S ~ S

Spend the time browsing online what there is to read about the subject of cats, specifically using search terms like, “Cats are not pack animals.” Then, think upon what’s said about Asperger’s Syndrome.¹

It’s interesting to see how much cats are loved and are so popular, but yet Aspergers is not. The more you read about cats not being pack animals, the more difficult it seems to not notice the correlation between cats being like Aspies and dogs being like neurotypicals.

In the article Understanding Your Cat’s Social Nature and Behavior by Perfect Paws, the author sums up the real reason why NTs find Aspies confusing. Even though nothing about Aspergers exists in the writing, when every mention of cats is replaced with Aspergers instead, quite a different perspective is given than what psychologists give about Aspies! (I’ve bracketed the replacements and abridged some thoughts. For those who don’t know, NTs are neurotypicals.)

If you’re not up to reading the whole article by Perfect Paws, then here’s the key ingredient from it:

Social animals [NTs] have a difficult time understanding and accepting a different social structure. When we [NTs] automatically think something is wrong with the cat [the Aspie], we are superimposing on the cat [the Aspie] our [NTs] standards for “happiness.”

Even though the article The Social Nature of Cats from Best Friends Pet Care is another insightful source to use for explaining the social nature of Aspies, caution needs to be exercised when reading, “Cats [Aspies] are somewhat selfish creatures.” Just because a creature [a cat and/or Aspie] is not a ‘pack’ animal by nature, doesn’t like to be pressured to comply with or obey the will of others, and prefers to rule his own life, is no reason to label it as selfish. Equally as much as a person might perceive a cat as being selfish, the cat can think the same about that person. The next statement is accurate:

It may, then, seem somewhat difficult to train a cat [Aspie] and, in fact, most cats [Aspies] will only respond to training if what you are trying to get them to do is appealing to them.

It’s funny how the good quality about not being a pack animal is referred to as peculiar:

There is something peculiar about their behavior: they will go to great lengths to avoid confrontation with other cats [Aspies don't like to fight if they can avoid it]. There is no need among cats [Aspies] to establish dominance because, as already mentioned, they are not pack animals and therefore do not need to fight to set up a hierarchy. Most cats [Aspies] prefer to avoid each other [especially NTs!] in an effort to avoid any possible reason for confrontation. The only time they will fight will be to protect their territory, but not any further. And even when this happens, it is mostly only a spectacle of threats rather than an actual physical fight.

Enough said from Best Friends Pet Care. Here’s a piece from Marshall in Askville:

Unlike dogs [NTs], cats [Aspies] are not “pack” animals whose greatest desire is to befriend or please one another or humans. Cats [Aspies], by nature, are “independent”, and their interactions with each other or humans is simply based upon the nature of their individual personalities–just as human interactions are. Some cats [Aspies] are very friendly and welcoming to other cats and/or humans, and others are not (feeling that the attention may be taken away from THEM or some such)–just as some humans are people-oriented and others are loners by nature, or some are friendly and others are mean.

You just were very “lucky” with your first cats! MY current two cats are SISTERS, and tolerate each other (occasionally even cuddling together)–but I wouldn’t call them “bosom buddies”. They also are both bonded strictly to ME, and won’t let other humans near them.

Just LOVE your cats [Aspies] for whatever personalities they possess, just as you would [NTs or] your own children!

Since the last reference I’m about to use from Messy Beast comes from two long pages — Are Dogs More Faithful than Cats? — Are Cats Really Unsociable? — the interesting tidbits I’m plucking out will be harder to detect:

Cats [Aspies] do not have a sense of their rank in a pack and do not consider that it is your birthright to bully them into faithfulness. A mistreated cat [Aspie] will leave if it can. A mistreated dog [a NT] will often come back for more because it learns that its place in the human pack is the pariah position. Unlike dogs, cats have no vested interest in staying in a pack.

The biggest difference is that dogs [NTs] are obedient (faithful) to their pack-leader by nature, but a cat’s [Apie's] faithfulness must be earned and can’t be bullied into it. Once you have taken time to earn [an Aspie's or] your cat’s affection and devotion, you will find it just as faithful, or more so, than a dog [a NT].

Mostly it seems that the ‘experts’ are judging feline [Aspie] sociability by comparing them to dogs [NTs]. Cats [Aspies] are frequently labelled “standoffish”, “solitary”, “asocial” or “unsociable” suggesting that they just don’t like company. This supposed aloofness appeals to some people, but not to others. Feline [Aspie] “aloofness” can create or contribute to anti-cat [anti-Aspie] feeling.

With all this said, one last thought needs mentioning. Aspies are no where near as distinguishable in a crowd of people as cats are from dogs. Aspies who have developed a very good talent for masking their Aspieness can fool even most other Aspies. Just because Aspies and NTs are both human, each can still have a different brain structure and be equally free from disorder.

¹I know Kathy Hoopman wrote a book called All Cats Have Asperger Syndrome. I haven’t seen it yet, but I will eventually since my curiosity won’t allow otherwise.