"Does she think he's a junior cat?" The amusing behavior of the youngest cat, who only worries about her husband.

Cats are often thought of as carefree, but they are actually very affectionate creatures. For example, they tend to care for family members who joined the family after them, like showing concern for a new baby.

In my household, when my husband joined the family, our youngest cat, Leon, started acting like an older brother. While I find their relationship heartwarming, I also find myself growing increasingly jealous.

My Cat Started Guarding My Husband's Front

Our youngest cat, Leon, came from a rescue cat cafe. Perhaps because of that, he was never really shy around people. However, he seemed to particularly favor my husband among all humans.

He would boldly approach my husband, a cat novice, and forcibly close the distance between them. Before I knew it, he was completely smitten with my husband.

Perhaps Leon saw my husband as "someone to protect," because I gradually noticed more and more instances of him turning his back to my husband and guarding his front.

Eventually, my husband also noticed Leon's thoughtfulness and, bewildered, asked, "...Leon always guards my front, but what is this?" Only Leon himself knows what he's trying to protect my husband from, but seeing him lean his back against my much larger husband is heartwarming, as if he's saying, "I'll take care of the front! You take care of the back."

Every time I see them, I feel a warmth knowing "these two have become so close," but at the same time, I feel a surge of regret. I must be a very small-minded person. I'm smaller than my husband, so why doesn't he protect me? Even if I ask Leon, the truth remains a mystery.

My Cat's Kindness in Worrying About My Husband After His Bath

The time of day when Leon's "desire to protect my husband" is particularly high is after his bath. Unlike dogs, cat fur is difficult to dry. Because fur that is difficult to dry can lead to a drop in body temperature, cats are said to instinctively avoid getting wet.

Perhaps because he has such a characteristic himself, Leon gets restless when my husband goes to the bathroom. He becomes noticeably agitated. He probably thinks my husband is a cat just like him.

And every time my husband comes out of the bathroom, his anxiety kicks in! When he hears the bathroom door close, he dashes to the washroom.

This dash happens whether he's sleeping or playing, which is amazing. When he hears the bathroom door close, he reacts reflexively with a startled expression and dashes to the washroom.

He looks almost like a mother worrying about her small child. My husband tells Leon, who rushes to the washroom, "Thank you for coming. I'm okay," but Leon's anxious behavior continues.

By the way, when I get out of the bath, Leon doesn't come. He does come to the washroom before I get in, but that's not because he's worried about me; it's because he wants to relax on the bathtub cover.

Unlike with my husband, his actions are not driven by worry, so when he comes to the washroom, he ambles along without any sense of urgency (laughs). Maybe Leon thinks I'm "an invincible person who will be fine no matter what."

I sometimes say annoying things like "Worry about me sometimes too!", but it has no effect on Leon. My jealousy towards my husband, who gets all the attention, just keeps growing every day.

My Cat Enjoys "Two-of-a-Kind" Time with My Husband on the Floor Chair

Another moment when I feel jealous is when my husband and Leon are enjoying their "two-of-a-kind" time on the floor chair. My husband is usually in his own room. In contrast, I spend a lot of time in the living room.

When I sit on the floor chair, Leon shows absolutely no interest in me... He sits on my office chair or looks at himself in front of my makeup mirror.

However, when my husband sits on the floor chair, Leon's attitude completely changes. After dinner, when my husband is relaxing back in the floor chair, Leon appears from nowhere and jumps onto the chair.

He then relaxes on the floor chair, burying his face in my husband's hair or sniffing his neck, enjoying their "two-of-a-kind" time.

Could it be that he likes the scent of my husband's shampoo...? I even tried using my husband's shampoo once, but as you can imagine, the result was the same. The reason Leon doesn't get on the floor chair with me isn't the shampoo; it's the person sitting on the floor chair (me).

Sometimes, perhaps out of overflowing love, Leon even gives my husband educational guidance by digging his claws into his scalp.

Also, when my husband and I are talking, he sits between us and participates in the conversation. Every time, my husband laughs and tells him, "You're not on the human side; you're a cat just like Kotaro (our other cat)," but Leon himself shows no signs of realizing he's a cat.

I'm sure he'll continue to love and worry about my husband, acting like an older brother. I hope that someday he'll treat me like a younger sister too.

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