Like a Pokémon partner… A cat's betrayal: loving her "newbie servant" more than the owner she's been with for 8 years.

People who cats seem to inexplicably love are enviable to cat lovers, aren't they? I can't help but wonder how much virtue they accumulated in their past lives.

My partner is exactly that kind of person. After we started living together, my beloved cats quickly betrayed me and became captivated by him, the "new subordinate."

Despite "biting" at their first meeting...

He had no experience living with cats, and before meeting me, he had rarely touched one.

He didn't seem to know how to pet them properly, and at their first meeting, he was surprised to receive the "biting" baptism from Kotaro. Disheartened, he muttered, "Cats bite, don't they...?"

When we first started living together, he would laugh and say, "It's strange to have cats in the house," and only touch them when they approached him. He never forced physical contact.

That cat-first attitude must have resonated with their majesties, the cats. My beloved cats started to seek physical contact with him, ignoring me entirely...

At first, I honestly took it easy. I thought, "The cats are just curious because a new, unfamiliar presence has arrived, like a new cat. They'll come back to me once they get used to him."

However, they haven't come back to me at all. Before I knew it, whenever he and I were a little apart, they would all gather around him. It's so sad...

My beloved cats betray me and become "his faction"

My cats show him various expressions. Jiji, the tortoiseshell cat and the only lady, sometimes gazes at him intently while he's washing dishes, making a cute, adoring face.

Hey, you never made that face when I was doing the dishes, did you? In fact, you'd run like crazy straight through the room without a care in the world for me, right...? Jiji sometimes has a habit of zoning out, captivated by him.

「あの人、溺れてないといいけど…」とでも想っているかのように、入浴中の彼（新入り下僕）の出待ちをする猫。

約10年をともにしてきた私は一度も、そんな心配をされたことがないのですが…。 pic.twitter.com/SDeKv7ZkEq

— ゆあ ｜ ライター🖊 (@yunc24291) October 9, 2023

Kotaro, who "bit" at the first meeting, is still barely on my side, but when my partner and I sit on the sofa, he comes between us and sits with his back to him without any caution.

So, in our house, when Kotaro comes between us, we'll hear calls like, "Kota, 'pon' in the middle!" or "You can 'pon' in the middle!"

Kotaro probably thought, "What the heck is 'pon' in the middle?" at first, but when we both used that phrase, he started sitting in the middle properly. He's smart.

Leon, the youngest, is clearly on his side. In fact, he's been on his side since we first started living together. Leon often stands next to him, giving off a Pokémon-like companion vibe.

He: "Go, Leon-kun! Use Growl!"

Leon always goes to the bathroom when he gets out of the bath. He's so dutiful that even if he's playing with toys or eating, he'll dash to the bathroom as soon as he hears the sound of the door opening.

Also, when he's sitting on the carpet, Leon will appear out of nowhere and sit politely in front of him. Seeing this, he analyzed Leon's behavior, saying, "I wonder if he's saying, 'I'll take care of the front! You handle the back!'"

手で即席の猫耳を作って、猫と会話するところ。#みんなの旦那さんの好きなとこ晒してこ pic.twitter.com/Qzv7I4EHnL

— ゆあ ｜ ライター🖊 (@yunc24291) June 12, 2024

Leon, who has only been with him for about two years, is much more attached to him than to me, who he's been with for eight years. While it's frustrating to see, it makes me think that just as there are compatibilities between people, there might also be compatibilities between people and cats.

Learning the secret to being liked by cats from the "new subordinate"

Why does he capture the hearts of cats so much? Filled with jealousy, I tried to figure out his secret by observing his interactions with cats and interviewing him. (My writer's spirit was fully exposed.)

What I learned from this is the importance of not getting too close yourself. My love overflows, and I tend to give passionate hugs like, "I love you all!", but he always puts the cats first. He only gently touches them when they approach him, with a delicate touch as if handling something fragile.

Also, I was surprised by how closely he observes the cats' behavior, more than I ever realized. For example, when Leon joins our conversation, he'd laugh and say, "Leon-kun always comes when we're talking (laughs). Does he think he's one of us humans?"

I hadn't noticed that Leon had such a routine until he pointed it out, so I was surprised and thought, "Maybe he observes the cats' behavior more than I do..."

これは、10年近く一緒に過ごしてる飼い主よりも、2年前から暮らすようになった彼を慕う、理不尽で愛おしいうちの猫です。 pic.twitter.com/xIn5KtzLqv

— ゆあ ｜ ライター🖊 (@yunc24291) June 7, 2023

Since he was bitten first, it seems to take a little courage for him to touch Kotaro. However, he seems to want to touch him, and he gradually builds up physical contact when Kotaro "pons in the middle."

Thanks to his efforts, he seems to be able to touch him on his own now. When he touches Kotaro and Kotaro meows, he'll say, "Oh! I got scolded... today's not the day," and give up on physical contact, then try again the next day, thinking, "Maybe today's the day."

何年も一緒に住んでる私よりも、1年ほど一緒に暮らしてる彼に猫が懐きすぎてて、全私が泣いた。 pic.twitter.com/XG4YdZBOQn

— ゆあ ｜ ライター🖊 (@yunc24291) December 21, 2022

While I want my beloved cats to get along even more with him, it's a bit complicated if their bond grows closer than ours... While holding onto this important internal conflict, I want to continue to watch over the heartwarming interactions between him and my beloved cats.