Cat With a Blog: Why are Cats so Cute?

         

Cat With a Blog: Why are Cats so Cute?

Abby Pollock

      As a college freshman living in an on-campus dorm where no pets are allowed, I don't find myself missing too much about home -- except my cats. I grew up with at least five cats in my house at all times, so I was never without entertainment as a child. My sister and I loved watching the strangely cute behaviors of our pets, wondering why they did what they did. Our cats would try to fit into small boxes, climb on top of tall bookshelves, play with tiny toys and have the cutest purrs. These behaviors seem to be quite common in cats everywhere, as evidenced by the endless supply of funny cat video compilations on YouTube. My cats were all adopted as kittens, never having cats from another family, so these behaviors must have been innate.

          In the Ted Talk, "Why do Cats Act so Weird?," Cat Mastery author Dr. Tony Buffington explains how wild cats' natural instincts translate into lovable behaviors when they are domesticated. For instance, cats instinctively try to fit into small spaces because their ancestors would have to hide from predators in these spaces. This explains why cats fall asleep in tiny boxes that look rather uncomfortable. Also, their own prey would also be found in small spaces, so they would always try to get into as small of a space as possible. This explains why cats have a tendency to stick their paws into containers out of curiosity. Cats were conditioned to eat small meals consistently throughout the day, so they would often target small prey because it was easier to catch many small animals then a few larger animals. This is why they enjoy playing with small cat toys. Another cute thing that cats do is climb to a high spot in the house and sit for extended periods of time. This used to be helpful when they were wild, up in a high tree, surveying the area for small prey. Cat purring is a very lovable behavior that humans often interpret as a sign of love and comfort from their cat. However, animal behavior specialists suggest that this is actually a behavior that cats use to get humans to do things for them. For instance, when a cat comes near a human and purrs, the human will usually pet or cuddle with the cat. Sometimes, cats will purr when they're hungry to get food from their owners in the kitchen. Another likely theory about purring is that the frequency of the purr, which is between 25-150 Hz, is ideal to stimulate tissue regeneration. This was probably used by wild cats at the end of the day when they were about to go to sleep, to heal themselves from the long day of hunting and fighting. 

          We find their behaviors so irresistibly cute, and even this reaction is a product of evolution. People are wired to think babies are cute, and to have the urge to protect and love our young. Cats are capable of imitating these behaviors and qualities characteristic of babies which is why we think they are so cute. With their small bodies and big eyes, they resemble features of a young child, and we coo at everything they do. When cats meow, humans tend to react more positively to those meows pitched at the same frequency as a baby's cry, because we want to nurture the sound of a crying baby. This is positive reinforcement to the cat's baby-pitched meowing, and they will tend to act more like a baby to get more reward from humans. We even talk to our pets in high pitched voices, just as we would to a human baby. This is also proof that humans see their cats just like normal family members, that we want to nurture and even teach to be like us. All in all, the adorable behaviors of cats are as instinctive to them as our own reactions to their cuteness.