Cats are incapable of feeling guilt.

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Just saying. . . .

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Type: Discussion • Score: 18 • Views: 5,088 • Replies: 91

[+4] - Irishk - 12/04/2010[img]http://icanhascheezburger.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/funny-pictures-cat-wants-immunity-before-he-talks.jpg[/img]
[+3] - roger - 12/03/2010Yeah, and I never said they didn't know where they weren't supposed to go and what they weren't supposed to do. They're very much aware. They gloat. They brag. If you holler at them they glare at...
[+3] - Eva - 12/03/2010[quote="roger"] Yeah, and I never said they didn't know where they weren't supposed to go and what they weren't supposed to do. They're very much aware. They gloat. They brag. If you...
[+3] - roger - 12/27/2010Of course not. That thing in the picture is a mouse. Roger is the Ship's Rat.

@roger,

roger wrote:

Just saying. . . .

When you feel anything you cannot conceive of, what are you feeling???

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This was not supposed to be news, was it?

1 Reply

@roger,

roger wrote:

Cats are incapable of feeling guilt.

Sorry, but I absolutely disagree with you on this point.

We had a cat that had a urinary tract infection for a while, and had a few accidents by dribbling a bit of urine of the floor in a few spots.

This was a cat that was always used to being clean.

After the incident, when all was cleaned up, he would still go back to the spots where the accidents occurred. His body language and behaviour said it all.

So, cats can feel bad / guilty depending on the circumstances.

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@Reyn,

Quote:

After the incident, when all was cleaned up, he would still go back to the spots where the accidents occurred. His body language and behaviour said it all.

What did his body language say, exactly?

1 Reply

@InfraBlue,

His body language and behaviour was such that he acted very sheepish and skittish, which was totally out of character. He obviously thought we were angry at him, which we were not.

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@Setanta,

You beat me to it.

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@roger,

Quote:

Just saying. . . .

Now that you mention it, Ive noticed that, too, roger.
But mine can certainly make me feel guilty!
Like if I buy the wrong brand of cat food (only the best will do!), or if I arrive home a bit later than expected ...
And her response to the one & only time I left her in a (quite salubrious, I thought) cat boarding establishment, so's I could take a little holiday ....
Let's just say it'll never, ever happen again!

1 Reply

@msolga,

msolga wrote:

Quote:
Just saying. . . .

Now that you mention it, Ive noticed that, too, roger.

Surely, Olga, you're not buying into this?

The kitty that I mentioned above (Kory) had a most refined sense of guilt. He knew where he was and was not allowed to be! For example, the kitchen counters and table.

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@Reyn,

Which was exactly where he headed, the minute your back was turned, right? (Cats are so predictable!) Very Happy

And of course I'm buying into this Reyn!
I reckon our cats have all done Advanced Guilt Inducement in Your Owner courses!
To make us feel guilty instead of them!

1 Reply

@msolga,

Yeah, and I never said they didn't know where they weren't supposed to go and what they weren't supposed to do. They're very much aware. They gloat. They brag. If you holler at them they glare at you.

Except yours, of course, Reyn.

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no spirit is incapable of anything.. cats do only absorb to the point of becoming an abomination, but id say the spirit has a habitual manner of firm disregaurd towards the effects of thier actions, hence thier incarnation as cat

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@roger,

Do you ever wonder, roger, whether Reyn & Mrs Reyn might have superior cat training abilities to the likes of you & me?

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@roger,

roger wrote:

Yeah, and I never said they didn't know where they weren't supposed to go and what they weren't supposed to do. They're very much aware. They gloat. They brag. If you holler at them they glare at you.

Except yours, of course, Reyn.

Mine know exactly what they're not supposed to do, and when I catch them doing it anyway and holler at them, their expressions plainly say, "Yikes! I got caught! Run away, run away! Don't let her catch me!" They head straight for under the king-sized bed.

Guilty? Not a bit. Upset they got caught? You bet. Afraid of me when I'm angry? Of course. After all, cats are smart.

1 Reply

@Reyn,

roger wrote:

Cats are incapable of feeling guilt.

Reyn wrote:

Sorry, but I absolutely disagree with you on this point.

We had a cat that had a urinary tract infection for a while,
and had a few accidents by dribbling a bit of urine of the floor in a few spots.

This was a cat that was always used to being clean.

After the incident, when all was cleaned up, he would still
go back to the spots where the accidents occurred.
His body language and behaviour said it all.

So, cats can feel bad / guilty depending on the circumstances.

YES, and the looks on their faces sometimes betray their overt guilt.

David

1 Reply

@msolga,

Cats? Trained? Yeah, right.

Laughing

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@Eva,

You've nailed it, except for the fear. Nerm, whose tail just passed the monitor is fearless, at least in the house. Maybe run five steps, turn around and glare, but not the least bit fearful. I might be doing something wrong, here.

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@OmSigDAVID,

David, do you know anything about cats? Sounds like you got your knowledge from a Walt Disney cartoon.

1 Reply

@roger,

Quote:

Cats? Trained? Yeah, right.

You know, you might have a point there, roger. (apart from Reyn's cat, which sounds kinda more responsive to them, than ours do to us ...)

Which makes me wonder ...

Why, exactly, do we keep these smug, uppity critters around, anyway?

I mean, are we masochists or something?

Why do we love, no adore, these insensitive, willful bullies, anyway? Confused

1 Reply

@msolga,

I keep my guys around because they mostly tolerate me - most of the time.

2 Replies

Cats are incapable of feeling guilt.

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