Cat type and temperament
- Thread starter alexb123
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For one, there are the effects of human projections, those projections being based on particular cultural stereotypes.
For example, black cats are perceived as "bad" by some people, and so those people treat black cats badly, which in turn affects the way black cats behave.
On the other hand, pure-breds are often treated as special and superior to ordinary cats, and it could well be that it is due to that that pure-breds develop particular temperament traits.
Etc.
So given these projections and their effects on the temperament of cats (and other animals as well, esp. dogs), I think it is hard to figure out what exactly the temperament "as such" of an animal is.
There are also other factors that can affect the temperament of an animal - the quality of living circumstances, kind and quality of food, disease, how many people and other animals they live with, the emotional and mental wellbeing of their owners etc.
Fraggle Rocker
Staff member
There are a few broad correlations. Abyssinians tend to be rather active, Persians tend to be rather placid.
Bear in mind that cats were domesticated much more recently than dogs: 7KYA rather than 12. They haven't had as many generations of selective breeding. Furthermore, their basic temperament is much different: not nearly as social, not at all hierarchical (e.g., they don't live to make the pack leader happy). They are devoid of these basic characteristics which facilitated the breeding of dogs into strikingly unique niches in our own lives: sentinels, herders, terriers, protectors, retrievers, trackers, companions, performers... even draft.
So cats just don't show the amazing range of personalities that dogs do. They're basically bred for appearance. The fact that there is a noticeable spectrum of behavior, from an Abby bouncing off the mantle, to a Persian wearing a permanent dent in the sofa, is about all we're going to get.
Lately people have been hybridizing Felis silvestris lybica with other species, notably the ocelot. Perhaps this infusion of new DNA will bring in some new behavior patterns.
Bear in mind that cats were domesticated much more recently than dogs: 7KYA rather than 12. They haven't had as many generations of selective breeding. Furthermore, their basic temperament is much different: not nearly as social, not at all hierarchical (e.g., they don't live to make the pack leader happy). They are devoid of these basic characteristics which facilitated the breeding of dogs into strikingly unique niches in our own lives: sentinels, herders, terriers, protectors, retrievers, trackers, companions, performers... even draft.
So cats just don't show the amazing range of personalities that dogs do. They're basically bred for appearance. The fact that there is a noticeable spectrum of behavior, from an Abby bouncing off the mantle, to a Persian wearing a permanent dent in the sofa, is about all we're going to get.
Lately people have been hybridizing Felis silvestris lybica with other species, notably the ocelot. Perhaps this infusion of new DNA will bring in some new behavior patterns.
What does the other cat do when yours does that?
IFF my observations and interactions with horses and dogs may be extrapolated, I would suggest that within breeds there may be some consistency of temperament through genotype, but qualify that by stating that phenotype and experience are equally influential factors.
We have owned a few cats over the years, never more than two at once, and each has displayed remarkable individuality and capacity for interacting with us. Hubby is a 'cat' and 'bird' person and from his interactions with these species I have come to view them with far greater appreciation of their intelligence and unique ability to communicate their preferences and dislikes.
for some reason our mutt cat treats mice a car. It chases them but does nothing with it (like a dog chasing a car)
When our larger cat goes through teh window, the mutt cat ran and hid
Fraggle Rocker
Staff member
This is an example of neoteny, the retention or resumption of traits normally lost in the transition to adulthood.
Again, to contrast cats with dogs, dogs have been bred to retain puppy behaviors into adulthood. Wolf puppies bark, wag their tails, chase sticks, wrestle, and enjoy forming rather large groups; but adult wolves lose all of these traits. Adult dogs, on the other hand, continue to behave in these ways until the day they die. It's much of what endears them to us.
Cats have not been selectively bred long enough to make this transition, and the fact that they are not pack-social by instinct gives them a handicap in even starting it. However, when we pick cats up and carry them around, feed them, give them toys, and absolve them of almost all responsibilities except the fun ones like chasing mice, we are essentially treating them the way their mothers treated them when they were babies. This triggers a neoteny reaction: a reversion to kittenhood and a resumption of kitten psychology.
Kittens who are too young to eat meat nonetheless chase things because it tones their muscles, vision, and paw-to-eye coordination so when they're grown up they will be able to catch their own food. An adult cat who undergoes neoteny does the same thing: chasing mice without (necessarily) eating them.
Our piss-elegant Persian cats would have died before messing up their coiffures by butchering their own meat. When they caught something, they brought it to us to thank us for taking such good care of them.
And of course assuming that we would butcher it and serve it up for breakfast.
FR
There is only one responsibility the cats in my house have and thats to kill all the mice near the house and they are brilliant at it (one cat sat in front of a hole in the wall all day waiting for the mouse to stick its head out) and apparently so is the lasa upso cross we have which is more concerning as we want her submissive when we have kids (the cats don't matter).
The dogs also only have one responsiblity and that's to keep PEOPLE away from the house
There is only one responsibility the cats in my house have and thats to kill all the mice near the house and they are brilliant at it (one cat sat in front of a hole in the wall all day waiting for the mouse to stick its head out) and apparently so is the lasa upso cross we have which is more concerning as we want her submissive when we have kids (the cats don't matter).
The dogs also only have one responsiblity and that's to keep PEOPLE away from the house
Fraggle Rocker
Staff member
As I noted earlier, the most striking range of behaviors among the cat breeds is the high-octane dancing on the ceiling of Abbysinans and Siamese, versus the lump on the sofa personality of a Persian.
Sure, they all develop their individual personalities and quirks.
But this is nothing compared to the vast range of instinctive behaviors of the various dog breeds: retrievers, pointers, coursing hounds (chasers), herders, protectors, terriers (typically chasing prey into burrows and sometimes needing to be pulled out by their very strong tails), sentinels, traction (Rottweilers originally pulled plows and carts), entertainers (poodles and Maltese love learning tricks), devoted companions (almost all of them can do this job but a few breeds live to be carried around in your purse), and I've surely overlooked just as many as I listed.
I love cats too, although at the moment we don't seem to have any. So we're aware of the differences between the two species as well as the similarities.
Now if you want to see phenomenal differences in temperament and behavior between individuals of a single species, pick almost any kind of psittacine: parrots, macaws, conures, lories, parakeets, cockatoos, etc.
I'm sure that the more intelligent an animal is, the more likely he is to develop a strikingly unique personality rather than just displaying his instincts. Some parrots are as intelligent as apes and dolphins.