I had a thought the other day about why cats have a bad reputation and our societies lack of understanding about consent and self awareness [a thread]...

Many people don't like cats. Their reasoning is often because a cat maybe hissed or scratched at them when they were trying to pet them. Or maybe they ran away when someone was trying to play with them. They compare that to dogs that let you pet, play, touch easily

The thing is...cats are very independent and protect their bodies/space. You don't get to touch them or play with them just cuz u feel like it. They have to consent. They have to trust you and also be in the mood. People don't like that.

We aren't taught from a young age to read energy/body language. We aren't taught about consent and to consider if someone or something WANTS us to touch or have physical access. So cats have a bad reputation because of the way they react to people touching them without consent..

The amount of people who I've allowed in my space to meet my cats who have this preconceived notion that all cats are evil and gonna attack them, just needed a lesson on how to understand the way cats show their consent. No one has been attacked/injured/scratched

All this to say maybe there are some helpful ways we can teach children and those around us about consent and energy awareness through cats and animals so that they grow up to be sensitive to humans in the same way.