I have had cats for the past 18 years of my life and they have all been super friendly. That’s why it always confuses me when people say that they unequivocally hate all cats. How can they possibly know that? Have they met every cat? Have they met mine? NO! And mine are awesome.
If you give a cat love and are kind to it, the cat will love you back—end of discussion. Our cats have all been cool. They are considered equal members of our family. It will remain that way forever. Our cats are wonderful.
Every cat I’ve lived with has been an equal opportunity scratch hoarder, which is to say that they never seem to care whose lap it is they’re on, as long as someone, anyone is scratching them. They’ve all been a little whorish to be honest with you.
But Murray is different. Murray seems to prefer scratches from only me. He’s a scratch loyalist. That doesn’t mean he walks away from Toby’s scratches or even Emory’s; he won’t turn them down. But when he’s looking for a lap, he almost always comes to mine.
Back up for a minute….
Toby Joe and Schmitty (my second ever cat, the sweetheart that got cancer and had to be put to sleep a few years ago) were best friends. It didn’t matter that he was mine for 8 years prior, when Toby Joe entered his life, I became second fiddle. He and Toby Joe became inseparable. Sure, Schmitty still accepted scratches from other people, but Toby became his favorite. Toby Joe admits this. It’s actually quite heartwarming, which was another reason why it was so hard saying goodbye to Schmitty. I watched my husband’s heart break as well.
After Schmitty died, I told Toby Joe that we would adopt another striped fella and turn him into another best friend. And so we adopted Murray. But Murray immediately bonded with me. I didn’t particularly do anything to gain his loyalty. It’s not like I was sneaking him pieces of bacon or pacifiers. It was that I worked from home back then and was around all the time. We bonded.
So whenever Murray snubs Toby Joe and joins me on the couch instead, I always tell Toby Joe the same thing: that I have Murray enrolled in Professor Snugglesworth’s College For Cats just like I had done with Schmitty.
“How do you think Schmitty got to be so loving toward you?” I’ll say. “I taught him that! I’m doing the same with Murray.”
But I think it’s finally time I admit something: I have no plans on letting Murray graduate. I think he’s going to be my student indefinitely.
I’m sorry, Toby Joe.
Mihow 
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