OpenTube

Why Are Cats Not Afraid of Humans

Murph

185,578 views

Your cat outweighs you by 20x less than you outweigh it, yet it never flinches. Why? Turns out humans never actually domesticated cats — not the way we did dogs, horses, or cattle. In this video, we dig into the archaeology, genetics, and neuroscience behind one of nature's strangest relationships: 9,500-year-old cat burials in Cyprus, Belyaev's fox experiment, feline pheromone marking, the "kitten cry" hidden in your cat's purr, oxytocin studies comparing cats and dogs, and even how a brain parasite may have made humans more tolerant of felines. By the end, you'll understand why your cat isn't submitting to you — it's just tolerating you.

Topics covered:

The Shillourokambos cat burial (7500 BCE)
Why cats show almost none of the physical signs of domestication
The hidden "infant cry" frequency inside a cat's purr
Feline pheromones and why cats rub against your legs
Oxytocin levels: dogs vs. cats
Toxoplasma gondii and human behavior
Ancient Egypt's cat worship
Marion Island's feral cat population explosion
Why cats never evolved a submissive posture

If you've ever wondered what's really going on inside your cat's head, this one will change how you see your pet forever.

Like, subscribe, and drop a comment: does your cat "listen" to you or just tolerate you?

20 Comments

@JaimeSimmons-b6g 2 weeks ago

Years ago, my cat would summons me to attend to my infant son. More over, she would look back to see if I was still coming as she led the way. Clearly, I did not have her level of intellectual processing.

@solomonssmarterbrother1826 2 weeks ago

They aren't afraid of you because they know you and you have entered the friend zone. Try to go out and approach a street cat and see how close you get. It's not because they're a cat; It's because you are a known quantity.

@A_Blip_In_The_Universe 3 weeks ago (edited)

TLDR -- Domestic Cats own us humans and have us wrapped around their paw and they know it.

Edit to add a story.... a roommate's cat sat outside my bedroom door meowing till I opened it, then made sure I followed them to the living room. If I stopped or they got to far ahead of me they would back track and meow at my feet until i was walking in the direction they wanted. Hopped on a chair with footstool in front of it, still meowing at me. As I got close they hopped onto the footstool so I could sit down and laid down on the footstool and more or less assumed the brushing position. It had basically summoned me so I could brush them lol.

@aeroferret 2 weeks ago

I adopted two young feral cats that lived on an island abandoned by humans after a hurricane…
Cat #1 has the friendliest personality from day one.
Cat # 2 wanted nothing to do with me & ran out of any room I entered.
For 8 months, I joked I only had one cat…I completely ignored #2, and didn’t pursue her for anything.
8 months later, she jumped up on the couch next to me. 7 years later, she is still stuck to my side like glue.

@randalmiller7952 2 weeks ago

Cats have something going on deeper than they get credit for. You know this is true when they bond with you.

@Kaowyn 2 weeks ago

Just like another commentator, my cat would insist that I attended to my baby the moment he woke up and cried. I remember once I was being too slow about this for her liking and my tiny female Burmese cat runt who never bit or scratched scooted down the bottom of the bed and bit me on my Achilles heel, hard, to get me moving. She adored both my infant sons. You could not get her out of their cots and she would insist on lying next to them in their arms as they had their nappies changed. She was the best.

@timsullivan4566 2 weeks ago (edited)

"...it is greeting a large, clumsy, scent-deficient room companion"
I guess they have us pegged pretty accurately! 🤣🤣🤣

@Dragonsnack73 2 weeks ago

i am pretty sure my cat domesticated and trained me. I am so lucky I am allowed to live in her presence.

@heartland96a 2 weeks ago

The sound that makes All cat owners move is not the underlying baby sound , ITs the Throwing up sound any time of day even more in the night

@marktisdale7935 2 weeks ago

The best way to example the difference between how dogs and cats look at humans is simple. Dogs look at us and say to themselves they feed me, shelter me, and love me, they must be god. Cats on the other hand say to themselves they feed me, shelter me, and love me, I must be god.

@ErnieMathews 2 weeks ago

Dogs have owners, cats have staff. My cat helped me through 2 deaths in 3 weeks, I await her next command.

@professorroundbottom438 2 weeks ago

Every person who has ever shared a bond with a cat knows that cats are emotionally capable and complex. If they like you, they do offer affection and not just tolerance.

@RobertHouse101 2 weeks ago

True, but if a kitten isn't handled by humans early enough, it becomes feral, terrified of humans.

@ginnyjollykidd 2 weeks ago

I regret nothing about being played by a cat (or 20).

@veganconservative1109 2 weeks ago

They are not afraid of us because they know they are cute and therefore have an immense advantage.

@briandonovan9091 2 weeks ago (edited)

Cats are socially as intelligent as humans.
Cats socialised humans.
Egyptians worshiped them.
Cats noticed humans have a lot of rats in their grain storage and offered to help.
Humans are so lucky cats loved us.
My cat ran to me, followed me on my paper route and missed me when I went to college.

@lhm6649 2 weeks ago

Kittens are afraid of humans until they learn that we are not a threat.

@serfranklin6022 2 weeks ago

Well, to be fair there are cats that need to get to know you first before allowing you close. But yeah, overall, once they get used to humans, they're pretty chill most times

@Taco4CaT 4 days ago

If cats had their big eyes and sweet little meows but looked like mole rats, we would not be fawning over them as much as we do. Cats are insanely GORGEOUS … so of course, we humans are obsessed with them. Cats are literally the most beautiful mammal on earth. 🐈‍⬛ 🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛

@andrewstrongman305 2 weeks ago

Ah, but indoor cats bond more than free-range cats. They don't really experience love as adults in the wild, but as essential members of a human family, they respond to consistent interaction, respect, and periodic interaction. When not hungry, cold, or feeling insecure, a cat that curls up within arms reach, or follows you like a shadow explicitly demonstrates what in human terms would best be described as a deep love.