cats are beautiful... why?

[miriam_e]

Am I the only one who sees the peculiarity here? Cats look beautiful to us. We frequently coo and aaww over them. Even people who hate the slaughter they wreak upon the Australian wildlife still have to admit they are gorgeous creatures.

But why?

We are humans. They are cats -- a totally different kind of mammal. They have a completely different language from us, both verbal and body-language. They are quite alien. So how could we ever consider them beautiful? They don't even benefit from crossed parental cues the way dogs do. Dogs even share the same language as us, both verbal and physical. If we should feel another species was beautiful you'd think it would be the dog, but they are described differently -- they're our best friend, loyal, steadfast, noble... but rarely beautiful.

The only thing I can come up with is that there may have been some early selection for those who like cats because they kill rodents that take grain and pass on diseases like bubonic plague. Cats won't hang around unless it is in their interests to do so -- they aren't social animals. So a person with a misplaced adoration for cats would have been be in a much better survival position.

Just pointless thoughts. Can't be proved or disproved so it's far from scientific. But an interesting puzzle.

Comments

[belegdel.livejournal.com]

I've always put it down to the Cat's instinctive aloofness giving them more an impression of equality than Dogs, who tend to naturally arrange their social groups in terms of a heirarchy.
Often the term "beautiful" (and similar expressions) aren't equally applied to things we feel we have power or control over. In those cases words like "cute" are more often used.

Or I could just be making stuff up.

[miriam-e.livejournal.com]

Cats' aloofness contrasted with dogs' willingness to take a submissive role -- this is a very interesting point. It also gives me great hope for us humans.

It is easy to have a close relationship with a dog. It is a no-brainer. If the human is stunted (as most of us seem to be) then the dog will happily do most of the work in maintaining the relationship. It is very easy to fall into a master-slave relationship with dogs, which I believe is very unhealthy for humans, though that limited relationship is still healthier than no relationship at all. Of course, those who put the extra effort in can take their friendship with dogs to a far deeper level where they become partners and best pals -- something incredibly powerful.

Cats don't easily accept a master/slave relationship. With cats you get back what you give. If you get lots of affection from cats then that is the greatest compliment. I like what cats can teach us.