Humans and animals share an extremely special relationship. With no common language to communicate in, we still have come a long way in understanding our pets, their moods, and needs. And when it comes to pets, the most common ones are cats and dogs.
Some people strongly define themselves as a ‘cat person’ while some others call themselves a ‘dog person’. I am a mix of both TBH, which is why I spend a lot of my time researching weird facts about them. And I recently came across some of the most famous myths about cats that I am guilty of believing to be true at some point in my life. And I am sure a lot of you’ll relate too. Read on to find out the lies you’ve been living with.
1. When cats fall, they always land on their feet.
Dr. Jennifer Freeman, a veterinarian at PetSmart spoke about this myth to Insider and revealed,
Cats have what’s called a ‘righting reflex,’ which is a built-in balancing system that helps them orient themselves to land on their feet. In addition, there is a vestibular apparatus inside a cat’s ear used for balance and orientation. This enables cats to quickly figure out which way is up and rotate their head immediately so their bodies can follow.
But, this doesn’t mean that they always will land on their feet when they fall. Especially when cats are falling from a higher level.
2. They aren’t cuddly and don’t like people.
A lot of us tend to judge cats by comparing them to dogs. Sure, not all cats are cuddly. But a lot of them, in fact, love snuggling and cuddling. They just do not show their emotions like how dogs do. They do not bark or cry when they need attention, maybe a tiny purr or meow might come out but you should know that does not mean they don’t like humans.
3. They hate water.
You’d be shocked to know that a lot of cats, in reality, love playing with water. You might have come across some cute cat videos playing under running tap water but not a lot of videos of them swimming. That’s because they just don’t like being submerged in water, but that doesn’t mean that they particularly hate water in general.
4. They are the ‘low-maintenance’ pets.
Again, this is another result of comparing cat behaviour with dogs. A lot of people think it is okay to leave their cats for a couple of days with automatic feeder and water but wouldn’t do the same to their dogs. But the truth is, cats need as much care and love as dogs do. Sure, you might not have to take them out twice or thrice a day, but that does not mean they can be termed as low-maintenance. Their way of expressing emotions is quite different.
5. They can’t be trained.
Cats might seem like they are their own masters and do not follow human commands, but the truth is, they can be trained. Of course, you cannot train them just as how you’d train your dogs. Usually, people start with clicker training and then further replace the clicker sound with ‘nice’ or ‘good’. Also, they’re better off with shorter training sessions and rewards for every small lesson learned.
How many of these myths did you actually believe? Let us know in the comments below.
Don’t forget to follow us at @missmalinilifestyle to never miss a beat!