The other day, my human was trying to tell me I was a bad cat. Can you believe it? I don’t remember what I was doing… maybe I was trying to break into Binga’s kennel so I could eat her leftover breakfast or something. Whatever it was, it was something that required some deep thought and deductive reasoning. Which is absolutely not bad. You’ll be happy to know that a moment after calling me a bad cat, my human came to her senses and realized I, in fact, was not bad.
“Wait a minute!” she muttered. “Cats don’t even know what bad means.”
After decades of having cats, only now has she figured out that cats don’t have “bad” as a concept. So tell me who has a better grasp of deep thought and deductive reasoning here? But honestly, I’m not here for any human-bashing. I just want to point out something that humans seem to have a hard time grasping:
There is no such thing as a bad cat because “bad” is not part of a cat’s reality.
Cats have three realities:
- Things they want
- Things they Do Not Want
- Instinct
It’s all pretty simple. Humans are complex beings, with a lot of opinions about what is right and wrong (and sometimes they aren’t right about that!). The funny thing about humans is that their sense of right and wrong ties in pretty well with a) things they want and b) things they Do Not Want. We cats dispense with the inner commentary and just go with it (or don’t go with it).
When Boodie wants to steal my breakfast or dinner, she’s not being bad, she’s just going after what she wants. If my human thinks she’s bad for doing it, well, that’s on my human. Boodie doesn’t think it’s bad. She doesn’t know what bad is. She does know that it’s likely my human will try to stop her… unless my human isn’t paying attention. Boodie feels no guilt.
When Binga acts out because my human’s boyfriend is packing his suitcase to go off and play some shows, she is not being bad. She’s running around, getting into stuff and knocking things over because the humans think it is bad! That’s different from thinking she is the bad one. When she acts out, she gets lots of attention from the humans as they try to deal with her insane behavior. And in Binga’s eyes, that is certainly not bad at all!
When you tell a cat she is bad, the cat thinks you are either a) making no sense, b) unreasonable, c) stupid, or d) scary and mean. None of these are good looks on humans. So humans, instead of scolding a cat who is behaving in a way you think is “bad,” put on your thinking caps. Look at the cat’s behavior and try to understand why she is doing whatever she is doing. Then you can figure out something better for your cat to do.
Can you guess why I was trying to break into Binga’s kennel? It’s not that hard, really. My training, play and dress up sessions have been pretty scant lately. I’ve been bored — and hungry! So of course, I am going to try to make my own fun, and grab a few snacks while I’m at it. That is pretty smart of me, isn’t it? And who do you think is the bad one here for not scheduling more activities for me? Hint: I’m not the guilty party.
Oh, and if you’re wondering about the cat’s third reality, instinct, that’s stuff over which she has no control. Some of it is solved by spaying and neutering. The rest of it… well, that’s for another blog post some other time.
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Makes sense to us, Summer. We’re never bad!
I totally agree with you sweet Summer, we’re never bad here and even our peeps know that, fortunately!
Summer…this ought to go in the newspapers! People have NO concept that a cat does NOT think like humans!!! And they have the wrong idea about us many many times. That leads to fussing when we don’t deserve it.
You’re so right, Summer. It’s just our nature to do the things we do.
Thank you for explaining this to the humans, Summer. We get so annoyed when people say cats are jerks. Cats aren’t jerks, and they aren’t bad. Cats are being cats. Humans just don’t think the way cats do.
Chanel may not be “bad” but her sense of “let’s go for it now” makes mom a little nuts
We just laugh at our human when she calls us bad. MOL!
Why oh why do humans not understand this about non-humans? For years I have been trying to explain (mostly to male humans) that cats are just being cats!
Intriguing indeed and very well put. Our mom is super with us about “bad”. She typically does not use that word. We do hear the word “bafoon” whatever that means and she’s probably referring to dad. MOL. You are absolutely right! We cats do not overthink things or possess ill intentions. Very well put Summer! Purrs
You haven’t met my cat!
Such an impawtant reminder for the hoomins out there. We cats are just about purrfect. They are the odd ones.
Amen to every word on this post….we kitties are smart opportunist and quick to act.
Hugs madi your bfff
When you put it that way, makes sense to the human now.
Our Mom agrees with all you’ve said, Summer. But what if some kitty wants everything? Extra curiosity is normal in some kitties, right? Because after all the playtimes and snacks and treats and attention, it’s still okay to knock stuff off the boo-fay because some kitty just wants more attention and treats and snacks and playtimes. And that kitty wouldn’t be bad. Yep, we agree one hundred percent!
Some kitty named Tessa is feeling all smug now.
Thank you for this post, Summer. My humans think I am bad all the time because I’m always doing something they don’t want me to do. But it’s something I want to do! Haven’t they learned by now that what I want is obviously right?!
—Caster
That is very true, excellent post.
Great post, We are never bad around here, we just try to get what will make us feel a little better.
Yes yes YES, Summer! You’ve hit the nail on the head. Hoomins are really stoopey sometimes, when it’s as clear as day!
We agree, cats are never bad, they are just opportunistic ! Purrs
if he doesn’t know it’s bad, why does diego-san quickly jump off the kitchen counters when i enter the room?
Because he knows you disapprove and will probably make him jump down. He figures, oh well, my fun’s over now.
I sooo agree with you, one thing I never call Cody (and I call him everything under the sun lol) is “bad”………he’s crazy, mischievous, stubborn and more but not “bad” Love how your reasoning and the info you shared, great post!
You are so smart, Summer! All humans need to read this post!
Finally! You said it Summer…cats are not bad!
Humans do need to read this 😉
Purrs Georgia,Julie and JJ
Gotta agree. No such thing as “bad” – just what we want.
You are absolutely right, Summer! Manna and Dexter give you high paw for this one. Being “bad” is definitely a human concept. Kitties have a different way of operating. I love cats just the way they are – even if they aren’t behaving the way I think they should.
It’s about time someone stood up for us, Summer!
That’s an excellent explanation of our nature, Summer. Mom says I’m being “naughty” when I walk next to the stove while she’s cooking and she always makes me get down.
This post is absolutely BRILLIANT! I get acolded for biting the peeps but I’m bored and it’s all on them! Absolutely BRILL!
right on, Summer, right on!
pip, minnie, hollie, sharpie, ditto, TL
We agree! TOTALLY!
Nellie’s post on Monday was about the same thin…Cats who are BAD … (like Micheal Jackson’s song!)
And my eating the steak…it was not because I was bad..it was because I was HUNGRY (and Jo Jo and Kozmo helped me eat it…until Cinnamon took it away from us to finish!!!
Mommy was BAD because she left it out.
Purrs
Marv
It’s the same as people saying cats are “sneaky” or “sly”. Cats just do what they feel keeps them safe. Four paws up, Summer.
You are so, so right, Summer! Big paws up on this post!
What a fantastic post! We’re sharing this on Facebook and Twitter. I hope a lot of humans read this so they know kitties are never bad!
We agree, kitties and dogs are never ‘bad’! They do get bored and create their own entertainment and they do have needs which when not met, can make them quite creative ;p
the critters in the cottage xo
WISE behond your years, BEAUTIFUL beyond wonder – that is you SUMMER.
Makes perfect sense to me, Summer. Cats like to get into mischief sometimes, but that is fun to them. They are never being bad.