History reminds us that cats were distinguished house (castle) pets in the days of Cleopatra, the renowned ruler of Egypt.
The cute kitties apparently had full access to the living quarters, and,for some obvious reasons, one can have a mental picture of what it was like to deal with these noble creatures: cats climbing up the curtains, cats scratching Caesar's brand new chair, kittens defecating under the ruler's favorite couch, endless meowing and of course the aggressive feline that leaves you with a sensitive scrape.
It would be difficult to imagine a scene unlike what a lot of cat of cat owners are dealing with on a daily basis.
Through the years, we have had a few cats; most of them were given to my family though we inherited a few stray specimens.
Living on a small farm there always room for one more little mouth; it is hard not to like these hairy critters; after a short while they become like family members with all the rights and few obligations...
I would even admit that I did not expect much out of cat`s behavior while I would be much more demanding toward the dog.
Having been around cats for a long time, I would definitely describe them as intelligent but specially manipulative; they will show superficial allegiance when comes mealtime, they sneak in and out of the house and when caught they feign ignorance to the rules.
Lately I was a bit skeptical when I came across an article claiming to have the solutions dealing with every "cat problem"; I did not think you could train a cat to behave like a good doggie, forget about doing a little dance for the master; however I am told that effective pet training is based on understanding what goes on in the animal's mind.
Upon these premises it is possible to teach a cat more than one would ever expect out of Cleopatra's favorite pet.