From Gary Warburton, Dublin, Ireland
You wonder if affection in cats is, in fact, cupboard love. When I go out, my cat waits for hours by my front door, with much vocalisation and rubbing when I return, but it’s not for food. There is untouched food in her bowl. She also sleeps beside me on the couch with one paw touching me and wakes if I move. Surely this is separation anxiety. My mother’s cat has the same sort of bond with her.
I have noticed that cats seem to only have this sort of bond with one particular person, which is different to the human-dog dynamic and may explain the perception by non-owners that cats are less sociable than dogs. I don’t think you can study cat sociability using someone else’s cat.
