We All Need Our Space

The more I got to know Bob – and his feline ways – the more I got to see that he and I were not so different after all. And once I realised that, I also began to understand what would make him feel at home.

For example, I had heard that territory is hugely important to cats. It’s why they use the scent glands on their paws and in their claws to leave scent trails wherever they go. It is why they rub up and scratch furniture – and us, apparently. It provides them with assurance that their space is ‘safe’.

Early on I had dissuaded Bob from doing it, gently pushing him away when he started scratching at the legs of a battered old chair in the corner.

It was when a friend visited me with his dog, a black Labrador, that the penny dropped. On first seeing the dog, Bob arched his back, made hissing noises and retreated to a safe corner. The dog barked back a couple of times, but soon settled. Bob watched him like a hawk. The minute the dog was out of the door, he leapt into action, striding around the flat, rubbing and scratching at everything.

‘He’s reclaiming his territory,’ I said to myself.

We all like our space. We all prefer it to be a certain way and ‘mark’ it so that it is identifiably ours with our choice of furniture, colour schemes, paintings and photos on the wall. And we can get upset if other people invade that space and disrupt the balance.

Ever since then, I have let Bob get on with it. He rubs up against me, the furniture, door frames, radiators. Anything that makes him feel like his territory is established – and safe.