July 24, 2020Characteristics of the breed of cats: Abyssinian cats

What cats want?

What do our cats want? To answer this question, we have to guess and analyze each type of cat under different conditions because of the cats themselves cannot give us direct answers:

• Each type of cat as a whole.
• Eeach cat individually in its house.

As we know, cats have a strong individual character and each cat is a personality.

Cats can be very different, from calm and shy to cheeky and demanding. Many factors influence character formation, including heredity, life experience, and the environment.

 What do we mean by, "wanting”?

 This problem can be solved on several levels. First, we are talking about the basic needs of daily life, such as sleep and food.

We can also speak of more “complex” definitions, in the sense that we do when we ask children what they would like to eat? We hardly expect to hear the answer: “a plate of soup” — that would be something more “a lot, a lot of chocolate” — desire is above need and does not always correspond to what is really useful and necessary for children.

Cats definitely need food, but they can also want smoked salmon if they have a choice.

They need shelter, but they can get the most comfortable place in the house, a chair by the fireplace.

 And while science can identify needs, wants are more complex. There is however something that you can confidently put in the cat's wish basket.

Specialists concerned with animal welfare and studying their needs at the most basic level has formulated what is called the “five freedoms.”

It all started with the observation of farm animals, whose whole life depends entirely on humans — the animals themselves is not independent, they do not have the opportunity to choose a way of life themselves. The same goes for pets, and the way we keep them. I will formulate these “five freedoms.”

1. Be freed from hunger and thirst because they have access of fresh food and water to keep them healthy and active;
2. Lack of discomfort — after all, they have optimal living conditions, shelter and a place to sleep and rest;
3. Freedom from pain, injury and illness through preventive measures or timely diagnosis and treatment.
4. Freedom to manifest natural behavior, which is achieved by providing sufficient space, suitable conditions and favorable facilities, and a society of its kind.
5. The absence of fear and stress is ensured by appropriate care and appropriate conditions and relationships to avoid mental suffering.

These five factors can be identified as “needs” and placed at one end of the scale. With them it is very convenient to start a conversation about what cats want, then you can add something that goes beyond the minimum of the program!