Many of us are puzzled at the depth of the relationship we have with our cat and wonder how do cats see humans?
You have surely heard the expression: The dog has masters, the cat has slaves to him. And it is true that the vision that our cat has of us is totally different than that of a dog vis-à-vis his master.
To understand how cats see humans, we must first question the attachment that a cat can have towards its master and the cat-human relationship.
Many questions arise from this:
- How do cats see us?
- How do cats see us as humans?
- Are cats really attached to their master?
- Do cats have feelings for their owner?
- Do cats love us?
- Do cats understand us?
Out of curiosity for this subject which fascinates me, I did some research on the Internet, in particular on scientific sites specializing in felines in order to find clear and reliable answers.
I therefore share below, in condensed form, what we know about the vision that cats have of their master and on feelings that they can have towards us humans.
How do cats see us?
Before addressing the question of how they perceive (like giants, big cats, parents…), let's see how cats see us with their eyes.
Indeed, the vision that cats have of our physical appearance and very particular:
- Regarding their field of vision, it is much superior to ours. In fact, cats have a 260 ° field of vision which is much wider than ours. However, for cats, their field of vision is much less clear and precise than ours. Cats see blurry from afar and poorly up close.
- Regarding colors, without going into scientific explanations, you should know that cats have a very limited color perception. In fact, cats only perceive shades of Blue, yellow as well as shiso. They therefore see us in less vivid, less varied colors and in pastel tones.
- The night, they see but in shades of gray.
Thus, your cat should distinguish you rather imprecisely and with pale colors and shades of yellow, green, blue.
So, cats cannot 100% differentiate humans by sight because human faces must all look more or less similar to them.
How do cats distinguish us?
According to scientific publications available on the Internet, it seems that cats recognize us by means other than by vision. In fact, they recognize us by the sound of our voice, by our smell and by touch.
A 2013 study conducted by Japanese scientists showed that cats who were played voice recordings recognized their master's voice among several foreign voices. Indeed, to the voice of their master, cats reacted by moving their ears while they remained unresponsive to other voices.
How do cats see humans?
Now let's take a look at how cats perceive us as human beings.
According to a scientific article, published in the journal Behavioral Processes, cats are actually quite different from the image of the independent and solitary animal that they are generally given.
To know how cats see humans, how they approach them, scientists have studied the behavior of cats from shelters and cats from families where they were adopted. All cats were subjected to 4 stimuli: an interaction with a human, food, a toy and a scent. By evaluating the reactions and measuring the time spent interacting with each stimulus, the scientists were able to deduce which of the 4 stimuli in the same room was preferred by cats.
Admittedly, the reactions were variable from one cat to another, but the results show that the vast majority of cats have turned towards humans even before approaching food! It is 50% of the cats studied who preferred to approach to interact with a human while they could access food, a toy or a smell.
We deduce that the humans attract cats even more than the food, the smells or the possibility of entertainment.
According to another American study which developed the attachment theory of cats and humans, it turns out that domesticated cats are naturally reassured by the presence of their master. This is a sign that there is a certain attachment between cats and humans. See my article: Is a lonely cat mylhappy ?
Are cats really attached to their master?
YES : it's scientifically proven!
Just like the principle of a child's attachment to its parents, a cat's attachment to its owner develops different characteristic behaviors:
- The person who feeds him and gives him all the care he needs will reassure him ;
- With its wild instinct (still present even when domesticated), the cat will seek to turn away from this person and this feeling of protection to reveal himself particularly self-employed.
- And even if the cat fears the departure or the absence of its owner who reassures him, surprisingly he can still not to be totally reassured when he is there in his presence.
According to the scientific study published on Current Biology, indicators of attachment relationships between cats and humans support the hypothesis that cats exhibit an ability to bond with the caregiver.
Ce bond of attachment between cat and human seems to be stable and very present even in adulthood of the cat.
Do cats have affection for their owner?
YES : In a way because cats feel security and well-being with their master
From studies, it seems that the human-cat relationship resembles the mother-cat / kitten relationship.
Indeed, just as the kitten expects its mother to give it the food, all the care, all the love and all the affection it needs, a domesticated cat has the same expectations vis-à-vis the person who take care of him.
And just as the cat / kitten relationship results in very characteristic behaviors (licking, meowing, purring, taste buds, etc.), the cat-human relationship also results in these same behaviors.
So, your cat behaves with you in terms of relationships like he behaves with his mother. Cats therefore see humans as kittens see their mother (protective, nurturing, soothing, reassuring, affectionate, caring…).
But beware, your cat is not specifically tied to you but to the person who feeds him and pampers him. Indeed, if overnight, a stranger comes to take care of your cat with as much attention as you, it is very likely that he becomes attached to this person. He will rub himself against his legs, purr on his knees or lick his hands ... All those gestures that you thought he reserved for you out of affection for you can quickly be intended for other people.
In fact, whoever cares for him regularly, the cat will see them as a great mom who feeds him every day and gives him affection when he needs it.
This is why a cat is totally different from a chien who is he loyal and faithful to his master.
Suddenly, one can wonder if cats love usand a cat can experience a real feeling of love or if it's only us who really love them?
Relations between cats and humans - Do cats love us?
NOT : But they have a bond of affection with us.
Indeed, the notion of love is very subjective. If we compare a dog who, for love, is able to risk his life to save his master, the cat is not in this strong and unique relationship of love between an animal and a human.
But if a cat doesn't feel love in the strongest sense of the word, it does feel love.affection for you.
It is his behavior that can reveal it:
- Un purring cat on your knees
- A cat that kneads you with its paws
- Un cat that sticks to you, rub his head against yours
- Un cat licking your face
- Un cat biting you
- A cat that offers you its belly in the air
- A cat that sleeps with you
- A cat who wants to play with you
And of course you really love your cat and you can show it to him: How to show your cat that you love her?
Human cats relationship - Does a cat recognize its owner?
YES : Your cat knows very well who you are!
In fact, your cat may know you better than you think. Experts in feline behavior in collaboration with cat owners confirm that cats learn very quickly the habits of humans who share their territory and that they know how to recognize them.
A cat knows how to recognize the person who takes care of feeding it, who will give in to the treat when he meows, the person who reassures him and who knows when he needs caresses ...
But a cat is intelligent and is also able to recognize what sound or action will elicit the response they expect from humans. This is exactly why he will rub against your legs every night when you come home from the office (to ask for food or to ask for hugs…).
Do cats understand humans?
YES : Even if they don't understand our language!
Wondering if your cat understands you when you talk to him? Well no: Cats do not have the ability to understand or speak a structured symbolic language like ours. For a cat, our sentences are meaningless.
On the other hand, a cat is able to interpret the way we pronounce them, the sound level, the intonation and the actions associated with a sentence or a word.
The voice intonations, which vary according to the situation, tell your cat as much as the content of your sentence that he does not understand. These intonations that he knows how to associate according to the experiences he has already had allow him to immediately understand your emotions and your intentions.
Human cat relationship
Unlike dogs, cats are not "social" animals. Indeed, dogs before being domesticated lived in packs and learned the importance of a social organization for their survival. It has remained in their genetic heritage and in their relationship with human beings.
Cats, on the other hand, when they were in the wild lived at night, alone and without any social ties outside of their reach. And even domesticated, cats have not become social animals but they are all the same in relationships.
In fact, they know how to establish emotional relationships both with other cats, with other animal species and with human beings.
This is why, for cats it is very easy to live with human beings but only as long as the conditions are favorable for them! Its priority is its survival, comfort and well-being.