Do our cats really love us? I know, for every endearing quality we see in our pet felines, there's an explanation to be found in the behavior of their feral cousins. And I don't think the electrical wiring of the brains of humans and other species are going to be so well understood in my lifetime as to describe to me whether my cats' emotions correspond to mine.

Furthermore, I don't need science to tell me that sometimes a cat is just making up to me to get me to feed her or open the door. But last night Bonita did something that really caused me to stop and wonder. Bonita sleeps every night at my side, about chest level and to the outside of the bed. Even though Thistle was queen of the household she never took over that spot. Sometimes Bonita goes to bed when I do, sometimes she appears later. But last night as I was brushing my teeth in the bathroom, I saw her leave her cozy fleece pad on top of a featherbed in a bedroom across the hall and heard her click (she clicks like a dog) into our bedroom and jump onto the bed. She settled into her spot and waited for me, standing up for a few minutes to accommodate my getting into bed, then lay down again so our bodies were touching. What made me think this is based on affection rather than just an opportunistic taking of her comfort was the anticipation factor. She knew I was about to go to bed, she knew she couldn't expect to be fed or let out, and she left a wonderfully cozy nest (and we haven't had the electric blanket on yet)... because she was looking forward to being with me.

Any of you behavioral science whizzes out there want to demolish my conclusion?

Copyright © Lynda Goldsmith
October 30, 2001