Two people, two cats, living together: the ideal family unit. The cats play with each other, and so do the people. The cats and humans can play together too. In a home with only one cat, the cat gets clingy and sticks too closely to the human. And one-person households have the same issue, except it’s the human who gets too dependent on the cat.

Imagine another cat springing up between the first cat and human, and likewise, another person appearing. A second cat and human showing up at the same time. How joyous for the cat to have another of his kind, how thrilled the human is to see someone else!

At this very moment, Cat and Kitten are going meow meow at each other, and I’m chatting with Husband. Never again will our home have only one type of voice in it. Very often, Husband and I will each be hugging a cat, and we’ll bring their faces close together, so they can have a meow-conversation or lick each other while we speak looking into each other’s eyes, passing emotions back and forth. While this is happening, we’ll also be stroking the kitties nonstop, as if we’re touching each other. The cats go purr purr purr, and everyone falls into a moment of absolute tenderness and comfort.

When I go out, I no longer have to worry about leaving behind a solo cat to get lonely, waiting all alone for his human to get home. The moment I open the front door on my return, I’ll see both kitties sprawled on the table closest to the door, staring in my direction.

Even though there are now two cats waiting instead of one, the wait itself is much less arduous. A lone cat has to spend a lot of energy to make time pass, while a second cat can take on half the burden of time, so the two of them feel much less anxious. With another cat to share the long hours, even if the humans don’t get home till late, waiting for them is so much easier.

As for Husband and me, when we go out together, we can also split the load of worrying about the kitties, with each of us shouldering half the tension. It really does make a difference—the weight of worry isn’t as heavy as before, and I feel much lighter when I’m out and about.

Then we get home, and there are two people, two cats, eight eyes meeting one another. In that moment, loneliness and worry vanish instantly. The good thing is, even when we do have to deal with these difficult matters, they don’t take up as much energy or cause as much sadness as before.

So here we are, each human embracing a cat. From the moment we reunite, we are two people, two cats, once again living together in warm coexistence. Four of us, exactly the right number, depending on one another.