The Cat Whisperer by Claire Bessant

Author:Claire Bessant [Claire Bessant]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781843582441
Publisher: John Blake Publishing
Published: 2012-03-24T16:00:00+00:00

PERSONALITY TYPES

A researcher in the USA has recognised two different types of feline character within the groups of kittens she has studied. She categorised (no pun intended) them as being those which react quite vigorously to situations and are what we could call excitable or nervous, and those which are much more relaxed and quiet in their attitude to life and its challenges. Breeders may like to do their own studies on their cats’ litters and see if they can identify these two characteristics among them.

Current work on the personality of the adult cat also points to the likelihood of there being two different and distinct types. Type one, the one most of us would probably prefer as a pet, needs lots of social contact with both people and other cats and is relaxed in their company. The second type seems only to enjoy the company of one or two members of its human family. It ‘puts up’ with social interaction with other people, and often doesn’t form bonds with other cats either.

While many people enjoy the first type of character and think of this as a normal friendly cat, others are disappointed with their seeming inability to bond with type two. This is further compounded by the cat becoming more aloof the more the owner tries to nurture it and make it enjoy their company. Type two cats don’t usually initiate contact and will distance themselves even further if more effort goes into trying to cement the relationship. Owners of such cats will probably recognise this profile and may be relieved to discover that their unloving cat is not that way because of anything they themselves did or did not do. Nevertheless, this behaviour in type two may explain why some people who have previously had a cat do not want to replace it and seem to disbelieve tales of close and loving cat/people relationships, summing cats up as aloof, independent and unrewarding.

Whether these two types of cats are the same two types that were identified in the American study on kittens is not yet known. What actually caused these adults to be friendly or not? Was it early experience or lack of handling in those vital early few weeks, or are they merely the over-reactive kittens grown up? Clearly there has to be a great deal more study and not just with kittens, but through watching them as they grow up and seeing what type of character they develop into. While it is easy for us to sit in our armchairs and say ‘it’s obvious’, it is very difficult to collect information about normal cat behaviour when ‘normal behaviour within a family’ is what we are talking about. Asking owners to fill in questionnaires always results in a great deal of subjective reporting, but having an observer in the house often means that the cat does not act normally – especially if it is of the reactive type. So we may be a long way from solving all

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