{"id":8251,"date":"2022-09-03T22:16:00","date_gmt":"2022-09-04T05:16:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/company.justfoodfordogs.com\/?p=8251"},"modified":"2026-10-27T12:20:52","modified_gmt":"2026-10-27T19:20:52","slug":"cats-arent-selfish-theyre-just-self-sufficient","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/justfoodfordogs.com\/blog\/cats-arent-selfish-theyre-just-self-sufficient","title":{"rendered":"Cats Are Not Selfish, They Are Just Self-Sufficient"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

For years, humans have been captivated by animal behavior, trying to explore how and why animals do the things they do. Cat behavior is no exception.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Particularly, in domesticated animals, we\u2019re interested in why cats seem to enjoy solitude so much. It seems as though no matter how much love and affection cat owners shower their furry family members with, they tend to not reciprocate the emotions back quite like dogs do. Dogs are extremely social creatures compared to their feline counterparts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, does that mean they don\u2019t care? Not necessarily, according to Swiss-American biologist Dennis Turner<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turner mentions that cats who grow up with people as kittens, do develop genuine feelings for their humans \u2014 in their own way. \u201cThey miss their owner\u2026even if they may only give them the cold shoulder on their return,\u201d the biologist says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If they become attached to their owners, come at the sound of their owner\u2019s voice, or want cuddles, it\u2019s more than likely a voluntary decision. In a way, this means that they are making the decision to love us! How purr-fect is that!?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Domestication of Cats<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The \u201cdomestication\u201d of cats<\/a> is also a funny story. Claudio Ottoni, of the University of Leuven, says cats essentially chose to hang around us and we just ran with it. In true cat fashion, cats decided when they wanted to be domesticated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People set up civilizations thousands of years ago, rodents followed the crops, cats followed the rodents\u2026and the rest is history. This sets them apart from dogs who, historically, were domesticated and meticulously bred to perform particular tasks for humans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turner also stresses that different cats\u2019 solemn nature stems from their ancestors, such as the African Wildcat, who are generally loners and do not travel in packs. The exception to this would be lions, who live together in groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a result, cats lack the group communication skills that pack animals possess. For example, if your feline friend is stressed or not feeling well<\/a>, they may urinate inside. Contrary to popular belief, this doesn\u2019t always mean they\u2019re upset at you, sometimes, they just don\u2019t feel happy and don\u2019t know how else to show it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are Cats Selfish?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Cats are not as self-centered as they seem. These habitual animals prefer to be alone and don\u2019t need social order\u2014it\u2019s in their DNA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While many domestic cats now rely on their human cat lovers for food, they can thank their predecessors for their self-sufficiency in other areas. For example, when we see cats play with the live \u201cpresents\u201d they bring us, we think of it as harsh. Rather, this trait evolved from necessity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turner says that \u201ccats are opportunistic hunters and must be ready to stalk and catch any prey they discover by chance \u2014 even if they\u2019re not hungry.\u201d By purring and playing with their prey, cats are settling whether or not they need the food. We may see a cruel act, they see convenience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Indoor cats, feral cats, and all types of felines can sometimes be a giant mystery, and that\u2019s why we love them with all of our hearts. Even though they sometimes turn their tails up at us meowing or make a mess of the litter box, we know that deep down it\u2019s just cats being cats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cThe cat could very well be man\u2019s best friend but would never stoop to admitting it.\u201d<\/p>\nDoug Larson<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

This content is for informational use only and does not replace professional nutrition and\/or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. It is not a substitute for and should not be relied upon for specific nutrition and\/or medical recommendations. Please talk with your veterinarian about any questions or concerns.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Are cats selfish? Not necessarily. Let’s take a look at the roots behind certain cat behaviors. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":11105,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","_jffd_show_updated":"","footnotes":"","_ppma_block_editor_authors":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[294],"class_list":["post-8251","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cats"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCats Are Not Selfish, They Are Just Self-Sufficient | JustFoodforDogs Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Curious if cats are selfish? 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Dr. Chavez is a veterinarian and business executive with a progressive career founded upon a solid commitment to pet advocacy, integrity, education, and sound veterinary principles. Dr. Chavez graduated in 2006 from the Royal Veterinary College, University of London, and started his career with Banfield, the world\u2019s largest veterinary practice, where he became Chief of Staff. In 2009, he joined the faculty of the Animal and Veterinary Science department at\u00a0California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. There, he was Director of the Animal Health Science veterinary technician program from 2010 \u2013 2013, and remains an adjunct faculty and researcher, and professor of veterinary clinical nutrition. Additionally, he served as a member of the Multidisciplinary Committee and the Registered Veterinary Technician Committee for the California State Veterinary Medical Board. In 2012, Dr. Chavez completed a Master\u2019s degree in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of California at Irvine. As Director of Canine Clinical Nutrition, he brings not only a deep technical expertise in researching and working exclusively with freshly prepared whole food diets at Cal Poly Pomona, but a true love for dogs that all of us here share. His own Golden Retriever, Rey, was a successful case study for our food. Rey\u2019s kidney disease was successfully managed with our Renal Moderate Protein vet-directed diet, which made Dr. Chavez\u2019s involvement even that much more personal to him. A graduate of the Royal Veterinary College in London, UK, Dr. Chavez is a licensed practicing veterinarian who has focused on clinical nutrition since graduating vet school. Dr. Chavez notes, \u201cIt all starts with nutrition. You are what you eat, and practically any health issue can be addressed through a higher-quality diet. We are in a unique time for veterinary medicine where people are seeking whole food diets using real USDA ingredients over commercial kibble or cans that use feed grade ingredients. I\u2019m excited of the possibilities we have in further increasing the health of our dogs with this trend. Our goal is to raise awareness of these diets and help bring a simple, fast and affordable solution to as many pet parents and their dogs as possible.","user_url":"","linkedin":"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/dr-oscar-chavez-realtor","instagram":"","x":"","facebook":"","description":"Dr. Oscar Chavez, BVetMed MRCVS MBA, is a veterinarian and business executive who previously served as Chief Medical Officer at JustFoodForDogs, leading its Canine Nutrition Team. A graduate of the Royal Veterinary College at the University of London, he has focused on clinical nutrition since vet school \u2014 researching and working exclusively with freshly prepared whole-food diets during his years at Cal Poly Pomona. His commitment to nutrition is personal as well as professional: his own Golden Retriever, Rey, had kidney disease successfully managed on a vet-directed renal diet. Dr. Chavez's career is founded on a deep commitment to pet advocacy, integrity, education, and sound veterinary principles."}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/justfoodfordogs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8251","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/justfoodfordogs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/justfoodfordogs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/justfoodfordogs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/36"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/justfoodfordogs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8251"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/justfoodfordogs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8251\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18356,"href":"https:\/\/justfoodfordogs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8251\/revisions\/18356"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/justfoodfordogs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11105"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/justfoodfordogs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8251"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/justfoodfordogs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8251"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/justfoodfordogs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8251"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/justfoodfordogs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=8251"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}