Thoughts for Thursday — Your Cat’s Welcome Mat

How does your cat act when you return from a long trip, an overnighter, or even just a day-long outing? I’ve had cats snub me—the longer I’ve been gone, the longer they will ignore me once I return. I’ve also had cats rush to greet me when I come home. This is usually the cat who’s obsessed with food and eager to be fed—immediately! Then there’s the glaring cat—she’ll sit across the room from you and stare as if to say, “How dare you leave me alone like that. Don’t ever do that again.” Or she could be simply keeping an eye on you making sure you aren’t going to leave again.

In our household with our current cutie-kitties, Sophie is fairly nonchalant when it comes to our comings and goings—or so it seems. She doesn’t react to any degree right away. However, later, she is all over us as if trying to make up for lost petting. There’s no catching up with the newspaper or mail. Forget about watching TV news or a good movie. And don’t even think about getting up for a snack, Sophie is on your lap for the long-haul—rubbing and purring and love-biting to get as much of your attention as possible.

Lily usually greets us when we return and immediately goes to her food bowls looking sad—as if she hasn’t had a morsel to eat for days. Once she’s fed or she’s had a kitty treat and some private time, she begins showering me with gifts. As soon as I sit down in my office chair, here comes Lily with her lambie, baby hedgehog, little stuffed kitty, tiny teddy bear, polar bear, owl, possum, bunny, and all the others. The longer we were gone, the more of her stuffed toys come. Pretty soon they’re surrounding me like little sentinels guarding me—perhaps keeping me from ever leaving the house again.