Perhaps the dog is man’s best friend. It is an established truth, repeated so often that it has become an axiom. But for me, and for many others who share my quiet fellowship, the truth is different. My best friend is the cat’s.
In a society that often celebrates the outgoing, the obedient and the immediately measurable, the dog appears as the ideal reflection of our own ideals. It comes when you call, wags its tail for attention and submits to the hierarchy of the pack. The cat chooses a different path. It demands nothing, yet gives everything to the one who understands its nature. As a self-proclaimed cat man, it is time to highlight the cat’s true genius – both the earthly and the metaphysical.
Let us begin with what is directly observable. It is often claimed in popular psychology that dogs are more intelligent than cats because they can learn tricks and obey commands. But here obedience is confused with intelligence. Obedience is about adapting to another’s will; independent intelligence is about understanding and navigating one’s own world.
Through my own everyday observations, I have repeatedly seen cats demonstrate a situational awareness that surpasses that of most other domestic animals. I have seen cats stop at busy road junctions, sit patiently on the pavement and wait. They do not merely watch the cars; they observe patterns. They watch people. When the pedestrian crossing changes to the green man and the crowd of two-legged creatures begins to walk, the cat rises and purposefully crosses the tarmac.
This is not blind conditioning. It is advanced pattern recognition. The cat decodes human behaviour, the rhythm of traffic and the signals of its environment in order to safeguard its own safety. While the dog must often be kept on a lead to prevent it from rushing into the road after a ball, the cat navigates the urban jungle with a sovereign, independent logic.
But the cat’s intelligence extends beyond the purely practical. To understand why the cat surpasses people, we must move into what can best be described as a profound spiritual vocation, guided by an almost incomprehensible intuition. In ancient Greece, the term apotropaion was used for objects, symbols or rituals intended to avert evil, protect against misfortune and drive away negative forces. Medusa heads, amulets and sphinxes served as spiritual gatekeepers. The gargoyles on apartment buildings are another example of the cleansing of a house.
In modern times, we have rationalised away the need for such protectors, but the need for energetic and physical cleansing has not disappeared. This is where the cat steps into its historical, mystical and intuitive role.
The cat’s ability to sense its owner’s physical and mental condition borders on the clairvoyant, yet it is rooted in biological superpowers. With more than 200 million olfactory receptors, cats decode the body’s slightest chemical changes. They immediately detect when the balance has shifted.
Every cat man has experienced this intuitive care firsthand. When one is below par after a boozy weekend, and the stomach feels swollen and troublesome after the ravages of alcohol, the cat possesses its own radar for where the discomfort resides. It does not merely seek general affection; it purposefully navigates towards the problem area. A swollen and inflamed stomach emits subtle radiant heat and chemical signals that the cat detects. Like a living sphinx, it settles down precisely where the pain is greatest, with its paws elegantly tucked beneath it, ready to administer acute first aid.
This is the living apotropaion in practice. It positions itself strategically and functions as a sponge for the emotional and physical residues of both the surroundings and the body. It takes upon itself the task of absorbing the negative energies – or the evil spirits, if you will – and cleansing your organism from within.
To the distinctly rational reader, this may sound like pure mysticism. But what is fascinating about the cat is that modern science and biology often end up confirming what the ancient mystics instinctively knew, and what we cat owners experience on the sofa the morning after. The cat’s ability to neutralise human stress and physical discomfort has a direct, measurably therapeutic component: purring.
When the cat lies like a hot-water bottle upon your swollen stomach, this is almost always accompanied by a deep, vibrating purr. Research shows that a cat’s purr remains at a stable frequency between 20 and 140 Hz.
In the medical treatment of humans, this very frequency range is known to produce powerful physiological effects. Vibrations at these frequencies help lower blood pressure, reduce stress hormones, relieve pain and diminish inflammatory conditions in tissue.
When we experience the cat relieving the swollen stomach and drawing out the discomfort, this is precisely what is happening physiologically. The cat’s vibrations resonate with our own stressed and inflamed bodies. They stimulate the release of endorphins and neutralise the physical tensions we carry, leaving us calmer, lighter and more harmonious.
The unique bond between a cat man and his cat cannot be compared with any other form of animal companionship. A dog gives you its love unconditionally, almost regardless of how you treat it. That is touching, but it lacks the element of free choice that defines a genuine, equal friendship.
The cat cannot be owned. It cannot be compelled, nor can it be bribed into loyalty. If a cat chooses to assume the role of your personal healer, if it uses its finely tuned intuition to soothe your swollen stomach or sits at the foot of your bed night after night guarding your sleep, then it is because it has chosen you specifically. It is a declaration of trust that must be earned every single day through mutual respect and space.
The dog will always be man’s faithful servant, and it deserves every honour for that. But for those of us who seek a deeper, more nuanced form of companionship – a friendship that encompasses sharp everyday intelligence, biochemical intuition and an ancient spiritual protection – there is none above or beside the cat. It is not a servant. It is a sphinx, a guardian and a healer. And for me, and for my kindred spirits, it will always be our very best friend.