Thursday, May 22, 2008

Cats and Lovers

I made this statement in a comment on yesterday’s post about cats: Personally, I think a man who does not like cats has other issues to deal with - cats are some sort of threat to some men’s manliness.

Buck questioned my comment making me have to think about it a little deeper. Yep, I think I will stick to my statement. I did use the "some men" not "all men" in my statement – so don’t take this personally. And keep in mind that this is just my theory or MHO.

There are some men who just prefer dogs, but they don’t necessarily have anything against cats and will tolerate them. I have known people who have had some sort of traumatic experience with a cat (just as there are people who have had traumatic experiences with dogs) and therefore have a true hate/mistrust for cats. But some men have said, "I don’t like cats" and have never really been around cats or the few cats that they have been around were not great cats (I’ve been around some cats and dogs that I really disliked). Just like there are great dogs and not so great dogs, the same can be said of cats. Cats have distinct personalities and should not be lumped together in to one large "I hate all cats." I don’t think these men really hate all cats; I think they are just mistaken and need to be enlightened. The question is - are they willing.

So why would men have an issue with cats, but not dogs? Cats are stereotyped as feminine. The Media has shown them to be "women’s animals." You see commercials and sitcoms where some boyfriend has to "put up with" his girlfriend’s cat. George Strait sang a song with the line, "She thinks I like her cat, but you know me better than that." It is true that sometimes the media will use some fluffy small dog with bows in its hair for this part, but mostly cats are portrayed as "a woman’s animal." Because cats are supposed to be feminine, men who try to be macho tend to stay away from cats. Like men who refuse to carry an umbrella, even in a downpour, because it is considered "girlie," there are men who refuse to "like cats" for fear that someone will be mistaken about their manhood (this may be subconscious). I think these men already have problems with their manhood and are mistaken about what is manly and what isn’t. They probably do not know women very well either and are possibly not willing to be enlightened there either.

I have known a couple of men who were hunter/trappers and did not like cats because cats are also hunter/trappers. I think cats are a threat to the men’s hunting ability – sort of rivals. I would say that is an issue of their manliness. In both cases the men were also bird watchers and since some cats kill birds, the men did not like cats. I have had some cats that never killed any birds or mice or anything, while I have had dogs that would kill rodents and some birds that landed in the yard. Yet both of these men liked dogs – just not cats. Why is that? It doesn’t seem very fair.

I have been bringing home cats since I was a little girl. My father was not a big animal lover. We always had a dog, but it was pretty much an outside dog that was only allowed in the house on rare occasions. I doubt if Dad really liked cats very much, but still, I kept bringing them home, and he tolerated my love for cats. I loved my Daddy for that. When I was dating Toby, he said he was not a cat lover. So, I brought him a kitten – sort of a test. Toby loved that cat, and I loved Toby. It was important to me that my man be flexible, willing to try things, willing to love what I loved. It made me willing to be flexible about what he loved. A man who says, "I do not like cats" and has no good reason and is not willing to "work with me," is a man with some sort of problem. I might still like the man and would probably still be good friends with him, but he would be just a notch lower on my list of what makes a great man. Like a cat that knows whom it likes and whom doesn’t, I would probably give a man hell every time I could just because in MHO he has a problem with women too.

Here are some pics of the new kittens. The fluffy gray and white is Harriet. The gray shorthaired cat has not been named, and it needs a name (we have been referring to him a Mitts). It has an extra "thumb" on each paw. What was the name of the six fingered man in "Princes Bride" – you know – My name is Indigo Montoya. You killed my Father. Prepare to die!

13 comments:

GUYK said...

I have nothing against cats per se. I have had cats over the years and enjoyed them

My problem is not with cats so much as cat owners who turn their cats out at night to make a sand box out of my flower gardens..I have shot a couple of them and will shoot more if I catch them in my rose bed again..I just don't like to have to smell Tomcat urine when I work the beds.

I will also shoot a feral cat I see in the woods or a pasture. Feral cats are a bigger nuisance than democrats! And about as destructive. They will kill young quail in the nest for the sake of killing I have seen them go into a rabbits burrow to kill the young rabbits..and not to eat,,just for the sake of killing.

I figure tame cats will do the same..and if a person is going to keep cats they should keep them at home.

But I also feel the same way about dawgs..I have been know to shoot a few in the past when I caught them in my pasture chasing livestock and worrying calves..

Bag Blog said...

guyk, any animal who proves to be a nuisance is under the death penalty around here too.

The Friendly Neighborhood Piper said...

So what you're saying is: Because my umbrella says "Callaway" i should have a big cat and name him "Slazenger"?

I got no problems with that.

Honestly though, IMO cats are easy targets (pardon the pun) for guys to tag them as stated as "feminine". I had cats growing up and had fun with them, although they probably didn't always seem to appreciate my methodology, we got along for the most part. Sure, i prefer dogs, because of their utility value, but cats...they're ornamental and normally...pretty cool. Like i said, if i had a Maine Coon, i'd probably like it more than my dog, they're just cool cats.

Oh...yeah...here's your answer... Count Tyrone Rugen

Inquiries said...

I think you are right Lou, about SOME men and cats.

Now does the working with me apply to my dog sleeping of our bed? ;) I am not sure if any man is that understanding.

Inquiries said...

In not of. I am full of typos today.

Jo Castillo said...

Well, you all can keep your cats home. I'm with guyk here. We kept trying to trap a cat in Austin when we lived there. He loved smelling up our lawn furniture and yard. All we caught were opossums. :)

Buck said...

Quite a good explanation of your thought process, Lou.

I was ambivalent about cats until 1977, when my room mate's cat took to stalking me, attacking me, and climbing curtains, my speaker grilles, and other items of furniture. The damned thing would slink across the back of the couch while I was reading or watching teevee, and it drew blood on my ear once when it took a swipe at me. My roomie was the ONLY thing standing between that cat and certain death.

And Ash, when you say "Now does the working with me apply to my dog sleeping of our bed? ;) I am not sure if any man is that understanding."

Quick answer: some are. TSMP and I shared our bed with three dogs. Every night was a Three Dog Night at our house... ;-)

Evil Transport Lady said...

We also have a "thunbs" cat. You could name it "Thumbs MacGee".

:)

Bag Blog said...

See Ashley, Buck let his dogs sleep him and his wife. Toby lets Ranger sleep with us. There is hope that some guy will not be afraid of your Pit Bull:)

I think the cat's name will be Count Tyrone Rugen, although I liked Oscar de la Hoya.

Bo said...

If he's got mitts, why don't you just call him Pudge, or A-Rod, or some other baseball player?

Bag Blog said...

Bo, I thought about "Johnny Bench"

Becky G said...

In my house, I'm the one who won't allow dogs into the bed!

I think whether we like cats or dogs depends a lot on how we were brought up. My dad didn't like dogs because he'd had some bad childhood experiences involving dogs. I'll have to post about them sometime. We grew up with cats, because, well, we had to have something. Still, I'd always wanted a dog, and now that I'm an adult with my own place, I have both. Squeaks will be the last cat for me, though, because of my allergies.

I asked Cody and he doesn't remember the name of the six fingered man either. Ever the practical one, he said, "why don't you just watch the movie and find out."

Inquiries said...

Buck: But you are one in a million!