A year ago we had the opportunity to talk with Eva Aznar Morales to celebrate the tenth anniversary of La Gatotecathe first ‘cat cafe’ in Spain which, in addition to offering a cozy space where you can enjoy feline company, is distinguished by its commitment to adoption.
Since its opening, La Gatoteca has served as a model throughout the world to reinvent the concept of neko-cafés, combining leisure and social action in favor of cats in search of a home.
During that interview, Eva mentioned that she was working on a book about feline behavior, a project in collaboration with the therapist Raquel Rús Martínezpassionate about cats. That book is now a reality. Purrr is my cat like that? ? (Penguin Random House Publishing House) combines the knowledge of both offering a new perspective for understand the personality of cats and improve coexistence with them.
The book explores from the most common myths about cats to more complex aspects such as expectations before adoption, the different stages of a cat’s life, and the influence of personality on your daily behavior. From an innovative approach, they use the Enneagram to identify each cat with the aim of helping caregivers better understand their preferences, ways of relating and emotional needs and, above all, respect them.
What are some of the most common reasons, in your experience, why cats behave the way they do?Let’s say there are external and internal factors. The main ones would be stress, their personal history, their age, the environment they are in at that moment and their personality (which they are born with and which will not change).
What inspired you to write a book about the enneagram specifically for cats?Cats are greatly misunderstood and we, each with our experience and resources, have come to understand them with an important level of detail. It seemed necessary for both humans and felines, to improve their lives and their bond.
What myth do you consider to be the most harmful to cats?The myth that they need less care. It is something that directly affects their quality of life because people ask themselves fewer questions about what they should eat, what sand is the most suitable, how it affects them or not if you are not at home or you go on vacation… That there is no need to Taking them for a walk every day does not mean that they do not need you as their reference human, your affection, your gaze, your attention and that you try to understand them so that they have the best life possible.
The biggest mistake is to believe that if you know one cat, you already know them all. Can you imagine doing that with humans?
You mention that, in an ideal world, we should all go through a self-assessment before adopting a cat. What are some of the most common mistakes we make and how can they be avoided?Phew! There are many things we would like people to know. But it would be interesting, to begin with, not to get carried away by what the Internet says or by what someone who already has a cat has told you. For example, that adopting a small cat is better because they adapt sooner, or that if you have a male you should adopt a female or that a healthy cat will have fewer problems.
It is important to reflect on yourself, on your family, on what you can offer and what you want to receive. Furthermore, it would be great not to believe that you know about cats because you have already had one. We have a series of beliefs that make the lives of humans and felines much worse, some of which we talk about in the book.
You describe the experience of bringing a cat home as a ‘kidnapping’. What are the most important steps that can be taken to make the adjustment process as least stressful for both of you?When the cat arrives it has only one priority: seek safety. Some will take days and others months to find it, each cat is different. No matter how good your intention is when adopting, no matter how much you have bought good food, good sand and new toys, that is not enough.
You have to observe him to see where he feels comfortable interacting with you, whether it is with play, with caresses or with food (we call this “the trigger point” in the book). From there, it is about observing him, not overwhelming him, respecting his rhythms and, very importantly, keeping an open and positive mind. And if you think something is not going well, contact a behavioral expert, don’t let it go.
When the cat arrives it has only one priority: seek safety. Some will take days and others months
What advice do you have for someone who wants to understand and connect better with their cat, especially if they have had difficulties in the past?Each cat is unique, neither better nor worse, different. Many people believe that if they have problems with their cat they have to put up with it, which is what they have to do and that’s it. The reality is that there is usually a lot of background that could be discussed. It could be that the cat has an undiagnosed illness, that it has its traumas, that you have stress and you are affecting its well-being… it could be many things.
The priority here would be, you don’t have to hold on, you have to look for solutions and these exist. All of this is a job of observing your cat and yourself, understanding it, generating well-being in the home that facilitates a bond that can be one of the most beautiful of your life.
Are there any common mistakes that humans make when interacting with cats with different personalities?Believing that if you know one you know them all. Can you imagine doing that with humans? Well the same. Each individual is unique, and our proposal is that they can also fit within a type of personality, and if you know them you will be able to better attend to their specific needs and relate to them as they need and feel comfortable.
Approaching a cat with a dependent loving personality type for the first time is not the same as approaching one with a tender independent personality. The first is more receptive to a new person, the other, on the other hand, will take much more time to process that at first.
It is good to know that the emotional state of humans directly affects the animals in their environment.
What role does a human’s own personality play in their relationship with the cat or cats they live with?Lot. The ideal would be for the person to know their personality type or, at least, to know themselves, to know how to minimally manage their emotions, to have spent time looking inside themselves. Your personality will largely determine what you expect from your relationship with your cats, what makes you more or less comfortable. Furthermore, it is good to know that the emotional state of humans directly affects the animals in their environment. Sometimes nothing is actually wrong with the cat, it is just showing something that is happening at home.
Last question, who do you want to reach with this book or what type of owner or person living with cats does your book need?This book is for every human who has lived, lives or wants to live with a cat. The reality is that what we really would like is for each person who reads it to make it their own, for the system we offer to be applied to individuals and associations (the more the better) because we know that it will improve the lives of humans and felines. And also because it will help us open our hearts to beings from whom we have a lot to learn.
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