Does My Cat Miss Me When I'm Gone?

"How does your cat react when you are coming home after work?"

Maria: "I am living with my cutie Nala for over 8 years now and we have evolved into the perfect team! We are very acommodated to each others schedule, so she knows that I am leaving for work at around 7AM. When I arrive back home at around 5PM, she usually awaits me in the floor already. When I greet her, she is meowing and purring happily. Everyday it's a lovely way of coming home and I am looking forward to it ever since we are living together. I don't think she is urgently missing me while I am gone, though. We are living like this for such a long time now, I feel like she is used to it now. However, I am certain she is happy when I am coming home every day. It just shows in her body language and the way she meows. I am not sure how she would react, if we were to change our schedule. Honestly, if it's avoidable I won't change it, because I know she is happy like this."

 "What about longer trips, how does your cat behave when you have been gone for a couple of days?"

Lauren: "I own a cat called Nelly. We are together for 4 and a half years now and we are a great team! I usually never travel, so when I went to Canada to visit my sister back in 2015 it was the first time me and Nelly were seperated for more than a day. A friend of mine, who is often over at my place and knows Nelly very well took care for the 6 days I wasn't there. I felt bad for leaving but I hadn't seen my sister in a year and this time around she couldn't visit me. My friend came over to my house twice every day to clean the litter, refill the water bowl and serve her fresh food. She messaged me after every visit and for the first 4 days everthing seemed fine...
But on the 5th day she reported that Nelly was acting a bit different. My friend said she was a little anxious and that Nelly ran off when my friend wanted to pet her. Also, Nelly made a little mess with the toilet paper in the bathroom (which she normally doesn't do, she is super well behaved!).
On the next day, I finally arrived home and found her sleeping on the couch. My friend cleaned the mess in the bathroom and everything seemed fine. However when I wanted to pet her she got up and walked away a few feet, standing there and just looking at me. I know for people who don't own a cat this sounds a bit crazy, but I am sure that she was mad at me for leaving her alone that long. This day and on the days following, Nelly slowly became the beautiful best friend she always was to me again. 
I think it really caused her pain that I was suddenly gone and I will never leave her again!"

Darren: "Hm yes, I had a similar experience. It maybe wasn't that obvios in my case, but I felt that Simon was acting very differently the first few days after I got home from a one week vacation in the mountains. Just like you, I had somebody familiar take care for him. The days after the vacation, Simon seemed so ...I don't know... uninterested in me? It really hurt me because I was looking forward reuniting with him again but he just seemed like he didn't care at all. A friend, who doesn't own a cat said something like 'Doesn't look like anything to me. I mean, isn't that how cats are in general? Uninterested?'. I almost believed him at the start, but then it got better after a few days and I think Simon wanted to tell me that he doesn't want to be left alone!"

"So, what are your final thoughts on the question whether cats miss us?"

Darren: "I think they absolutely do. They just show their love and affection in a different kind of way than for example dogs, but that doesn't mean they are not missing us. I even think the thoughts that cats 'just don't care' and 'are bored all the time' come from people who don't own cats. Because if they had one, they would understand the animal and how beautiful they are."

Maria: "Absolutely. I completely agree. Cats are way more suttle and gracefull when it comes to showing emotions, but they do miss you just like other animals or even people."

Lauren: "Well said, nothing to add here. Cats are loving and beautiful creatures, both on the outside and the inside. People who don't own cats just can't get a glimpse on the emotional side of cats. We are blessed that we can."

In conclusion, we are convinced that cats do miss us, eventhough they may not show it upfront at first glance. Whether you saved your cat from the shelter, got one from a breeder or own a cat that is famous on the internet, they all have one thing in common:
They are beautiful creatures with hearts bigger than we might think!  ❤️