On Feline Attention

Cats seem to function on a different wavelength than humans. A cat’s mental model circumscribes a world in which humans intrude only on a sporadic, as-needed basis. Once a cat’s basic requirements for a comfortable life are sufficiently satisfied e.g. food, water, shelter, a clean litter box, etc., the entire human species is then relegated into the background of inanimate objects requiring only the attention usually reserved for a piece of furniture or a cardboard box.

Humans should not be disappointed with this level in the social order of cats. A human lap can be perceived as a comfortable place to curl up and purr, much like a chair or a sofa only warmer. In a pinch, human legs can also serve as scratch posts for remedial stress relief (though humans are decidedly unaccommodating in this regard).

During times when the marginal value of a human is minimal, and as soon as they can be safely dismissed as “not a predator”, the human essentially fades from a cat’s realm of existence. There is no longer a communication path between the two species.

I don’t think humans have the cognitive ability to  dynamically and definitively reassign the roles of various objects in a given space/time.  Generally, humans, and dogs too I think, never lose track of the fact that other beings are in the room who are at least reacting internally to ones behavior.

Adult humans generally realize that other beings continue to exist even after they have left the room.  Cats, not so much. The exception is when certain needs arise, a cat will come searching for their human provider and, at least temporarily, raise them to the level of an object worthy of adoration or whatever flattery will produce the desired effect. It is these brief moments of feline attention that humans savor and justify the cost and inconvenience of cat partnership.