Caturday: What Cats Can Do When You Are Away
When I returned from ten days away, I didn’t need words to know my cats had opinions. I had evidence—both testimonial and physical. The caretaker reported that Tissu stationed herself at the door every few hours, waiting. Kokee vanished into hiding, invisible for days. Jack meowed constantly, day and night, as if trying to summon me home by sheer vocal force. The Turkish Van twins , Simba and Pancho , usually inseparable, became sworn enemies and dragged Moo into their feud. And one anonymous cat left unmistakable commentary: poop on my desk, poop on my printer, poop under the ratapan chair on the catio. None of my cats ever poop outside the litter box—but this time, it wasn’t biological. It was emotional. Since I’ve been back, everything has reset. No more yowling. No more fighting. No more hiding. No more door‑watching. No more poop in inappropriate places. And every morning, a joyful pigpile of fur and whiskers on top of me. Why Cats React So Strongly to Absence Cats are ...