FabSwingers.com forum: stockholm syndrome

By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago

I recently took in two cats from the rspca centre, both are disabled so have to be house cats.

They're both only a year old now and I've had them since they were 6 months. One has always been loving but the other was abused so was very wary of people until recently when he suddenly started coming for fuss. Its lovely but I'm wondering if he's just developed Stockholm syndrome and is merely loving his captor

By *icecouple561Couple
Forum Mod
over a year ago

East Sussex

We always have rescue cats and the most recent one we had was treated badly, it's taken him about 7 years to actually sit in the same room as us, he's never sat on our lap and only recently got on our bed while we were in it, he's still very wary of men too. I don't think yours has Stockholm Syndrome I think he's learned very quickly that you're kind.

By *iamondsmiles.Woman
over a year ago

little house on the praire

Trust, its one of the things I love about getting new cats how they start of timid and won't come near and then learn to trust you. My boy cat wouldn't be in the same room as anyone first time I caught him and one of the others curled up together I couldn't stop crying.

My new cat though made herself fight at home within an hour.

I find patience letting them co their own thing and not over powering them worked with mine

By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

My theory would be that the cat would have to of been with you ( captor) for a long period of time for stockholm syndrome to develop. I should think the phenomena is much more complex than that.

I think our relationship with our pets is more attachment theory based. Our nature of survival is determined by the relationships we develop. Love is a fallacy, Love is a survival instinct.

Babies attach to their parents, they won't survive without care. As adults we look to form attachments with other people as it determines survival of our kind.

I have a dog. He displays affection, he seems happy to see me. However is it affection and love he feels. Or is it because he knows, as his primary attachment figure, that I meet his needs. His need for walking/feeding etc.

Interesting thoughts.

See also Harlows monkeys. Lorenz. Bowlby and Ainsworth.