Ah yeah! Stopped by my favourite charity shop today only to stumble upon this beaut in the section with English YA books (because vampires equal YA as we all know…) Of course I couldn’t leave it behind. I am dying at this graphic design. Amazing, incredible. (It’s The Vampire Lestat btw in case that wasn’t obvious from the wolf and Notre Dame lol)
I feel like the reason certain dog-lovers insist cats are evil is because they read their body language as if they were dogs. So here’s a very basic guide to common “mean” things cats do that actually aren’t mean at all if you know what they’re thinking.
Rolling and exposing belly- attacks you when touched Does not mean: Give belly rubs! – haha I tricked you! Actually means: I’m playful! If you reach for my belly I’ll grab your arm and bite it because I think we’re playfighting!
Lazily exposing belly – still attacks when touched Does not mean: tricked you again! Actually means: I’m showing you my belly because I trust you. Please don’t break that trust by invading my personal space. I might accept a belly rub if I’m not ticklish and I know you well.
Snapping at you while being pet Does not mean: I suddenly decided I dislike you! Actually means: You’re petting me in a way that gives me too much restless energy. Please focus on petting my head and shoulders instead of stroking the full length of my back next time.
Is in the same room but makes no attempt to interact Does not mean: I’m ignoring you Actually means: We’re hanging out! I’m being respectful by giving you space while still enjoying your company.
Slapping/scratching your hand when you try to pet them Does not mean: I hate you! Actually means: You’ve failed to establish that we’re not playing, or the way you’re approaching me scares me. Be calmer, speak more gently, make eye-contact and blink slowly at me before you try again.
I’m sorry but if I need a pamphlet to understand cats, I don’t want them
Would say the same about a human? Doubt it.
My dad always says “cats are just humans too” and that actually a really good thing to keep in mind. No, cats aren’t human but they have preferences and wishes that they can’t communicate to us using words so they use actions.
It’s no different to a person trying to communicate their own needs but not knowing how to phrase them.
If we make an effort to understand, we’re rewarded with trust and love.
Somebody said Humans would be the Mad Scientist species to aliens- like, aliens watch Back To The Future, and they see Doc Brown, and they think yes this is a human scientist, they’re all that crazy, these humans do such insane things with science.
I would like to offer an alternative.
Humans are tough. We can shrug off plenty of injuries, and we recover pretty fast from most others. Hell, we find minor injuries amusing (Don’t tell me you’ve never laughed at someone getting hit in the balls).
Humans have a skewed sense of danger. We think baby anything is cute- tigers, lions, alligators, whatever, no matter how scary they grow up to be- and even then there’s people that would happily cuddle up to a grizzly. Even less adventurous humans keep vermin as pets, or snakes, or dogs, that apex predator sub-species we made.
We are fascinated by morbid and scary stuff. We have a whole genre designed to terrify people. Tons of fantasy revolves around deadly monsters, plenty of which involve romance with said monsters. Lots of grim dystopias in sci-fi. Even children’s stories involve grandmothers getting eaten or witches getting cooked in their own oven.
And if you’re on this site, you know all the jokes we make about depression or social anxiety, or joking about wanting to die.
Just wanted to give a shout-out to fanfiction writers out there. My job is pretty stressful sometimes, and y’know, after a tough meeting, there are times I come back to my desk and get excited cuz one of favorite stories got updated.
Or I stop and think, “Hey! That cool story updates on Saturday!” and it’s Thursday. Little things like that are quick pick-me-ups, so thanks for sharing your awesome talent and stories with us!
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