Special behavior - Why do cats seek the proximity of people who dislike cats
Our childhood cat was generally quite laid-back. Mostly, he would be found lounging in his rocking chair, paying little heed to visitors.
No problem then for our neighbor with a cat phobia, who had dropped by for a coffee visit with my mother one afternoon. The cat would pay no mind to the woman.
We thought. But then, one afternoon during a ladies' coffee gathering, the large, black tomcat comfortably propelled himself from his rocking chair, steered himself towards a certain person, and began to hop on her lap. It was that very neighbor, who had a fear of cats.
Cats seek out people they cannot respect
What we found embarrassing about our pet's behavior at the time - in hindsight - was to be expected. It often happens that cats are attracted to exactly those people who have no desire to be around them.
Advice on how to behave towards cats to win their hearts is plentiful. One such advice is to not be too pushy towards the animals and to let them decide if they want contact or not. Researchers have even found that declared cat lovers often make many mistakes in dealing with the capricious animals.
But what do you do if you want to avoid contact with a cat? And why do cats often choose exactly those people for sympathy expressions who would rather be left alone?
Biologist Dennis C. Turner explains the behavior in an interview with Stern about a group of people sharing a room with a cat: "People who like cats make it clear," says the Swiss-American, who has researched the relationship between humans and house cats. "They seek contact with the animal or want to stroke it."
People with a fear, on the other hand, do not emit such signals. Confusing for the cat. "The cat has to figure out – what is this person?", explains Turner. "That's why it initiates contact."
That cats choose exactly those people for approaches who would rather be spared, is a well-known phenomenon, confirmed the scientist. That's just typical cat behavior.
In the context of our family legend, the coffee visit, this would have meant not letting the cat into the living room at all. Then he wouldn't have wondered what was wrong with the woman with a cat phobia from his perspective - and he wouldn't have jumped onto her lap either.
Sources: Institute for Applied Ethology and Animal Psychology by Dennis C. Turner, "The World", "The Battersea Way" on YouTube
Read also at stern+: They all had four legs, some had very short, others elegant-long. From Corgi puppies to Arabian stallions, animals adorned palaces and gardens of the Queen. From a very special love story.
In the realm of Science & Technology, researchers have discovered that cats often choose to approach individuals who display a fear of them, as explained by biologist Dennis C. Turner. This behavior, typical of cats, is a result of their ability to interpret human signals, as they are more likely to engage with individuals who are not pushy or aggressive towards them.
Given this understanding, one could infer that if our neighbor with a cat phobia had not entered the room where the laid-back cat was lounging, the 'Science & Technology' principle would have been demonstrated, as the cat likely wouldn't have sought out her company due to her fear.
