 Life in proximity to humans and other domestic animals has led to a symbiotic social adaptation in cats , and cats may express great affection toward humans or other animals . Ethologically , the human keeper of a cat may function as a sort of surrogate for the cat 's mother , and adult housecats live their lives in a kind of extended kittenhood , a form of behavioral neoteny . The high @-@ pitched sounds housecats make to solicit food may mimic the cries of a hungry human infant , making them particularly hard for humans to ignore . 
