An owner who returned home after two months of traveling was moved to tears when she saw where the cat waited for her.
Nina, known on Reddit as Border-Vegetable, traveled to Denmark for two months. Normally, when her family goes on vacation, neighbors and friends watch over their cats, but this time, it was only her traveling, she explained in a comment. The rest of her family was there to take care of the cats. Even though the family was there, they still felt Nina's absence.
When Nina returned home, she was surprised to find the younger cat curled up on her pillow. The cat made Nina's room her own, claiming the bed as her new kingdom and the pillow her throne.
Nina snapped a picture of her cat's reaction and shared it on a November 25 Reddit post to the subreddit channel r/aww. The Reddit post reached over 5,600 likes and nearly 100 comments as of Monday. The caption reads: "I went away for two months and my youngest cat greets me like this đđ I can't."
However, looking behind the cat's initial shock, she didn't seem too welcoming after two months apart. Her eyes bulged in disbelief as Nina walked into the room. It was excitement at first, but then she apparently felt hurt Nina left for that long. Plus, the cat knew Nina would reclaim the bed after all this time.
The first day back is always the hardest. Nina told Newsweek via Reddit messenger that the cats won't listen to her. She'll try calling or petting them and nothing. They're hurt they were left behind.
"They're usually very sad, so they ignore [me] for one whole day," Nina said. "Then the next night they come super super cuddly with me because they missed me."
Cats commonly show their disapproval of owners who return from vacation. An article from Catster stated that some cats will ignore their owners or be reluctant to interact, and others might become stressed. This is due to the fact that cats understand the world through smell and when their humans return with different smells, it can affect them.
Luckily, cats usually don't hold onto grudges for long. To help them return to their normal selves, allow them to take the lead. Give them space if they run off and hide. They need time to readjust to your presence and smell. If they are showing bad habits, ignore them and only reward them for positive behavior.
Redditor Reactions
Redditors flooded the comment section immediately, coming to the cat's defense.
"She took over your bedroom," said a user, while a second added: "You get to sleep on the floor now until you get back in their good graces. Which will take approximately 7-10 months."
Another commented: "Omg! I need to report you to the cat police. Look at that face lol."
Someone else wrote what was going through the cat's mind: "Whatever. This pillow is mine."
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