My cat Callie has this thing she does where anytime I get up from wherever I am she goes and sits in my spot. Since I spend a lot of time sitting on the bed or the couch with the computer, those are the two places where it is most noticeable, but she does it even in kitchen chairs and whatnot. I don’t know what the cat psychology is on this. On the bed I imagine she may just be looking for a warm spot, but she does it even when she’s already warm and comfortable in her own corner.
After my brother talked about the fight for dominance of the house among his cats, I began to wonder if this is Callie’s way of establishing her own hierarchy. I have two cats, Callie and Mowgli. Callie was an adult cat already when Mowgli adopted me. He has done everything in the world to prove he is boss of the house through the years, but she raised him, and she’s kept him under a firm paw since kittenhood.
This is what I imagine is happening. I am the largest animal in the house; therefore, I claim the prime real estate for myself. When I vacate a place, that makes it available to the next most dominant animal in the house. Callie is at least 14, though her exact age is unknown. She has a touch of arthritis and doesn’t quite hear like she once did, but every day, over and over, she gets up and moves to the best spot on the bed or the couch whenever I get up. She is queen; hear her yawn.
