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People in my life have always come and gone. But there has always been a cat or two around by my side. I have never been lucky in love but I have always had excellent taste in cats. That has led me to the conclusion I am a better cat picker-outer than a mate chooser. So I will stick to growing old with cats. They have always been there for me through thick and thin.
What I have to say in response to this is nothing new or original, but a cat is a companion, a source of love and a release from loneliness. You have someone to care for, relate to, and someone who cares for and needs you. You get to experience the world through another's eyes, so that your life is enriched. You have a reason to get up, take care of things, plan so that everything necessary for the other's needs are in place. You have someone to hug and kiss (not human kisses, of course, but kitty kisses). A cat--with their love of comfort and commonsense about rest, stretching, food, etc.--is a good influence.
Maybe I am just putting an anthromorthrophrical spin on this but I have always felt that with cats, you have to earn their love. They don't willing just hand it over. I have seen how some cats prefer some humans over others but really don't know just why. It isn't just because they know who is feeding them or changing their litter box. They just know who they like best.
When I was living a thousand miles away from my parents and they flew into my town to help me out after surgery, my cats stayed with me all the time I was in bed recuperating only leaving me to eat and use the litter box. My dad fed them and they knew it was he who fed them but they insisted upon sticking close to me. He loves animals so he did try to pet them and they would allow him to for a few minutes to and from the food dish or litter box but that was about it.
But then, cats also can show their displeasure as well. Another time, another cat when I was living in the same city as my dad he would come over and play with my kitty and she loved him. I went out of town on vacation for two weeks. He cat sat for her. She wouldn't come near him the entire time. He told me she would sit and glare at him, as if to say "Where is my person?"
The day I returned, did she run up to me to be greeted with kitty kisses? No way. She totally ignored me and went straight to my dad with purrs and ankle rubs for attention.
They love you by their rules and to be so loved is an honor in my book.
Maybe I am just putting an anthromorthrophrical spin on this but I have always felt that with cats, you have to earn their love. They don't willing just hand it over. I have seen how some cats prefer some humans over others but really don't know just why. It isn't just because they know who is feeding them or changing their litter box. They just know who they like best.
When I was living a thousand miles away from my parents and they flew into my town to help me out after surgery, my cats stayed with me all the time I was in bed recuperating only leaving me to eat and use the litter box. My dad fed them and they knew it was he who fed them but they insisted upon sticking close to me. He loves animals so he did try to pet them and they would allow him to for a few minutes to and from the food dish or litter box but that was about it.
But then, cats also can show their displeasure as well. Another time, another cat when I was living in the same city as my dad he would come over and play with my kitty and she loved him. I went out of town on vacation for two weeks. He cat sat for her. She wouldn't come near him the entire time. He told me she would sit and glare at him, as if to say "Where is my person?"
The day I returned, did she run up to me to be greeted with kitty kisses? No way. She totally ignored me and went straight to my dad with purrs and ankle rubs for attention.
They love you by their rules and to be so loved is an honor in my book.
Cat personalitiez vary as widely as people . Dovs and horses are much the same. Thing with cats is, tbey are just never quite fully domesticated the way the latter two are. A cat you ha e had for years, and been very close to, can take a notion and go plumb wild. Seen it happen more than once. Cat/people relationships are always on the razor edge, regardless of how stable you THINK they might be.
Much depends on individual personality, of course, some cats are more stable than others, and strictly inside cats are a different matter. Cats tend to loathe change. Even small changes, like moving a piece of furniture can cause fits. A cat that tolerates change well is quite rare.
>> A cat that tolerates change well is quite rare.
That's really true. I've had one (1) cat, my entire adult life--three cats, all living over 15 years. The first two went with me all over the country to university, grad school, law school, orchestra jobs, relationships. Lots of moving, and they always stuck with me, even when I had roommates with the door constantly open. They just stayed with me, and loved me. That is, the first two. The current Edward stays with me, but he HATES, and I mean *HATES* going into a motel, a vehicle. But he hollers all night in a motel and is VERY UNHAPPY.
What're you gonna do? He's not going to like it if we move out of state.
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