Sep 18th, 2026 Friday Rainy
Is it easier to understand someone who seems similar to you, or someone who seems completely different?
Most people would choose the former, without a doubt, but I beg to differ.
If the person in question in both cases is a new acquaintance, then in theory, it takes the same amount of effort to comprehend him/her regardless. When you meet someone that looks/feels similar, you likely project your own preferences and knowledge onto this person, and conclude s/he is easier to decipher – “I think this way, so s/he must be as well”. However, that is all based on assumption, and probably incorrect or incomplete.
In contrast, we usually hesitate to apply our own conception onto someone completely unlike us. In addition, we would naturally allocate more attention because we are trying to learn something new. As a result, we listen more actively, and often end up forming a more accurate picture.
Having the pleasure of living closely with another species provides ample opportunity for this latter observation.
I consider myself reasonably well-read when it comes to feline behavior. Nevertheless, a bizarre habit of both Yuuki and Sesame still gets me scratch my head.
They LOVE crunchy things.
Sesame is particularly fond of green leafy vegetables – cabbage, lettuce, bok choy – to the extent that a piece of fresh lettuce leaf would lure him out of his hiding place when everything else fails, including the high-protein cat treats. He would also sit beside me with longing eyes as I prepare greens for dinner, waiting for his share of the salad 😀 Watching him gobble it down and licking his lips always brings me laughter.
Yuuki, on the other hand, has a constant urge to chew on cardboard. The kitty castle that we have built for them has been painstakingly remodeled by her, with windows enlarged five folds, and we deliberately leave out shipping boxes for her to sleep in and munch on. At first I worried that such snacks are unhealthy, until I caught her tearing and spitting out morsels of paper with great enthusiasm. At the same time, it is almost part of her morning routine to steal some oats from my husband’s breakfast, and occasionally my cereal became a suitable substitute as well. Evidently, she is perfectly capable of telling the distinction between food for consumption and the cat-version of chewing gum 😀
So how should I make out of this quirk?
It can not be written in their genes to look for these things mostly associated with domestic life. Instead, they must have similar needs that in the wild, would be satisfied by something else.
After some research, I determine that the attraction of crunchy things can be traced to their eating grass for the sake of exercising their teeth and helping with digestion. Having never inhabited the outside world, they search for whatever makes sense in their environment and figure out a solution themselves.
I have to admire such ingenuity, even if it means the necessity to vacuum the house every other day.