They say that dogs are man’s best friend. It was never a secret why? Dogs are also into a lot of male activities like hunting and fishing therefore the connect was always there.
But one wonders what makes a woman bond over a cat? Is there is a definite pattern like a male and dog bonding? Let’s begin with the fact that for centuries, cats have been associated strongly with women in art, literature and the annals of history.
The legend of witch’s black cat, the story of Cleopatra and her beloved felines or the stereotype of the crazy cat lady, cats and women are inextricably intertwined for ages for all the good and bad reasons.
But how did this relationship come to be?
Women-Cat love : A historical perspective
Let’s have a closer look at the history of women and cats and find out.
It all started in the 1800s when cat shows started gaining popularity across the western world. Women, in large numbers, were drawn to these competitions as they had the free time to spend on breeding and showing cats.
These cat shows were largely organised by women’s societies as charity fundraisers, often for organizations that benefited women or animals. Most of the participants and spectators were also women.
It was an alternate way for women get involved with science, a field that they were largely barred from participating in. By breeding cats, women contributed valuable time and knowledge towards the field of genetics, advancing the world in the best way they were able to.
These cat shows also offered women an opportunity to escape their oppression, socialize with other women, develop their knowledge, and express themselves. It’s no wonder that women and cats share such a close connection even to this day!
Women-Cat love : The bond has only got better in modern times
For centuries, cats and women relied on one another to make it in a world where they were not the favourites. But in modern times, when women are free to work and go to school as they please, does that love of cats persist?
The answer is yes!
In a 2011 study conducted by the University of Vienna, researchers observed that cats were more likely to interact with women than men. Cats preferred women’s laps to men’s and were more inclined to approach women than they were men.
The relationships between cats and women were “more intense” than those between cats and men. In fact, there are studies saying that woman-cat relationship was closer to a human-human relationship than a human-animal one!
Women are, on average, smaller than men, so cats may feel less frightened of them.
Another interesting aspect to this whole debate is the fact that women are biologically inclined to respond to the sound of a baby’s cry, and cats understand this. Their meows (which are only used for humans, not other cats) are similar in pitch and tone to a crying baby, which makes women more likely to respond to them.
Relatedly, women seem more susceptible to cute things, like a smiling baby or a fluffy cat, than men are. Perhaps the adorable appearance of kittens and cats is what makes them so irresistible to women.
Whatever the reason, the female-feline connection is real, and it should be respected and celebrated a male-dog bond.
