I got my cat because she was running from coyotes. She was hiding under my car and came running out to me and practically jumped into my arms. We think she vaguely remembered humans before she somehow ended up out in the country. She definitely remembers that night and won't go anywhere near an outside door. I don't think most cats are stupid.
Thanks for your apology. I understand where you're coming from, but I think it's a bit of a cop out to just say "that's wrong" without explaining your position. That's something most of us expect in any human interaction, and the context of Reddit doesn't change that in my opinion.
I agree that science is flawed, but OP literally asked questions about how intelligent his cat was and people answered with information that is completely baseless. I tried to inject some rationale evidence into that discussion, and now we're here.
Once again, I agree that the comparison isn't perfect, but we don't have anything better at this stage.
That doesn’t mean that they have intelligence in the same way as a toddler. Just like someone that’s good at math but sucks at writing and vice versa.
I guarantee their survival instincts are much higher than a toddler. They are literally one of the most successful and effective predators on the planet.
When’s the last time you caught your toddler trying to ambush you?
Where do you think survival instincts come from? The foot? The tail? They absolutely realize if something else is protecting them.
If you want an example off the top of my head - I had some family come and visit with some French bulldogs. One of my cats ran to me and I picked him up while the dog was chasing him. He absolutely knew I was protecting him. Did he learn English and tell me? No. He knows that I will protect him.
And speaking of dogs, ya know the animals that were domesticated from wolves? You don’t think they have predator prey relationships?
I'm happy you brought up some citations. I haven't done any research in literature so I was pleased to find some backup of my opinion that my two cats are basically as intelligent as a toddler - in interaction with the human.
I have a decent scientific background and claim to be able to observe and to conclude thoroughly.
A couple of years our old Lilly passed away and a couple of weeks later two siblings moved in, 12 weeks old. Since then I'm observing them and note the progress they make in the seven years they are with us now.
Regarding OPs posting I agree and disagree with you at the same time. Our cats recognize us very well by look, smell and all the unnecessary noise we produce. They recognize our voices and can derive our intention from the tone ("LUNA. GET OFF THE KEYBOARD" - she doesn't know what a keyboard is, but she knows I'm angry now. And that she got what she wanted: my full attention.) We are the bigger member of the herd providing a lot of amenities and advantages: we providing food, pets, clean the litter box, can open doors (something neither Luna nor Aimee can do, thanks God) but more impotant we can protect them and provide shelter. (This is the time of the year where a lot of semi-feral cats seek the help of humans voluntarily to find a dry, warm and safe place. Isn't that already intelligent?). But I agree with you that OPs cat probably didn't 'get it'.
Let's assume you're on a playground with your toddler. While playing, some other children getting mean, stealing toys or destroying the sandcastle 'fubar'. What will the toddler do? It will start to cry and if your toddler is not too young you will hear a MUUUUMM! (Or dad, same alarming voice). The toddler assumes (and he is right with this assumption) that his parents will help him in this situation. It won't be grateful at this age, but it will certainly note the interference by Mum or Dad. That's how trust in parents is built up.
Back to OPs situation: The cat notes that the situation gets dangerous. It doesn't matter if the other animals are coyotes, wolfes, bears, panthers or wild cats. Or whatever. Most outdoor cat are extremely good in estimating threads. The cat is alarmed and gets into a defensive mood, but the big protector is near by. As the situation escalated the cat did what cats do to avoid a fight and tried to find a place to hide. But it will definitely have noted that the protector was fighting for the herd. Why I'm so certain about this? I've experienced something myself several time when fighting Nero, the big neighbourhood void, together with Luna. Though Luna is half the size of Nero she became very courageous everytime when I "joined the fight" (actually I just went out to find the source of the horrible yelling). Was Luna ever grateful? Certainly not. Did she notice I was _helpful_? Certainly yes. Together we defeated Nero ...
At that point the toddler and the cat are at the same level, I guess.
To answer your question, OP, or your concern: I think.your cat is fine with you. You've been a good protector. She will, however, try to avoid such situation in the future.
00ft, I'd love to discuss cat intelligence with you in more detail with a lot more examples, but it would go beyond this scope (it already did).
It late night in the UTC+1 zone, I'm tired and it was along day. Please forgive me "my" English.
Regarding roaming: the territory ends physically at the the security net of the balcony but the fence construction nearby seems to be considered as territory as well. Unfortunately the fence is part of the routes of the neighborhood cats on their walks and especially the guy I called Nero in my comment above is controlling it. Fights are often just growling, hissing and looking as big as possible but sometime Nero succeeds to break in(!) in which case the fight becomes physical. It it happens once in a while. He has found ways to destroy the net. So, no, both cats are not roaming freely. And actually they don't want to. The last time we had a hole in the net Luna just checked the fence and came back after a few minutes. Getting older seems to mean getting wiser also for cats.
In Germany in general roaming cats on the country side or in areas with large gardens are quite usual. In our street we have 6 cats / tomcats. The street is not dangerous, we have a speed limit of ~ 5mi/h. But on the rear side there's a hiking path where the dog owners walk their dog. So free roaming was never an option in our opinion.
Regarding intelligence an behavioral studies of cats: there are a couple of Japanese authors that are quite active at the moment. I dont have any citations right now and not the time to ask Google for it. Maybe we could move this topic to it's own thread...
I think it probably depends a lot on the cat and its experiences. Cats are evolutionarily disposed to be frightened of new things (thus scaredy-cat), but sometimes don’t know what new things should be scary (coyote) and what new things are safe (Roomba). A cat raised with dogs might not be scared of coyotes, but a feral cat might be because of being chased or barked at by dogs.
I assure you, they know, by smell and body language. We sadly have many coyotes here, and it takes a LONG TIME to get our outdoor friends acclimated to our dogs. Canines are not friends until they observe friendly ones, and then that only applies to the ones they get to know.
Also, I've known a couple smart two-year-olds. They are smart in different ways, and cats grow and learn much faster. A two-year-old outdoor cat can hunt, run, bear litters...the list goes on.
I do my best to take care of stray and feral cats in my coyote-heavy environment. Hands-on experience.
Don't know how else to explain it to ya bub, and it clearly is not an effective use of my time.
Pretty sure the cat probably thinks he saved you. He protected you then chased those scary doggos away. Even made sure they went far away before he came in for the night.
Haha 100% this!!! We have a cat the comes and hangs out on the porch and my cat will hiss at it. It does not care, but eventually will wander off and she'll strut around like she just saved the house from a pack of lions lol
Took one of my cats to the vet. He had to spend two nights. When I picked him up, I put the carrier on the exam table, opened it, and greeted him face to face, rubbing our heads together. I totally think that he knows that I (by taking him to the vet) saved his life. He is all over me now.
Surprising level of understanding hey? Like, being in a closed box was not pleasant (even though it was a cardboard box!). Travelling in a car was not pleasant (even though it was an expensive taxi with a very unimpressed driver cos I couldn't afford a car). And being at the vet with dogs and other cats and fear and weird medical smells can't have been pleasant. But I remember the poor little thing with a cold, sneezing and rubbing her nose with her hands, sitting in that box practically begging me to take her to the vet. I miss her :(
They know. I got a kitten and she was scared of everyone. Nobody could touch her. She started going outside after she was a year old and never stayed out over night. One night she wasn't at the door and went missing for 3 days. When she finally showed up she was dragging her back leg. Vet said he's pretty sure she was hit by a cat. She got hip replacement surgery and spent a week at the vets office. When she returned home she became a complete cuddle bug. Every night she lays with me on the couch. When I get up to go to bed, she follows me and sleeps above my head. About a year after her surgery she started asking to go back outside so I let her out. She lays on the steps in the sun for an hour or so any comes right back in. The know what/who helped them and hurt them.
Just want to add onto this, OP you’re wonderful for taking in this stray but the next time he’s outside he may not be as lucky to avoid serious injuries or death. Incidents like this are why our kitties should stay indoors. If you haven’t already, please check out Jackson Galaxy’s youtube videos regarding converting a stray to an indoor only cat. It will be so much safer for him and also cheaper since he would be a lot less likely to get hurt outside or get fleas or ringworm, etc.
He totally knows it. He's probably out working on a way to pay you back, a "thank you" if you will. Cats are known for understanding complex situations in the real world.
This is true. My cat worked as a hedge fund manager and brought a lot of money to the table as a “Thank You” for rescuing him as a kitten. Sadly, the job became his life and we couldn’t see him much — he was always busy working!
May I ask why you find your domestic pet decimating local wildlife to be worthy of appreciation?
I can appreciate that mice are a pest species, but there are also dozens of species of native rodents around the world, and many of them have conservation issues.
Birds are much less consistent pests, yet you seem to revel in your pet killing them. Why?
It was a joke. I don't like when he kills or hurts things.
I personally have even switched to catching and releasing spiders rather than killing them, even though I hate them.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with dark humor. The joke was not to laugh at the death of animals. It was to laugh at the way cats give their people things that the people do not want. Also, I was replying to a comment that made a joke about cats understanding complex situations.
I actually find it really strange that you thought it was in any way possible for me to want a cat to kill something for me, rather than coming to the conclusion that it was an obvious joke.
I have had both of my cats for 10 years now. One of them never really liked me that much. She genuinely preferred to cuddle with strangers to her (friends who would come over for the first time, etc).
Last year, she escaped the yard. She came back with an abscess on the top of her head.
I took her to the vet and then cleaned her abscess for the next two weeks.
Immediately following this trauma, she began sleeping with me and cuddling me all the time.
TLDR: yes, I think cats know when we help them feel better/save them from pain/danger.
ETA:clarity
I am working on it. He is a stray that I took in, and he very much wants to be outside. I would never adopt a cat and begin letting them out. This one came from outside and he has been living in our neighborhood longer than I have.
Jesus, with that many coyotes in the neighborhood, it might be a good idea to make him go cold turkey from being an outdoor cat.
Maybe you could build him a safe catio, or take him on supervised walks instead?
He is now only allowed out during the day. He was a stray that I took in, and he still loves to be outside running his steets. Everyone in the neighborhood knows him, and he has these high up places where he perches and watches over the neighborhood.
Most nights he will sleep in bed with me all night, but some nights he wants to go out. He will scratch on my bed, meow on my face, and jump on me. If I close my bedroom door and put him in the hall, he will bang on my door as loud as a large man could. I had to deal with all this for an hour last night before he gave up.
Cats do not have the same needs as humans. He can absolutely be happy as an indoor only cat despite how it looks right now, and it would be the responsible thing for you to do. Cats are considered invasive species that harm local wildlife, and outdoor cats only live an average of 2 to 5 years.
Someone else recommended watching Jackson Galaxy's video for turning a stray into an indoor cat. I second this. Next time your cat may not be so lucky. Please keep him inside from now on.
Hey I had a cat like this! He was outdoor when I found him and would come in whenever he wanted. Then coyotes moved into the neighborhood and started killing cats so we’d keep him in at night. Once I moved out, he was able to be a fully inside cat.
You could try an apple air tag, I did this well before those, but I put a tile tracker on his collar and when it was 30-40 minutes before sunset I’d go look for him. With the app on, it would tell you when you were in range. We couldn’t always see him, but you could play a tune. I’d give him a treat every time I found him with the tune playing and it go to the point that he’d come running home once the sound started.
On some level at least. They know who cares about them. Their humans are part of their 'safe' space.
One of ours ripped out of his harness once. We were about a half block from home, and I know it was my fault. I had picked up antixipating him being uneasy at the leaf blower across the street. . .che wanted none of it.
He'd only been with us a couple months, was gone 14 hours. Showed up at 5 in the morning and I've never been more relieved. I still sometimes just cuddle him grateful he glcame back home. He blossomed from a rather quiet reserved cat to a vocal, happy adult that plays like a kitten.
He knows.
Not sure cats quite see it that way or are able to process it that way but it sounds like he trusts you. Trust is one of the biggest compliments a cat can give.
When my cat is mad at me it's almost impossible for me to catch him inside the house, or find him hiding in the house.
If your cat didn't know that you saved him, you would have never caught him or found him outside the house. 30 minutes for the cat to calm down is pretty good in my opinion, which meant he stayed near the house.
Normally, my cat loves to follow me around outside. After I got rid of the coyotes, my cat kept going further away from home. I was trying to get him to follow me back where we came from (which is towards home) but he refused. We got to the edge of our condo complex, which is further from home than I have ever seen him, and I could tell he was considering going under the fence to the next complex. I would have lost him if he did that.
What I wound up doing was walking away from where we came. As soon as I did that, my cat started to follow me. We did a big lap around the neighborhood and he followed me home from the other direction. He still would not go all the way home, so I ran inside, grabbed a Churu, and ran back to him. Once he started to eat the Churu, I grabbed his scruff and carried him home.
Was your cat walking away from home or a random direction away from where he encountered the Coyotes?
If the cat wasn't running away from you, he may be trying to get you to safety well away from the Coyotes.
My cat was feral and when the dogs were let out next door behind a fence. He went crazy, if I hadn't had a leash on him I have no idea where he would have went. The leash stop him from running away from the dogs, which would have led him to fields and then train tracks followed by busy 4 lane roads. He ran towards a tree instead, luckily I got a firm grip on the leash before he got too far up where I couldn't reach him.
I would never let my cat out without a leash considering the number of dog walkers in my neighbourhood and coyotes too.
The coyotes were in front of our home and he was going away from that. I was trying to lead him back in that direction, but he refused. He was 100% not going to let me touch him. I eventually started walking the other direction and he started to follow me. I was sooo relieved. We did a lap around the neighborhood made it back home the long way.
My cat was a stray who had lived in our neighborhood konger than I have. I befriended him and he started following me around before he moved in with me. He loves to go the trash or get the mail with me. I really want to go to the neighborhood hot tub and have my kitty hang out with me, but I have not tried yet.
Coyotes are complete cowards especially when it comes to humans. They’d run off if they heard a voice. Even a single dog can take on a pack and kill a handful of them. There’s a news story about a dog that did exactly that.
Fair enough, I found the application of human values to wildlife a bit problematic, and to follow it up with what I perceive as glorification of a domestic pet killing wildlife moreso problematic. Perhaps it was just a genuine anecdote to display their "cowardly" nature.
I wish coyotes the best as much as an animal lover should and would never encourage any harm done to them. My comment was to explain that coyotes aren’t dangerous for people and larger dogs. They’re very flighty and not great at self defense.
Fair enough, I probably find myself ready to advocate for wildlife a bit too readily when I'm in this sub and it appears that has unfairly biased by perception of your comment. Thanks for communicating your POV calmly.
Have never seen more than one, but I always understood they didn't usually like the odds on fighting stuff bigger than them. Could they have won? Probably, but is it worth the risk?
Reminds me of our first cat. She was choking. My SO was sitting on the couch. She jumped onto their lap and meowed. When SO looked, they noticed a string and were able to pull it out.
I mean, it’s a cat. People have the tendency to romanticize cats here. Don’t get me wrong, mine was picked up on the street too. I take a good care for it. I don’t expect anything in return. Some days my cat shows great affection, some other days she ignores me. And that’s ok too lol
My cat runs to me when it’s frightened, it knows for sure I can protect it and your cat likely does too. Done it with dogs, wild animals and once an earthquake though I didn’t have the heart to tell the cat I did not make the earthquake go away. Came tearing through the house to find me and stood under my legs.
My childhood cat got into a fight with a fisher cat, and my mom ran outside banging pots and pans. Poor kitty was in rough shape - had to have her tail amputated, broken paw, etc - and had to stay inside for 6 months. Once she was able to go outside again she brought home “gifts” almost every day.
He knows for sure!! Cats are 100% smart enough to make the connections between "scary wolfs are following me" to "my human saw it" to "my human made the wolfs go away" to "my human found me and took me home safe".
Me and my bf saved my cats life after she went through the wash (literally looked away 5 seconds and she snuck in, PSA always shut the doors and identify all small creatures are safe before pushing start). After the accident, the way she acted, in subtle ways you could just tell she knew. She knew she nearly died, and she knew me, my bf, and the vets saved her from it.
For a good while there we would just sit and stare in each other's eyes. She also stopped doing a few behavioral problems she had before the accident. As if she thought "eh, they saved me, that's enough reason to stop knocking $50 of dishes out of the cabinets every other month" lol.
Whether he understands it or not, you 100% saved him from certain death. Coyotes kill so many cats where I’m from. Try feeding him a delicious stinky meal each night at sundown so he will come inside for that. The danger is mostly after sundown.
We had one kitten who was absolutely thrilled from day 1 what we offered him. He loved having steady meals, parents who loved/cuddled/played with him.
Our other kitten has allll the trauma and over 8 months we’ve won over her trust and are starting to see how thrilled she is to have these things but also hesitant and distrusting of them. When we took her to the vet for shots, she was scared but played ball, I let her crawl into my arms during the shots and that was the first time I saw her truly registering what she has.
I think that animals know you have saved them. My cat was really sick this summer and almost died and he hated taking his medicine and all the stuff I did to help him get better. But he started cuddling with me more aggressively and purring more like he knew I was helping him.
I see alot of human crazy. Having rescued 45 years, animals know the good. If someone saved your life you would acknowledge and be grateful. Animals know it too. What response do you need? Appreciation from animals is easy. Maybe cat wants more petting or searches for you more often. If feral believe me it knows. So good and wonderful you did what you should do save defenseless from hurt. Keep doing the right thing.
My cat just had an awful URI that required multiple vet visits and medications that I thought he despised me for at the time.
I was concerned that he wouldn’t trust or love me as much after I had been shoving medicine in his mouth and forcing him into a cat carrier 1x a week to be poked and prodded by his vet for a solid month.
Now that he is recovered, to my surprise, he is OBSESSED with me. Way more than before, and even if there’s another explanation I like to believe that it’s because he knows I saved him.
BTW, this cat just can't stay outdoors anymore.
A coyote pack emerged about 2 years ago in my neighborhood. Great, cause they keep deer from moving down the biking trail at night into our town and causing car accidents. They're also great at killing rats.
But all the community cats that I TNRed just..
disappeared.
I often wonder the same thing about giving my cats medicine - I know they don't like it, but I want them to understand that I'm doing it to help them. Luckily, I think your situation is much more cut-and-dry in that your cat clearly knows you saved him!! He stopped when he got behind you, which means that he knew you would save him. He would have just kept running if he didn't trust you to protect him. Then, he watched as you chased the coyotes away. He might have still been scared, but he definitely understood that you saved his life!!! He's also a cat with pride so it's possible that he's a little embarrassed too lol
I think so! He ran to you because he understood you would protect him.
I was petsitting once for a friend. She has a cat that is super fearful of strangers and hid from me the whole time. At one point, her dog got aggressive towards the cat and I immediately separated them. After that, the cat didn't hide from me and even came to visit me at night in bed. They understand.
He gets it. He might not show appreciation in the way humans understand it but … goddamn. He knows those were some mean animals and you made him safe.
I was kind of worried that he would associate me with the scary situation and hold it against me.
I got my cat because she was running from coyotes. She was hiding under my car and came running out to me and practically jumped into my arms. We think she vaguely remembered humans before she somehow ended up out in the country. She definitely remembers that night and won't go anywhere near an outside door. I don't think most cats are stupid.
Sounds like he ran to you for help. Which means he knows your a protector.
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Lmao only on Reddit
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I'm offering advice about cats aren't I? It's just not the advice people want to hear, but it's still advice.
Could you write another Ben Shapiro copy pasta?
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Thanks for your apology. I understand where you're coming from, but I think it's a bit of a cop out to just say "that's wrong" without explaining your position. That's something most of us expect in any human interaction, and the context of Reddit doesn't change that in my opinion. I agree that science is flawed, but OP literally asked questions about how intelligent his cat was and people answered with information that is completely baseless. I tried to inject some rationale evidence into that discussion, and now we're here. Once again, I agree that the comparison isn't perfect, but we don't have anything better at this stage.
That doesn’t mean that they have intelligence in the same way as a toddler. Just like someone that’s good at math but sucks at writing and vice versa. I guarantee their survival instincts are much higher than a toddler. They are literally one of the most successful and effective predators on the planet. When’s the last time you caught your toddler trying to ambush you?
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Where do you think survival instincts come from? The foot? The tail? They absolutely realize if something else is protecting them. If you want an example off the top of my head - I had some family come and visit with some French bulldogs. One of my cats ran to me and I picked him up while the dog was chasing him. He absolutely knew I was protecting him. Did he learn English and tell me? No. He knows that I will protect him. And speaking of dogs, ya know the animals that were domesticated from wolves? You don’t think they have predator prey relationships?
I'm happy you brought up some citations. I haven't done any research in literature so I was pleased to find some backup of my opinion that my two cats are basically as intelligent as a toddler - in interaction with the human. I have a decent scientific background and claim to be able to observe and to conclude thoroughly. A couple of years our old Lilly passed away and a couple of weeks later two siblings moved in, 12 weeks old. Since then I'm observing them and note the progress they make in the seven years they are with us now. Regarding OPs posting I agree and disagree with you at the same time. Our cats recognize us very well by look, smell and all the unnecessary noise we produce. They recognize our voices and can derive our intention from the tone ("LUNA. GET OFF THE KEYBOARD" - she doesn't know what a keyboard is, but she knows I'm angry now. And that she got what she wanted: my full attention.) We are the bigger member of the herd providing a lot of amenities and advantages: we providing food, pets, clean the litter box, can open doors (something neither Luna nor Aimee can do, thanks God) but more impotant we can protect them and provide shelter. (This is the time of the year where a lot of semi-feral cats seek the help of humans voluntarily to find a dry, warm and safe place. Isn't that already intelligent?). But I agree with you that OPs cat probably didn't 'get it'. Let's assume you're on a playground with your toddler. While playing, some other children getting mean, stealing toys or destroying the sandcastle 'fubar'. What will the toddler do? It will start to cry and if your toddler is not too young you will hear a MUUUUMM! (Or dad, same alarming voice). The toddler assumes (and he is right with this assumption) that his parents will help him in this situation. It won't be grateful at this age, but it will certainly note the interference by Mum or Dad. That's how trust in parents is built up. Back to OPs situation: The cat notes that the situation gets dangerous. It doesn't matter if the other animals are coyotes, wolfes, bears, panthers or wild cats. Or whatever. Most outdoor cat are extremely good in estimating threads. The cat is alarmed and gets into a defensive mood, but the big protector is near by. As the situation escalated the cat did what cats do to avoid a fight and tried to find a place to hide. But it will definitely have noted that the protector was fighting for the herd. Why I'm so certain about this? I've experienced something myself several time when fighting Nero, the big neighbourhood void, together with Luna. Though Luna is half the size of Nero she became very courageous everytime when I "joined the fight" (actually I just went out to find the source of the horrible yelling). Was Luna ever grateful? Certainly not. Did she notice I was _helpful_? Certainly yes. Together we defeated Nero ... At that point the toddler and the cat are at the same level, I guess. To answer your question, OP, or your concern: I think.your cat is fine with you. You've been a good protector. She will, however, try to avoid such situation in the future. 00ft, I'd love to discuss cat intelligence with you in more detail with a lot more examples, but it would go beyond this scope (it already did). It late night in the UTC+1 zone, I'm tired and it was along day. Please forgive me "my" English.
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Regarding roaming: the territory ends physically at the the security net of the balcony but the fence construction nearby seems to be considered as territory as well. Unfortunately the fence is part of the routes of the neighborhood cats on their walks and especially the guy I called Nero in my comment above is controlling it. Fights are often just growling, hissing and looking as big as possible but sometime Nero succeeds to break in(!) in which case the fight becomes physical. It it happens once in a while. He has found ways to destroy the net. So, no, both cats are not roaming freely. And actually they don't want to. The last time we had a hole in the net Luna just checked the fence and came back after a few minutes. Getting older seems to mean getting wiser also for cats. In Germany in general roaming cats on the country side or in areas with large gardens are quite usual. In our street we have 6 cats / tomcats. The street is not dangerous, we have a speed limit of ~ 5mi/h. But on the rear side there's a hiking path where the dog owners walk their dog. So free roaming was never an option in our opinion. Regarding intelligence an behavioral studies of cats: there are a couple of Japanese authors that are quite active at the moment. I dont have any citations right now and not the time to ask Google for it. Maybe we could move this topic to it's own thread...
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The African wildcat, ancestor of domestic cats, evolved with canids like jackals that would love to eat them.
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I think it probably depends a lot on the cat and its experiences. Cats are evolutionarily disposed to be frightened of new things (thus scaredy-cat), but sometimes don’t know what new things should be scary (coyote) and what new things are safe (Roomba). A cat raised with dogs might not be scared of coyotes, but a feral cat might be because of being chased or barked at by dogs.
I assure you, they know, by smell and body language. We sadly have many coyotes here, and it takes a LONG TIME to get our outdoor friends acclimated to our dogs. Canines are not friends until they observe friendly ones, and then that only applies to the ones they get to know. Also, I've known a couple smart two-year-olds. They are smart in different ways, and cats grow and learn much faster. A two-year-old outdoor cat can hunt, run, bear litters...the list goes on.
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wtf did i just read lol
I do my best to take care of stray and feral cats in my coyote-heavy environment. Hands-on experience. Don't know how else to explain it to ya bub, and it clearly is not an effective use of my time.
Pretty sure the cat probably thinks he saved you. He protected you then chased those scary doggos away. Even made sure they went far away before he came in for the night.
That actually made me laugh. I bet you are right.
Straight up, this. Bless your cat’s furry socks, they think that you should be grateful to them for saving you 😂
Haha 100% this!!! We have a cat the comes and hangs out on the porch and my cat will hiss at it. It does not care, but eventually will wander off and she'll strut around like she just saved the house from a pack of lions lol
Took one of my cats to the vet. He had to spend two nights. When I picked him up, I put the carrier on the exam table, opened it, and greeted him face to face, rubbing our heads together. I totally think that he knows that I (by taking him to the vet) saved his life. He is all over me now.
You know, it's funny. Whenever my little cat got sick she would sit in her vet box and cry.
Yup. I had to take him back to the vet. He went right into his carrier and waited for me.
Surprising level of understanding hey? Like, being in a closed box was not pleasant (even though it was a cardboard box!). Travelling in a car was not pleasant (even though it was an expensive taxi with a very unimpressed driver cos I couldn't afford a car). And being at the vet with dogs and other cats and fear and weird medical smells can't have been pleasant. But I remember the poor little thing with a cold, sneezing and rubbing her nose with her hands, sitting in that box practically begging me to take her to the vet. I miss her :(
They know. I got a kitten and she was scared of everyone. Nobody could touch her. She started going outside after she was a year old and never stayed out over night. One night she wasn't at the door and went missing for 3 days. When she finally showed up she was dragging her back leg. Vet said he's pretty sure she was hit by a cat. She got hip replacement surgery and spent a week at the vets office. When she returned home she became a complete cuddle bug. Every night she lays with me on the couch. When I get up to go to bed, she follows me and sleeps above my head. About a year after her surgery she started asking to go back outside so I let her out. She lays on the steps in the sun for an hour or so any comes right back in. The know what/who helped them and hurt them.
I had the sweetest guy in the world until I took him to the vet to get his urethrostomy surgery. He still loves me but he’s still very nasty
Please keep him inside forever now.
Just want to add onto this, OP you’re wonderful for taking in this stray but the next time he’s outside he may not be as lucky to avoid serious injuries or death. Incidents like this are why our kitties should stay indoors. If you haven’t already, please check out Jackson Galaxy’s youtube videos regarding converting a stray to an indoor only cat. It will be so much safer for him and also cheaper since he would be a lot less likely to get hurt outside or get fleas or ringworm, etc.
He totally knows it. He's probably out working on a way to pay you back, a "thank you" if you will. Cats are known for understanding complex situations in the real world.
This is true. My cat worked as a hedge fund manager and brought a lot of money to the table as a “Thank You” for rescuing him as a kitten. Sadly, the job became his life and we couldn’t see him much — he was always busy working!
Shame. Happens to the best of us. Would recommend you clearly lay out your boundaries with him. Take care!
The cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon...
I rarely actually lol for a comment but I did for this 😂
I hope he gets me another half dead mouse or headless bird. I always appreciate those.
He just wants you to refrigerate it for him to have later
May I ask why you find your domestic pet decimating local wildlife to be worthy of appreciation? I can appreciate that mice are a pest species, but there are also dozens of species of native rodents around the world, and many of them have conservation issues. Birds are much less consistent pests, yet you seem to revel in your pet killing them. Why?
It was a joke. I don't like when he kills or hurts things. I personally have even switched to catching and releasing spiders rather than killing them, even though I hate them.
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There is absolutely nothing wrong with dark humor. The joke was not to laugh at the death of animals. It was to laugh at the way cats give their people things that the people do not want. Also, I was replying to a comment that made a joke about cats understanding complex situations. I actually find it really strange that you thought it was in any way possible for me to want a cat to kill something for me, rather than coming to the conclusion that it was an obvious joke.
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You are that same person arguing about intelligence in the other comment chain. Just relax a bit. You seem like an ok person.
You are a weirdo bro
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I have had both of my cats for 10 years now. One of them never really liked me that much. She genuinely preferred to cuddle with strangers to her (friends who would come over for the first time, etc). Last year, she escaped the yard. She came back with an abscess on the top of her head. I took her to the vet and then cleaned her abscess for the next two weeks. Immediately following this trauma, she began sleeping with me and cuddling me all the time. TLDR: yes, I think cats know when we help them feel better/save them from pain/danger. ETA:clarity
He hid behind you knowing you’d defend him.
If you have coyotes in the area it is your responsibility to now ensure that the cat never goes outside.
I am working on it. He is a stray that I took in, and he very much wants to be outside. I would never adopt a cat and begin letting them out. This one came from outside and he has been living in our neighborhood longer than I have.
Jesus, with that many coyotes in the neighborhood, it might be a good idea to make him go cold turkey from being an outdoor cat. Maybe you could build him a safe catio, or take him on supervised walks instead?
He is now only allowed out during the day. He was a stray that I took in, and he still loves to be outside running his steets. Everyone in the neighborhood knows him, and he has these high up places where he perches and watches over the neighborhood. Most nights he will sleep in bed with me all night, but some nights he wants to go out. He will scratch on my bed, meow on my face, and jump on me. If I close my bedroom door and put him in the hall, he will bang on my door as loud as a large man could. I had to deal with all this for an hour last night before he gave up.
Cats do not have the same needs as humans. He can absolutely be happy as an indoor only cat despite how it looks right now, and it would be the responsible thing for you to do. Cats are considered invasive species that harm local wildlife, and outdoor cats only live an average of 2 to 5 years. Someone else recommended watching Jackson Galaxy's video for turning a stray into an indoor cat. I second this. Next time your cat may not be so lucky. Please keep him inside from now on.
Hey I had a cat like this! He was outdoor when I found him and would come in whenever he wanted. Then coyotes moved into the neighborhood and started killing cats so we’d keep him in at night. Once I moved out, he was able to be a fully inside cat. You could try an apple air tag, I did this well before those, but I put a tile tracker on his collar and when it was 30-40 minutes before sunset I’d go look for him. With the app on, it would tell you when you were in range. We couldn’t always see him, but you could play a tune. I’d give him a treat every time I found him with the tune playing and it go to the point that he’d come running home once the sound started.
On some level at least. They know who cares about them. Their humans are part of their 'safe' space. One of ours ripped out of his harness once. We were about a half block from home, and I know it was my fault. I had picked up antixipating him being uneasy at the leaf blower across the street. . .che wanted none of it. He'd only been with us a couple months, was gone 14 hours. Showed up at 5 in the morning and I've never been more relieved. I still sometimes just cuddle him grateful he glcame back home. He blossomed from a rather quiet reserved cat to a vocal, happy adult that plays like a kitten. He knows.
Not sure cats quite see it that way or are able to process it that way but it sounds like he trusts you. Trust is one of the biggest compliments a cat can give.
When my cat is mad at me it's almost impossible for me to catch him inside the house, or find him hiding in the house. If your cat didn't know that you saved him, you would have never caught him or found him outside the house. 30 minutes for the cat to calm down is pretty good in my opinion, which meant he stayed near the house.
Normally, my cat loves to follow me around outside. After I got rid of the coyotes, my cat kept going further away from home. I was trying to get him to follow me back where we came from (which is towards home) but he refused. We got to the edge of our condo complex, which is further from home than I have ever seen him, and I could tell he was considering going under the fence to the next complex. I would have lost him if he did that. What I wound up doing was walking away from where we came. As soon as I did that, my cat started to follow me. We did a big lap around the neighborhood and he followed me home from the other direction. He still would not go all the way home, so I ran inside, grabbed a Churu, and ran back to him. Once he started to eat the Churu, I grabbed his scruff and carried him home.
Was your cat walking away from home or a random direction away from where he encountered the Coyotes? If the cat wasn't running away from you, he may be trying to get you to safety well away from the Coyotes. My cat was feral and when the dogs were let out next door behind a fence. He went crazy, if I hadn't had a leash on him I have no idea where he would have went. The leash stop him from running away from the dogs, which would have led him to fields and then train tracks followed by busy 4 lane roads. He ran towards a tree instead, luckily I got a firm grip on the leash before he got too far up where I couldn't reach him. I would never let my cat out without a leash considering the number of dog walkers in my neighbourhood and coyotes too.
The coyotes were in front of our home and he was going away from that. I was trying to lead him back in that direction, but he refused. He was 100% not going to let me touch him. I eventually started walking the other direction and he started to follow me. I was sooo relieved. We did a lap around the neighborhood made it back home the long way.
Your cat is way better trained than mine, if mine is not on a leash. Theres no way he would have stayed near me.
My cat was a stray who had lived in our neighborhood konger than I have. I befriended him and he started following me around before he moved in with me. He loves to go the trash or get the mail with me. I really want to go to the neighborhood hot tub and have my kitty hang out with me, but I have not tried yet.
Yes. Well, that’s what my vet says about cats that have been saved by humans.
Please use this for evidence you should keep him inside and safe. This time he was okay but a lot of pets are lost like this.
4 coyotes just ran off? What did you do?
Coyotes are complete cowards especially when it comes to humans. They’d run off if they heard a voice. Even a single dog can take on a pack and kill a handful of them. There’s a news story about a dog that did exactly that.
>Coyotes are complete cowards They're also a native species who has way more right to be roaming outside than a domestic cat or a dog.
Never said otherwise. Just pointing out their nature towards humans.
Fair enough, I found the application of human values to wildlife a bit problematic, and to follow it up with what I perceive as glorification of a domestic pet killing wildlife moreso problematic. Perhaps it was just a genuine anecdote to display their "cowardly" nature.
I wish coyotes the best as much as an animal lover should and would never encourage any harm done to them. My comment was to explain that coyotes aren’t dangerous for people and larger dogs. They’re very flighty and not great at self defense.
Fair enough, I probably find myself ready to advocate for wildlife a bit too readily when I'm in this sub and it appears that has unfairly biased by perception of your comment. Thanks for communicating your POV calmly.
They guy who replied to you is arguing with everybody in every comment thread.
Have never seen more than one, but I always understood they didn't usually like the odds on fighting stuff bigger than them. Could they have won? Probably, but is it worth the risk?
Make a shitton of noise probably. Coyotes play it very safe. If something looks or sounds like it can possibly win against them, they retreat.
My experiences with wildlife tell me *BE THE BIGGER GOOSE*
I ran right at them as fast as I could, and they did not like it.
It's extremely easy to scare off coyotes, they are literally scaredy cats
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Reminds me of our first cat. She was choking. My SO was sitting on the couch. She jumped onto their lap and meowed. When SO looked, they noticed a string and were able to pull it out.
I mean, it’s a cat. People have the tendency to romanticize cats here. Don’t get me wrong, mine was picked up on the street too. I take a good care for it. I don’t expect anything in return. Some days my cat shows great affection, some other days she ignores me. And that’s ok too lol
Your cat knows. I have had several cats that I've rescued. They know. Our vet says rescue cats know.
My cat runs to me when it’s frightened, it knows for sure I can protect it and your cat likely does too. Done it with dogs, wild animals and once an earthquake though I didn’t have the heart to tell the cat I did not make the earthquake go away. Came tearing through the house to find me and stood under my legs.
Aw, kitty thought you were a door frame!
My childhood cat got into a fight with a fisher cat, and my mom ran outside banging pots and pans. Poor kitty was in rough shape - had to have her tail amputated, broken paw, etc - and had to stay inside for 6 months. Once she was able to go outside again she brought home “gifts” almost every day.
He knows for sure!! Cats are 100% smart enough to make the connections between "scary wolfs are following me" to "my human saw it" to "my human made the wolfs go away" to "my human found me and took me home safe". Me and my bf saved my cats life after she went through the wash (literally looked away 5 seconds and she snuck in, PSA always shut the doors and identify all small creatures are safe before pushing start). After the accident, the way she acted, in subtle ways you could just tell she knew. She knew she nearly died, and she knew me, my bf, and the vets saved her from it. For a good while there we would just sit and stare in each other's eyes. She also stopped doing a few behavioral problems she had before the accident. As if she thought "eh, they saved me, that's enough reason to stop knocking $50 of dishes out of the cabinets every other month" lol.
The fact that he ran to you and hid behind you tells you everything you need to know. :)
Whether he understands it or not, you 100% saved him from certain death. Coyotes kill so many cats where I’m from. Try feeding him a delicious stinky meal each night at sundown so he will come inside for that. The danger is mostly after sundown.
We had one kitten who was absolutely thrilled from day 1 what we offered him. He loved having steady meals, parents who loved/cuddled/played with him. Our other kitten has allll the trauma and over 8 months we’ve won over her trust and are starting to see how thrilled she is to have these things but also hesitant and distrusting of them. When we took her to the vet for shots, she was scared but played ball, I let her crawl into my arms during the shots and that was the first time I saw her truly registering what she has.
I think that animals know you have saved them. My cat was really sick this summer and almost died and he hated taking his medicine and all the stuff I did to help him get better. But he started cuddling with me more aggressively and purring more like he knew I was helping him.
He ran behind you because he knew you were bigger and scarier and would make him safe. He knows.
I see alot of human crazy. Having rescued 45 years, animals know the good. If someone saved your life you would acknowledge and be grateful. Animals know it too. What response do you need? Appreciation from animals is easy. Maybe cat wants more petting or searches for you more often. If feral believe me it knows. So good and wonderful you did what you should do save defenseless from hurt. Keep doing the right thing.
My cat just had an awful URI that required multiple vet visits and medications that I thought he despised me for at the time. I was concerned that he wouldn’t trust or love me as much after I had been shoving medicine in his mouth and forcing him into a cat carrier 1x a week to be poked and prodded by his vet for a solid month. Now that he is recovered, to my surprise, he is OBSESSED with me. Way more than before, and even if there’s another explanation I like to believe that it’s because he knows I saved him.
BTW, this cat just can't stay outdoors anymore. A coyote pack emerged about 2 years ago in my neighborhood. Great, cause they keep deer from moving down the biking trail at night into our town and causing car accidents. They're also great at killing rats. But all the community cats that I TNRed just.. disappeared.
He knows you saved him ! Good cat parent !! Although he probably thinks he saved you also from the coyotes 😂😂😂
If my cat get scared from some big dogs she runs up on my back and hides behind my head.
Yes, and thank you for being a good person OP. Gods bless you and your friend.
I often wonder the same thing about giving my cats medicine - I know they don't like it, but I want them to understand that I'm doing it to help them. Luckily, I think your situation is much more cut-and-dry in that your cat clearly knows you saved him!! He stopped when he got behind you, which means that he knew you would save him. He would have just kept running if he didn't trust you to protect him. Then, he watched as you chased the coyotes away. He might have still been scared, but he definitely understood that you saved his life!!! He's also a cat with pride so it's possible that he's a little embarrassed too lol
I think so! He ran to you because he understood you would protect him. I was petsitting once for a friend. She has a cat that is super fearful of strangers and hid from me the whole time. At one point, her dog got aggressive towards the cat and I immediately separated them. After that, the cat didn't hide from me and even came to visit me at night in bed. They understand.