Potential Crazy Cat Person?



Baby Mushi


My husband and I both agree that when one of us dies, there is a great chance that either of us could become a crazy cat person.  We love kitties and who could resist a face like that?  They're great company, independent, highly intelligent and did you look at that face?

Let's look at our personalities to see if there is a potential for such a label.

According to a study on the differences between dog and cat owners, people who own only cats tend to be relatively introverted, which is true for the both of us.  We're home bodies, although I'm a little more sociable.

The study also states that cat owners are reasonably cool (low in warmth or agreeableness) which I would assume would go in hand with introversion.  Who wants to be agreeable all the time, anyway?  I sense this question is low in "warmth".
 

Eleanor Abernathy aka Crazy Cat Lady



"Cat owners are relatively low in dominance. People who are high on dominance are generally described as being forceful, assertive, persistent, self-assured and self-confident. They are the people who stand out in social gatherings as opposed to people who are low in dominance that come across as being more timid, bashful, shy and unaggressive."  This is why I suck when meeting someone for the first time, I never know what to say.  I'm a classic wallflower.  This also sucks in job interview situations, it's a wonder that I've even gotten jobs . . but I digress.

Cat owners also appear to be fairly trusting.  Hooray for trust!

Let's look at some awesome cat facts:

• Cats have three blood types: A, B and AB. The majority are type A.
• Although a kitten is blind at birth, the touch receptors in the nose are already developed, and touching noses helps a kitten make contact with his mother. This practice of nose touching remains a friendly greeting for other cats (and humans) throughout a cat's life 
• Humans and cats have a similar range of hearing when it comes to low-pitched sounds, but cats have a much greater ability to hear very high notes-better, even, than dogs. 
• More than 20 muscles in each ear enable a cat to move her ears like radar dishes and pinpoint the source of a sound. The two ears can rotate in different directions, as well. 
• A domestic cat's sense of smell is about 14 times stronger than a human's. 
• Cats can make more than 100 different vocal sounds. Dogs can make about 10.  
• Cats purr at about 26 cycles per second, which is the same frequency as an idling diesel engine. 
• Cats of all types get more sleep than just about any other animal. They average 16 hours of sleep a day, most of it in short naps that allow the cat to quickly become fully alert. 
• The cat's canine teeth (the long fangs) sit in beds of sensitive tissue. A cat adjusts his grip on his prey until he feels a tiny depression in its neck, just behind the skull. The canine teeth are designed to fit perfectly into this depression, so the cat can sever his prey’s spine with one quick bite. 

Part of the Cat Lady charm is owning many cat things.  Trinkets, pictures. clothing, furniture, notepads and door mats, mugs . . the list could go on.

I had a look around my apartment to survey my own craziness and I can assure you it's VERY minimal and what I do have is tasteful (in my eyes).  However, there is also the issue with friends and relatives having knowledge of your affinity for the feline.  I have had some gifts over the years of tacky cat trinkets and the such.  This is why a smart cat lover keeps their affinity on the down low or they'll be getting some interesting gifts.

I had three cats growing up, Maggie, Tessa and Mr. Louis.  Maggie and Tessa aka Tessie are long gone, but Mr. Louis is still with us at 15 years.  Three cats is borderline crazy, but my mom states she got them because she was feeling maternal and really wanted a baby.  I'm sure my begging as a child also had something to do with it.  It also makes me wonder if our reasons for getting a second cat had to do with underlying baby wants.

Nami

I never thought we'd get a second cat, especially living in a one bedroom apartment, but they can be hard to resist with their sweet little kitten faces and "love me" mews and purrs.  Robert kept hinting for awhile that he wanted a second cat and I kept saying no.  I'd bring up food costs, space issues and possible ill relations with our resident cat Nami.  I wanted another kitty too, but I layed the con cards every time until I saw Mushi's sweet little face on the interwebs.  That's how they get you.  I'm waiting for the day when Robert hints at kitty number three.  If this happens I will be completely convinced that he has the crazy cat person disease more than I do.

Yes, our future could be filled with more kitties, but if Eleanor Abernathy and Hoarders has taught me anything is that being a crazy cat lady is . . . well, crazy.