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rule 1) be kind

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submitted 4 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 days ago (2 children)

because with cats it’s always “what’s in it for me?”

My guess is that it's a resource-sharing thing.

To a cat, it makes sense that you shoo the cat off the table. Clearly you may want to use the table if you are there, so the cat should make way when you are around.
To a cat, it makes NO sense that you want the cat to NEVER use the table. If you're not using it right now, why shouldn't the cat use it?

So, I think:

A human believes that because they obtained an item, they have a right to forbid a cat from ever using it.
But a cat believes that they have the right to use any item in the house that is not currently being used by the human.

I gotta say, it' s not obvious that the human is right...

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 days ago (1 children)

A cat doesn’t know that it’s paws are probably not the cleanest things to put on the table where people eat.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 3 days ago

Just to play cat's advocate: if humans don't think the table is clean when they sit down to eat, they are welcome to wipe it down, to add placemats, or to cover the table between meals. All of these are minor inconveniences compared to the unrealistic expectation of denying cats access to one of the room's main furnishings when it is not in use.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 days ago

I agree with all your points except that a cat who sees you actually using the table will want to join in! For the attention mostly, but also to do stuff with you.