Cats

Domestication of cats occurred many thousands of years ago.

There is little difference between the domestic feline and its wild relatives and so we see in our pet cat a character that it shares with the wild cats of the Scottish forests and the wild tigers in India.

The cat gives love and friendship cautiously and a cat’s respect and affection must be earned.  The friendship of a cat is no less firm than that of a dog, it is just more considered.

Cats as Companions

A study of 500 cat owners aged over 55 years old conducted by the Cats Protection revealed:

82% found that their cat helped them overcome feelings of stress
62% said cat ownership helped overcome feelings of loneliness
75% sometimes preferred to share their feelings with their cat rather than a partner or friend.

The same survey also looked at 100 younger cat owners aged 13 years and under:

80% said their cat helped them get on better with family and friends
81% said they would rather chat to their cat about their feelings, than to their mum, dad or a friend
87% of children regard their cat as a 'close friend'.

Another study surveyed 100 people aged 20 - 40 year olds and confirmed tolerance towards cats may exceed tolerance toward human relationships:

Nearly half of respondents enjoyed a better night's sleep with their cat on the bed than they did with their partner in the bed!
60% said they could put up with their cat's bad breath but not their partner's!
55% would tolerate their cat taking most of the bed covers at night but not their partner doing that!