Entertaining Bored Cats

/ Sirius Bizinus

These are random Internet cats, courtesy of Stockvault.

I have two cats. Both like people watching. Today, they were entertained by my kitchen shenanigans. People say cats are aloof creatures, lacking in affection and social cohesion. This isn’t true.

Unlike dogs and people, cats are just really good at curbing their enthusiasm.

It still exists. Every time I walk by a specific couch, one of my cats will watch me go by. If I turn and grab the toy I’ve hidden between the cushions, she is there in a heartbeat, ready to strike. To her, it doesn’t matter if she’s playing with the toy in an unintended fashion (she prefers to attack the plastic handle rather than the long leopard print fuzzy tail portion). She’s watching me with an eye on whether I’ll do something interesting.

My other cat will sit on top of chairs and bookshelves, beds and cabinets, all to get a high view of what everyone is doing. Sometimes he watches while pretending to nap. Sometimes he’ll sneak up for a closer look (if he thinks there might be food). No, it’s not the same as human interest. But it is interest.

Cats are not social creatures like dogs or humans. They have their own way of interacting with others. Their play involves surprise attacks and little bites. Or it could involve chasing a laser pointer around for fifteen minutes. They have curiosity, and they can be friendly if you treat them right.

If you have a chance and some time, learn about cats and how they behave. If you like what you find, consider adopting a cat from a local shelter. They’ll entertain you without trying, and you’ll get to return the favor.

Always.

8 thoughts on “Entertaining Bored Cats”

  1. For me, cats are a form of soothing therapy, whether its stroking one on my lap or simply observing one observing its surroundings.

    Unfortunately the wife has an uncanny knack of tripping over them, and she has had some very nasty falls as a result. For this reason she won’t tolerate a cat in the house, and I won’t have a cat unless it’s allowed into at least part of the house.

    In our previous house we were able to reach a compromise and the cat was allowed into a section of the house that was a later addition where my office was located. I provisioned the area with plenty of off-floor perching places for the cat, so that on the occasions when my presence was graced by both the cat and the wife, they could both look each other more or less at eye level.

    Unfortunately, our current house does not lend itself into having cat no-go areas so I suffer in silence.

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    • That’s rough, Barry. Are you able to have other pets? They add so much to one’s life. A friend of mine was in the Navy, and getting a pet snake helped him out immensely.

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      • We’ve had Monty, our python 😁…for around 8 yrs now. I think he’s SO beautiful, and love the feel of him on my skin also.
        But he’s simply not got the cuddly, affectionate, entertaining benefits of our dogs.

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      • I had to laugh at the mention of snakes. There are absolutely no live in NZ – not even in zoos. Somehow I don’t think a taxidermied snake would be much help even if it was permitted entry into the country.

        We do babysit our daughter’s dog from time to time and it’s allowed the run of the house apart from the kitchen. Mind you, she’s a Whippet Alsatian cross and is of a size that’s impossible to overlook, so the wife has no fear of not seeing her.

        The problem with dogs is that for me they demand too much attention. As I seem to be more aware of the emotional needs of animals than most people, and I find I cannot ignore the demands a dog makes.

        I also have mixed feelings about pet ownership. Before the arrival of humans less than 800 years ago, these islands were mammal free and our fauna is simply not adequately equipped to survive mammalian predation. Likewise our flora cannot survive mammalian grazing. Every pet that escapes into the wild is a threat to the existence of our wildlife. I try to encourage native birds on our property by providing suitable habitat, but many species are just too vulnerable in where/how they nest and their lack of natural fear of ground based dangers. Their instincts are to look for airborne dangers.

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