Do you think your cat watches you change clothes assuming you shed skin regularly?

My cat tries cleaning my shirt sleeves along with my actual arms.

  • southsamurai@sh.itjust.works
    25·
    11 months ago

    Nah, I think they usually understand clothes.

    Think about it, they’ll gladly crawl under blankets and such for extra warmth/comfort. They understand the basic idea that things that are like fabric keep you warmer.

    I think them watching us is more about the entertaining motions we make more than any kind of confusion about what we’re doing it.

    Besides, I’ve had cats that would find a recently “shed” skin and drag it into their bed and curl up with it. Dogs too, but that’s a different subject. That points to them knowing that the fabric is a separate thing from us. They don’t typically go and drag snake skins over themselves to get extra insulation. Nor loose feathers.

    But you’re right, they’ll treat clothes as being worthy of cleaning when on us, so I also doubt they fully understand exactly what the deal is. It’s just that I doubt they think they’re part of our body.

  • Jay@lemmy.caEnglish
    21·
    11 months ago

    One of my cats keeps trying to eat the buttons off my shirts, so… I hope not?

  • ryannathans@aussie.zone
    13·
    11 months ago

    Mine understands no claws or teeth on skin, but on thick clothing is not a problem. Never get scratched, never tries to lick my clothing. So no I don’t think so

  • livus@kbin.social
    9·
    11 months ago

    I don’t think so.

    • both skin and clothes should be regularly washed

    • grooming fulfils a social function so the important part is carried out even if the grooming itself is ineffectual

    • cats happily appropriate discarded clothing and sleep on it

  • skip0110@lemm.eeEnglish
    5·
    11 months ago

    I have no idea what cats think, but when talking to them I refer to clothes as “fur,” so I guess I’m assuming they don’t know the difference.