Ramblings of a Crowe

Pack Mentality

I spent most of the day watching TV, mainly that show called, "Dog Whisperer". That guy is incredible, the things he's able to accomplish with some of the weirdest dog problems (skate-board hater dog, TV hater dog???). He always gets me thinking about how different animals are from people--but also how similar we are.

I find the pack mentality interesting. Many animals, including ones that don't live in a group environment, seem to display some sort of primal hierarchy. Horses, dogs, people, some lizards, hyenas, cows, sheep, even cats.

Cats I find incredibly interesting. Domesticated cats technically aren't the 'pack' type of animal, though they can live together peacefully. Lions are the only cat that actually live together in an organized group setting. Compared to canines though, they aren't nearly efficient.

Domesticated cats operate on independence--one of the reasons so many dog owners dislike them. Cats don't seem to respond to authority the way dogs do. People tend to be pretty insignificant to them.

But is that really true? I got to thinking about this today, after watching "Dog Whisperer". There's definitely a hierarchy within my house when it comes to our cat. Sure, she's a pain in the ass, tears shit up, and is a lazy slob (like most cats), but she recognizes the dominant people in the house.

Her attitude to my dad is pretty insignificant. She seems to ignore him for the most part, and he does the same to her. Sometimes I wonder if they exist on different planes of reality and just don't see each other. Either that or she's still pissed off he brought the dog home. Who knows.

With my mom, I think the cat sees her as a threat. The predator in the house that throws stuff and carries a big red and white stick (candy cane). The cat definitely pays attention to mom. Not always in a respectful way, but enough that she doesn't go out of her way to invade her space or tear up her stuff.

Then there's me. I'm the one who will kick her ass and toss her out back with dog when she's being a rotten pain in the neck. I'm also the one that will stalk her, hide behind doors and leap out at her, tear up newspapers with her, and chase her around the house.

And last is my son. *sigh* She terrorizes him. Seriously. She purposely tears up his stuff--and only his (with the exception of toilet paper). She will eat his homework if he leaves it laying out on the floor. Not only that, she will sit right in the middle of him as he's trying to write or draw, and either swat the pencil from his and or bite him on the face (not hard) when he tells her no. If he doesn't get into bed on time (9pm), she will find him and bite him--once she even popped him in the mouth when he was talking to me as I was tucking him in.

She never hurts him bad enough to make him bleed. And of all the people in the house, she's closest to him. She seeks him out when she comes inside, goes to bed with him every night, hangs around him while outside. But she doesn't respect him.

When I or my parents tell her 'no', she stops what she's doing. She gets pissed, but usually that's the end of it. She leaves our stuff alone, even food. I can set an entire plate on the couch and she won't even look at it. But his stuff...it's fair game. I've never been bitten or scratched by her--even when I had the pleasure of dropping pills down her throat. She hasn't hurt my parents either. But she'll bite and scratch the kiddo; hands, face, ears, toes, legs, whatever is in reach.

Basically, she bullies him. When she wants to sit on my lap, she slinks up to me, her head down and body close to the floor, or she sits on the floor and waits for me to tell her it's okay. With him, she just jumps into the middle of whatever he's doing. I've watched her lay down on top of his home work and bite the pencil from his hand. *shakes head* It's his own fault. He won't tell her no and when he does, he's a wimp about it.

It's different than the way the dog interacts with us. He sees us as his pack and knows who the bosses are. Unlike the cat, he's pretty clear about it. However, I think from the cat's subtle actions, she has a firm understanding who ranks above and below her in the house. She just pushes the boundaries more so than the dog, because that's what cats do, even among themselves.

I like both cats and dogs. Dogs for their loyalty and cats for their independence. They're both very different creatures, but that's what makes them interesting. Maybe next time I'll talk about my pet sheep and how their herd mentality is akin to that of a biker gang. You guys will never view sheep in the same light again, I assure you.

Cute and fluffy my ass.

Posted by Zoso at March 24, 2006 10:51 PM