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Japanese cat book explains how cats see their human owners, and it’s not as objects of respect

Casey Baseel Aug 20, 2019
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Cats are apparently disappointed in us, and for some there’s a pretty understandable reason.

Given how much of a soft spot Japan has for cute things, it makes sense that the country would be particularly fond of cats. But as one psychologist recently theorized, it’s not just their adorable good looks that draw Japanese people to felines, but also that cats can be thought of as tsundere, one of Japan’s most popular anime character archetypes.

But what if we flipped things around, examined the relationship from the opposite direction, and asked how cats see their owners? An answer can be found in a picture book that Japanese parent and Twitter user @musasa_vi’s 7-year-old child was recently reading, titled Neko no Zukan/An Illustrated Cat Reference Book.

7歳子が読んでいた『ねこのずかん』に良いことが書いてありました。 pic.twitter.com/Qt2UgOrsLQ

— ガトーフヱスタむささび (@musasa_vi) August 18, 2019

Underneath that illustration of the slightly disappointed-looking cat, the text reads:

“Cats think of their owners as ‘big cats who can’t do anything for themselves.’”

At first, that might seem like an unduly harsh judgement, considering that human owners lovingly provide food and other essentials for their beloved pet kitties. But when was the last time you demonstrated that you could catch and kill a mouse or bird, properly groom yourself with your tongue, or otherwise displayed any of the standard life skills cats acquire in the course of growing from kittens into adults? From the cat’s perspective, really the only thing humans have got going for them is their size, but it takes more than height to be a successful grown-up, and so obviously they’re going to be unsatisfied with our progress towards maturity.

▼ “As usual, spending time on the Internet instead of hunting, I see.”

Other Twitter commenters who could see the logic in the book’s revelation responded to @musasa_vi’s tweet with:

“I’ve heard that theory before, but hearing it again, and put so bluntly, is depressing…but I also kind of have to agree with cats’ opinion of us.”
“’Do my humans take care of me? No, I take care of them.’”
“So that’s why cats always have that complex, thoughtful expression on their faces when they look at us.”
“My boss often plays with a stray cat that hangs out around the office. One morning, the receptionist found that it had left a cleanly killed mole outside the office’s front door…like it was saying ‘You haven’t been eating right, have you? Here, eat this and get some protein.’”

For feline fans, being thought of as untalented and hopelessly ineffectual by their beloved kitties can definitely be disheartening. However, one commenter responded with “So my cat thinks I’m a cat too? That makes me really happy,” because it’s nice to be thought as being part of the same team, even if you’re not the star member.

Related: Neko no Zukan on Amazon Japan
Source: Twitter/@musasa_vi via Jin
Top image: Pakutaso
Insert image: Pakutaso
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