cat sight - what are they after?

[sleeper]

My cats are the same way, they are more aware than I am. But my wife's dog isn't. She has a Bichon Frise, which keeps a strict schedule of playing hyper-actively, then sleeping. so, I wonder if part of the reason that the cats are more in tune than me and the dog because they sit still for so long.

[ariesr]

Perhaps they're meditating?

[Hibby]

now that's something, meditating cats. would bring in the possibility of cats being more spiritually advanced than most humans, i always found cats as strange creatures but still favoured dogs more.

[Searcher]

Cats - now ever since I was little they have freaked me out. I always feel like they can see into my soul, they know what I am thinking. I have overcome my fear of them but still like to keep some distance between me and them, my friend had a large cat and he would ignore all the others in the room; those trying to tempt him with treats or caresses; and perversely head for me, who was doing her best to ignore him and he would plop down on my lap, flexing his claws and snuggling himself down. I am sure he had an evil glint in his eye.
Dogs on the other hand I love and I KNOW that mine knows what I am thinking. All I have to do is think B A T H, without any form of body language and she's instantly quaking and dives under the bed. Think chicken and she's there begging, think a biscuit would be nice with this cup of coffee and she's over by the cupboard door waiting for me to get the tin out. At the moment she is looking at me confused . She always knew when my hubby was on his way home from work (at different times) and whenever he had a MS attack a few days before she would sit close to him and never leave his side (something she never did normally), the week before he died she never left his side. He joked that she knew something he didn't.
For the past few nights I have been aware of a white shape around the house - smallish but bigger than my dog, she has been freaking out and refuses to go to her favourite spot to bask in the sun. Three nights ago as i let her out a white shape streaked past me through the open door and I actually felt as though I had been gently pushed out of the way. After that my dog settled down.

[RyanParis]

The fact is there are real things human eyes can't see. We can't even see radio waves or TV waves, for crying out loud. These waves are real things, shooting up into the air around us. And lets not forget other types of waves, the wind, etc.

It's possible cats see a number of different things, including spirits and astral bodies.

[Hibby]

ahaah i think that for many people who live with domestic animals never realise how intelligent animals can be. I saw this video of a hippo saving a deer from a crocodile, for me who always thought animals were just simple survival creatures, that amazed me. the hippo scared the crocodile away and dragged the deer back up shore and nurtured it for awhile until it died, and there are so many more examples. just what is that? morals, sympathy, spiritual? did humans progress negatively in spirituality? Everyday people become less and less satisfied yet animals don't seem to care at all.

[CFTraveler]

I saw once a report of some cows who saved a farmer from a mad bull. He had passed out due to diabetic shock (or hypoglycemia, I don't remember) and they surrounded him and made noise until they caught his wife's attention and she was able to go outside and get help.
Of course these were dairy cows, and they loved him. The situation may have been different if they were 'food' cows and mistreated like it happens in modern farms nowadays.

Anyway, I don't think it has anything to do with morals or right and wrong or any of that stuff- for ages we have been taught we are 'superior' to animals, based on religion mostly, and even science started out with that assumption (making homo sapiens the pinnacle in evolution). I don't think any of that is relevant. We evolved (I don't even want to say the word progressed) a prefrontal cortex, as did some species of chimps, by the way- and that allows us to look at stuff and say 'this is bad' or 'this is good'. That is primarily what makes us different. We can use a voicebox to tell each other what we think of each other, and we can decide that something is wonderful or that it is not good enough.
In my life I have seen data that shows that everything else we think makes us smarter, such as toolmaking or brain size is seen in other animals- once again, other animals make tools, like chimps or beavers, (and others, I don't want to make this a boring list-of things other animals can do) or brain size: Elephants and dolphins, for example, or other things that we think we have exclusivity over.
As to animals not seeming to care, there was an article on elephant suicides sometime last year, and no one knew why they were doing it. So there is another one that may not apply. At least not to all animals.
And no, I'm not making any real point, other than many animals are different than us and others are a lot like us. But I do not subscribe to the idea that we are 'better'.

[ButterflyWoman]

my friend had a large cat and he would ignore all the others in the room; those trying to tempt him with treats or caresses; and perversely head for me, who was doing her best to ignore him and he would plop down on my lap, flexing his claws and snuggling himself down.

This is a peculiarity of cat psychology. Cats are threatened by certain kinds of movements, certain kinds of eye contact. Generally, people calling a cat will do it entirely wrong (from the cat's perspective). They have big eyes and an open mouth and they put out their hands (claws). To a cat, this looks threatening.

On the other hand, the person who is avoiding eye contact, who isn't waving their hands around, who is sitting quietly, that's the person the cat wants to be with, because that person is obviously safe and not at all threatening.

No evil intent all. It's just the way cats see the world.

And I'm pretty sure that my cat CAN see my soul, which I find comforting. She's a big part of the reason I'm still alive, and that's not an exaggeration.

[Neil Templar]

i just rescued a 5 year old cat from being passed from owner to owner,not being looked after very well.
she's been with me a week,and she seems very settled and happy now.
i'm looking forward to many years of fuzzy love from my wee puss.she's so sweet!

[CFTraveler]

This is a peculiarity of cat psychology. Cats are threatened by certain kinds of movements, certain kinds of eye contact. Generally, people calling a cat will do it entirely wrong (from the cat's perspective). They have big eyes and an open mouth and they put out their hands (claws). To a cat, this looks threatening.

And let's not forget the stupid human-talk which probably sounds like some sort of angry ape speech to them "Hi, look at that pretty kitty, you're so CUUTTTEEE!!!!!" Now wouldn't that want to make you run and hide? I know it does me. But I am cold and aloof.