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Cat dependence is a little known human disorder that can ruin the relationship between we felines and our human pets. The emotionally needy humans need our help. Here are some of the symptoms.
- Humans insist on interrupting our sleep with unwanted petting.
- Humans interfere when we are eating - with more unwanted petting.
- Their separation anxiety (when away from us) is shown by their need to pet us unnecessarily, when they come home from a shopping trip.
- They insist on putting us on their knee, when we wish to sleep somewhere else.
- They pick us up and cuddle us when we do not wish to be cuddled.
- They do not respect our bodily boundaries - ie they touch us on the belly, or at the base of the tail, when we have made it absolutely clear that these areas are out of bounds.
- They stare lovingly in a way that unsettles us.
Dealing with a cat-dependant human requires infinite patience, a careful programme of small nips to create proper boundaries, and the cultivation of a safe haven, where we can sleep uninterrupted.
- For more on human harrassment read Being Your Cat.
I don't disagree ... but unfortunatly, my cat insists on not respecting my boundaries either. I do not do any of these things to her ... except rubbing the "end of her tail to the tip of it", which she actually loves, seriously. But I do get mildly upset when she jumps on my face at 3:00 am and if I do my best to ignore her, begins to paw at my pillow, noisily, wanting her breakfast. After two and a half years of trying to break this very bad habit, I have given up, given in and am totally under her control. Cat wins. I lose.
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