BENGALURU: There’s a generalised perception that cats are self-centred, selfish creatures. That unlike dogs, they don’t care about anyone but themselves. Without going into the dogs versus cats debate, it is first important to note and realise that the character trait, ‘selfish’ is one which is very human, says Dr Irfan Ahmed, a cat behaviourologist and psychologist.
And while we may only associate with that one single trait of ours with the feline creature, this is only one among the many traits they share with us.
As Dr Irfan puts it, “Cats have 52 character traits, out of which five of their traits are common with humans. The five traits that can be recognised are: shyness, greediness, jealousy, agressiveness, and certain dominating traits.”
Further, harping on how cats have a spectrum of character traits that can be attributed to them, Dr Irfan says that just like human individuals, no two cats are the same. “Every cat is an individual,” he adds.
Understanding cat psychology
While it is the ‘funny’ behavourial tendencies of these feline creatures that keeps us amused and entertained, how many of us know what is the psychology behind those strange purrs and meows? While many ‘cat persons’ claim to understand these traits, very few actually do a certified course on their psychology. Dr Irfan Ahmed is one such doctor who has studied, in detail the behaviorial tendedncies of cats. With this certificate in hand, many parents visit him at his cattery, Mallika’s Cattery in Koramangala, to raise questions about certain traits their cats exhibit.
“We take care of cat behavioural concerns. We look into it if they are not getting along with the pet parent, or the parent’s partners or the children at home. Sometimes parents come with complaints of their cat being too shy. After talking to them, we identify and categorise the character trait of the cat,” the doctor adds.
Citing an example of the dominant trait that is seen in many male cats the doctor says, when they spray around the house, that is when their dominant trait overpowers their characteristics. Or for example, if the cat does not like it when the other cat in the house is petted, that is when the jealousy trait plays up in the cat.