Cat looking in a mirror

What Is Mirroring Behavior And Why Does My Cat Do It?

Written by on in Behavior

For many of us, the past few months in quarantine have meant working, learning, and socializing from home. For better or worse, everything is happening remotely these days, and if you’re a cat mom or dad, the silver lining here has been this: more time with our cat children. However, this can make the “work” part of “work from home” a little bit difficult. Why? If there’s one thing cats are good at, it’s getting into our business, whatever it is. Yes, all the countless hours spent trying to coax Mittens off the keyboard are half the battle of a stay-at-home life. Trying to plead, beg, and bargain with our fuzzy coworkers to please just give us a little bit of space is part of our jobs as cat parents. Even as I type this from the comfort of my bed, I have my cat, Marzipan, to the left of me, offering her creative input on everything I write. But why do cats do this? What’s the science behind it, and what does that mean for our relationships with them? 

Rhythm And Routine

Person sitting on couch using a laptop while a cat crawls onto the couch

Cats are creatures of routine. They are extremely territorial, and take solace in set schedules and predictability. This helps them to feel content and sets the foundation for encouraging them to thrive emotionally. This isn’t to say that the slightest upset in a routine will have your cat spiraling, but in general, a cat who understands her surroundings will feel more comfortable and confident. For many of us, our routines have been disrupted by the pandemic, and this has left us wanting for a new way to reach our goals. Where once we left the house for work at 9 AM, we’re now calling-in instead from the comfort of our kitchen tables. New routines call for new habits, and your cat needs to adjust to these changes just as much as you do.

Mirror, Mirror

Kitten looking at itself in the reflection of a window

Okay, so our cats are getting used to this new way of life just as much as we are, but that doesn’t necessarily explain why they follow us around and try to be involved in everything we do. Right? Kind of. It’s not just enough for cats to know what’s going to happen and when. They want to be part of the action! Contrary to popular belief, cats are indeed social creatures, and believe it or not, they do enjoy spending time with us. So much so, in fact, that they match their routines to ours on purpose! Do you have a cat who follows you to the bathroom? Or maybe a cat who prefers to eat her breakfast at the same time as you? Maybe you have a cat who likes to take part in your daily prayer routine, so you got him his own prayer mat? (We love a spiritual kitty.) Well, if any of these sound familiar, then take great joy in knowing that your cat really loves you, because you make her feel safe!

Kitties In Quarantine

cat sitting in person's lap while the person is using a laptop

Now more than ever, we’re seeing more and more examples of cats mirroring their owners behavior. More time spent with our fur babies means more opportunities to soak up some sweet feline bonding time! As I said, for all things there’s always a silver lining. A perfect example of cats participating in their owners daily tasks is one of Rocco, the orange tabby assistant to one of the ministers of the United Kingdom’s parliament, John Nicolson. You needn’t dive too deeply to see many other examples of kitties who are mirroring their owners caught on camera, all thanks to all the Zoom meetings and online classrooms.

Never let it be said, then, that cats are snobby and aloof. They’re anything but! So next time your baby traipses across your keyboard and sends a six-page email of nonsense to all your coworkers, remember that she’s doing her best to be your at-home office assistant. It’s a job that is new to her right now, but she’s a dedicated helper, and she’s learning from the best – you!

 

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Diomira Keane studied Illustration at Moore College of Art and Design for a year and a half before realizing she was broke as a joke and forfeited continuing her education (sigh) for a life in the coal mines. She now works as a freelance artist and writer, and provides entertainment for children's parties portraying beloved fairy tale princesses for dinner scraps. In her free time she likes to gallivant around her living quarters in her pajamas, often trying to hide one of her cats under her shirt to pretend like she's pregnant with a cat baby. She currently lives in Philadelphia and in fact has two cats, Lula and Marzipan, but is hoping to acquire about 300 more.

2 Comments

  1. That was a great article. Understanding my cat helps me understand myself better and also the social world .

  2. This was a really great article. I’m typically a dog person but have been interested in cat’s lately and this gave me a really good understanding of them. thank you!

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