats? A single dog might also attack their owner if
the owner doesn’t show strong leadership. It is a natural response. This dog
just tries to take over as leader of the pack. Dogs follow the leader. They are
pack animals. That’s why it is easier to train a dog to work with humans than
it is a cat. Some of the bigger cats like lions work together to hunt, but our
feline friends are solitary hunters.
Therefore
you will see stories about one dog starving beside their dead human. This dog
is not the leader and won’t show initiative. When there are more dogs in the
house, chances are that one of them will try to take over as leader of the pack
when the human doesn’t respond and start eating when hungry. The others will
then follow. There are stories of single dogs eating their owners as well. But
then again, humans have eaten other humans to survive after a plane crash.
Personally
I wouldn’t like my cats to starve to death after I’m gone and I would have no
problems with them using me as food. I just hope I won’t cause them any
indigestion.
I
think we must stop projecting human feelings onto animals. Because of studios
like Walt Disney, a lot of people like to believe that animals react and think
like humans. Sadly enough it hasn’t prevented cruelty to animals. But then
these people probably wouldn’t think twice about hurting another person either.
Don’t
cats and dogs care about their owners? Of course they do. As long as we are
living breathing beings who take good care of them, they regard us as family
members, especially if we can communicate in a way they can understand. With
cats, that means a greeting ritual every day, rubbing off scent, slow blinks
etc. A cat even vocalises for the benefit of the humans. They meow because they
know that’s the way to get through to us. They miss us when we’re gone and will
sit in the spots where we normally sit and will look for us. They also bring in
prey for us to eat. Sometimes they bring in animals that are still alive.
Probably to teach us to hunt, like they do with their young. They must think
we’re really thick. But now I’m projecting.
Anyway,
if anyone ever comes up to you with that story about cats eating owners and
dogs pining away at their side, let them google “dog eats owner” and show them
this blog. Hopefully they will never bother you with it again.
Like butter wouldn't melt in their mouth......
I've heard similar comments from dog owners. It sadly seems they like spread nasty (and incorrect) rumors about cats because they themselves don't like cats.
ReplyDeleteDon't hear many stories from dog owners about the number of dogs who bite their owner or others, which is far more common than the type of story that cats will eat their dead owners. Also, so will dogs if there is no food around for days.
Dog owners just tell this kind of story to disrepute cats because they don't like them.
Thank you for this. I argue with my brother and son about my cat. They say the cat does not care for me and would eat me after I die, unlike a dog. Just because they do not like cats. Im going to read this blog to them when I see them. : )
ReplyDeleteI don't get why it's such a big problem. As long as they wouldn't eat me alive I'm fine with the idea (though I'd prefer it if they buried me at sea...). The fact is we don't know what cats think, though we can probably assume they don't have all deeply imprinted spiritual beliefs that make them think it is wrong to eat the dead. Hell, for all we know, eating a person's corpse could be a sign of deepest respect in cat culture. 😺
ReplyDeleteI think a little less 'whataboutery' might prove more helpful rather than negative comparisons - I have a dog which I rescued but had cats when a child and I like them both. Personally, what does it matter if your pet ate your dead corpse rather than starve - I have no problem with that. Some human cultures in the past (albeit deemed uncivilised) regarded eating their deceased relatives as respectful and that such action empowered them with all the good characteristics of the deceased who then 'lived on' in them ... not that I'm recommending the re-introduction of this practice of course!
ReplyDelete