While researching my heatstroke article from Tuesday, I came across a statistic from the Humane Society saying that cats are the most popular pet in America. With around 93 million cats in American homes compared to 77 billion dogs, cats reign supreme.
I love dogs and cats equally, so I didn’t bring up the statistic to laud the superiority of cats. Instead, I wanted to posit why cats might be more popular: their greater independence. Nowadays most busy American households contain two working adults, so owning a pet able to look after itself, that doesn’t mind being alone for awhile, is just easier.
Although my husband and I have both a dog and a cat, we still take advantage of Cole’s supposed independence. All of our family and most of our friends live a couple hours away, so we spend at least one weekend a month, if not more, off visiting.
It doesn’t take much to get the dog packed to go, but with necessary items like the litter box taking the cat on a trip gets complicated. In addition, some of the friends we stay with are allergic to cats, so whisking the cat away for a weekend visit just doesn’t work.
But none of that should matter, because cats aren’t supposed to mind being on their own for awhile. Well, someone should tell Cole that.
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Cole doesn’t like being separated from his family for long.
Whenever my husband, dog, and I all go away, even if it’s just for an overnight visit, Cole punishes us when we return. For the first 30 minutes or so after we come home, Cole follows us around crying.
He resists all attempts to comfort him. He doesn’t want to be held, petted, fed, or played with; nothing placates him. I’ve come to the conclusion that he simply wants to make his displeasure known, and persists with his cries until he feels he’s made his point.
If we’re gone for more than a couple days, we make sure a friend comes over to feed him and play with him on a regular basis. But that’s not enough for Cole.
One time when we were gone for a week, Cole pulled most of the tissues out of a tissue box and scattered them all over the living room. I like to pretend that he was merely entertaining himself, but given his attitude when we come back from a trip, I know there might have been some adolescent rebellion in that gesture as well.
I know that in actuality, cats crave companionship. They’re not always as obvious and eager about it as dogs, but cats need someone to be with them and play with them daily. They do much better on their own than dogs, which is why they can be left alone for awhile, but they’re not completely independent creatures who don’t care whether or not their owners are actually around.
Still, I find the mini-tantrums Cole throws whenever he’s left alone overnight or longer rather amusing. Do you have any similar stories of how your cats cope (or not) when left to themselves?
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