The Stereotyped Cat

A lot of people don’t know the basic facts about cats. One such false fact would be that milk is very good for your cat. Later it will be explained why it isn’t. People stereotype cats and never really understand the true facts about their pets. What to feed a cat is often argued over whether this treat is bad for your cat or good. A lot of people say “oh, well I’ve fed it to her for years and never have seen any apparent damage”. Usually it’s not noticeable when a food or beverage is hurting a cat. One food would be cheese. Many think that just because cheese is made from milk its good for a cat. In reality it blocks up their senses causing their nose to eventually lose their sense of smell, make their eyes cruddy, and other side effects. Most don’t even notice their cat having problems with cheese. Another food is milk. It may be good for developing kittens but it can upset the digestive tract of an adult cat. It is better to feed it milk now and then. Although the illness of a cat drinking milk isn’t as subtle as the illness caused by eating cheese it can still cause much damage. A third food that kills cats is what we look at as a harmless piece of chocolate. Cats may like the taste of chocolate but there is a deadly poison in it called theobromine, but it is only poisonous to cats. The fourth food is better known for its potency because of the drastic side effects, death! Onions, chives, and leeks kill the red blood cells in a cat’s body no matter how they are prepared. People might accidentally feed their cat onions and suddenly she falls ill or maybe even dies. This has been a common accident for beginners. What to feed a cat can be a difficult choice for those who don’t know much about cats.

Another aspect of the cat that is commonly stereotyped is its actions. A great deal of the common cat’s actions are typecast as what all cats do. This of course is false because each cat has its own personality. Some cats are independent and always on their own even to the extent of catching food for themselves. On the other hand there are cats that will lean heavily on their owners. Then there are cats that are sort of in between. Some cats are uncooperative and ornery. Quite a few people categorized cats as rather cranky and self-reliant. As an owner of a cat I’ve seen that cats can be quite affectionate and dependent but also very aggressive. But most cats are territorial. Some cats are always on the move and always catching animals, but some mostly sleep. In fact cats sleep sixteen hours a day. Some cats really want to please their caretakers. They purr and rub against people, but there are a few that bring dead animals, that they’ve caught, to their. A number of people have complained about their cat bringing these “offerings”. One such example would be one lady who tried mildly punishing her cat. Instead of stopping the cat it just encouraged the problem. Apparently the cat thought she was displeased with its gift. Another thing people think cats do always is land on their feet. Cats twist themselves in midair because of their special spines. Cats cannot always land on their feet especially if they are kittens. As kittens cats are uncoordinated and often land on their backs and fall over. But grown cats will also fall on their backs by accident sometimes.

All this said it proves that much of a cat’s everyday life is stereotyped. Many of the common adages about cats have been mistakes thought to be true because people have passed them down through generations. Most people accept these false facts and misunderstand what really is true about cats.