If you really want to speak Cat, you need to bear in mind the human history with domestication. According to Galaxy, over several thousands of years, we’ve trained dogs to “reflect humanness back at us”. He notes that we’ve bred them to benefit us in terms of companionship. However, that wasn’t the case with cats. We only ever viewed cats “as hunters who protected our food supply”. What we had with cats was more of a mutually beneficial relationship, Galaxy observes. Simply put, dogs treat us like humans, while cats treat us like cats. As Galaxy puts it, “So, to suddenly expect your cat to change his fundamental communication style after all this time is foolhardy at best.”
Let’s be fair. We can agree that it’s hard to understand cats as their communication style is rather subtle. When cats are excited, they don’t jump around you like dogs do. Instead, they show their excitement with their twitching tails and dilated pupils. If you’re only used to the smothering affection of a dog, their excited panting, and their fervent licks all over your face, then you might miss observing the subtle expressions a cat uses to display the same emotion.
Of course, how open they are to humans can vary from cat to cat. Salomi Singh, owner of two cats and a dog understands this very well. Her cat Rumi is completely comfortable around strangers and even enjoys being petted by them. Her other cat Freya, however, prefers to keep her distance from strangers. Says Salomi, “Freya is a sweet cat, who loves being cuddled. Yes, she is a little wary of strangers, but if given enough time and she likes the person, she will befriend them. She just needs her space initially.”