When my mother retired, I gave her a tiny kitten, as she might miss communication now. I told her about the cat because getting a pet should not be an unplanned surprise. She agreed.
Although I don’t live with my mother, since I got her a cat as a present, she lives in the apartment with him. He either has a greyhound temperament or was raised that way by my mother: he didn’t show his love for her. The cat seemed indifferent to us – he didn’t come when called and rarely showed affection.
But one day, when my mother left the apartment, and I stayed behind, I saw the cat lying in a not-very-clean place near the door on a rug. So I decided to move the cat off his spot on the dirty doormat. He returned there immediately. Then, I put him on the sofa – his usual sleeping spot – but he jumped and returned to the mat again.
When my mother returned home, he finally got up and went to his favorite spot on the couch. That’s when I realized my cat wasn’t indifferent – he just thought that real cats shouldn’t show their feelings.
This experience taught me not to judge a pet’s affection based on their outward behavior, as they may have different ways of showing love. And it also showed me the importance of understanding a pet’s personality and upbringing before making decisions about their living situation or care.
But most importantly, it showed me that my mother loves her cat just like he does.
