Cats don't like everyone.
Absolutely true. And that, for some strange reason, is seen as a problem. As if your cat had to be friendly to every person who enters the house. As if it had to socialize out of obligation.
But think about it: do you like everyone?
Do you let anyone caress you?
Do you feel like talking to everyone you meet?
Well, that's it.
The contradiction
The funny thing is that, in a person, that even looks normal.
“I have my circle,” “I don’t like physical contact,” “I’m more of an observer”…
And that's fine. But if a cat does it, then it's "unfriendly," "unfriendly," or "weird."
It seems that we are bothered when an animal acts like us…
The problem is not the cat
Cats have character. And judgment.
And since they don't pretend to be friendly, it's disconcerting.
In general, the contradiction arises because dogs do greet and are sociable with everyone. But just because a cat doesn't rush to receive cuddles from strangers doesn't mean it's not sociable. It means it chooses who it's with . And that's something we do all the time, too.
The truly curious thing about all this is that society considers the fact that a cat isn't friendly to everyone a flaw, when in that respect it displays a more typically human caution that dogs lack. Since in that respect they're more like us than dogs, it's a flaw. Really?
The impossible standard
We live surrounded by messages that reward immediate sympathy, constant kindness, and the "you have to be liked."
And we project that onto our animals.
If a dog greets everyone, we celebrate it. If a cat doesn't, we criticize it.
But why do you have to like everyone? And why should your cat?
Spoiler: you don't have to .
Neither you, nor him.