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 Euphoria
It
is hard to think of euphoria in cats
unless you have witnessed the effect of
catnip. Not all cats are susceptible to a
catnip high, but those that are exhibit a
sort of drugged euphoria due to its effect
on the brain.
Abstract
and Complex Emotions
At present, the more abstract emotions are
believed to be human only. However, what we define
as altruism, relief etc, may be our
rationalization of a emotion or a mixture of one
or more basic emotions.
When owners say their cats are jealous, they
are trying to rationalize a feline emotion into
human terms. Feline "jealousy" may be a
response to any number of stimuli - the cat
seeking to better its place in the household
hierarchy or an opportunist or stronger cat
competing for food or attention.
The cat does not rationalize it in terms of
"I am jealous of the other cat" or
"I covet what the other cat has"; its
feelings will be more along the line of "I am
stronger or fitter than the other cat, I deserve
to be dominant cat around here." Cats are not
as strictly hierarchical as dogs, but where
several cats live in a single household, they will
establish a pecking order.
Is kitty really being bloody-minded or mean (in
the American sense of mean-spirited, in Britain
"mean" means "miserly"!). Is
he really sulking or punishing you? If you have
been absent, your cat may take a while to become
re-accustomed to your presence - your return has
altered the hierarchy again and he is not certain
of its own position until the owner-cat (a sort of
cat-kitten) bond is re-established.
Is he punishing you? Very unlikely - that is a
human interpretation of the cat's actions.
Sulking? That may be as good a description as any
- he may avoid interacting with you until the
household has settled down into a pattern of
behavior again.
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