James Bond is more friendly with other people when I’m not around.

This has all been Mr. Bond’s idea. I’ve always encouraged him to love Mr WereBear, by sending positive verbal and physical messages when Mr. Bond acts affectionately towards Mr WereBear. I praise him when he says hello to guests.

But Mr. Bond won’t show much. I think it’s because he doesn’t want to hurt my feelings. Because when I’m not around… Mr. Bond turns into a social butterfly.

Unless I come into the room again.

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I find it funny and endearing; I don’t think of it as Mr. Bond trying to fool me. As a natural “one person cat” Mr. Bond needs me to know I’m still his special person. So I can turn around and do the same for him.

One of the things about cats that their fans remark upon is their sensitivity to our moods. When we are happy, they are happy. When we are sad, they will hang around, just hoping their presence with help us feel better. That’s why I think cats are excellent companions for those with health challenges. They can be low key when it’s needed, and lively when it’s the right time to be so.

Cats can be this way when we give them the space, and support, to be this way. Our kitten, Olwyn, is almost a year old, traditionally a time when cats try out their independence, and become less cuddly as a ploy to see if we will make the effort, instead of them.

If we take “our turn” seriously, we can weather the storms of adolescence; and have a cat who remains physically and emotionally close. Olwyn combines her natural trust with our careful handling to retain her kitten cuddliness. She has also taken over Mr. Bond’s role in watching over Mr WereBear when he’s not feeling well and needs to take a nap. This is so Mr. Bond, getting on in years and needing more naps himself, doesn’t have to keep tabs the way he used to.

So cats care for us, and even for each other. This is all the more extraordinary to me when we consider that cats are not pack animals by nature. Even lions do not have a pack structure; it’s more of a cooperative group. This is what cats form in our homes with other beings they live with. Our goal should be a cooperative group!

It’s highly ironic that cats have the reputation of being indifferent or lacking in affection, when in fact cats are so sensitive, so worried about how their overtures are greeted, and so anxious about having their friendship returned, that they can seem aloof.

But that, for certain, is an act.

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There’s more about multiple cats in The Way of Cats than the article you are reading now. See more posts on the MULTIPLE CAT ADVANTAGE.

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