Compared with the research on dogs,
the research on cats is approximately 15 years behind.
First of all, you need to become friends with the kitty.
It's important that the cat trusts you completely.
The cat shouldn't expect any surprises from you.
Cats are sensitive animals.
People who do not like cats often say
that they don't understand what cats are thinking.
If you look at a cat, at their eyes, their ears,
the way they are wagging their tails, if you observe them,
you can start understanding how a cat feels.
Movements of the tail have various meanings.
When a dog is wagging his tail, people say that it is happy.
That's not the case for a cat.
When I come home, and a cat is coming towards me,
holding its tail straight up, it is in a good mood.
It's saying, "Welcome home. Where have you been? I missed you."
When its tail is fluffed up, that is true fear!
A cat has 20 different sounds
to express its emotions.
Cats that live with humans meow a lot.
When a cat meows loudly and clearly once,
it often means that the cat is demanding something.
"I'm hungry, but there's no food in my bowl."
"I want water," or, "Please open this door."
When a cat makes sounds with its throat,
it's feeling really great…
…a little bit enchanted or mesmerized.
That is the sound it makes.
Not every cat can do special tricks.
You must observe the cat to understand what she is capable of
and teach them things based on their strengths.
It's like with humans. Some are great at computers.
Some can be great ballerinas.
You wouldn't teach computers to a ballerina.
Dogs see their owners as gods.
But cats think of themselves as gods.
Cats don't want to do what they don't like.
They want to sleep when they want to sleep,
eat when they want to eat, play when they want to play.
I realized that we can observe different behaviors
in cats in the US and the ones in Japan.
In Japan, cats have a hard time with unfamiliar places.
However, cats I saw in the US…
…act normal even in unfamiliar places.
So Japanese and American cats might have different personalities.
I realized that our cultural differences affect cats.
Japan is an island nation.
Most cat owners keep their cats completely indoors.
People in Japan rarely have a party at home.
Therefore, for cats in Japan, the frequency of meeting strangers
is much less than for cats in the US.
These might be factors contributing to the differences between cats in Japan
and cats in the US.
Cats love their owners very much.
I believe that my cats definitely love me.
There is still so much we don't know about cats.
The future will bring more discoveries bit by bit.
I can't imagine my life without cats.
They are my animals. I feel them.
And I hope they love me as much as I love them.