Domestic cats follow our energy levels

This is a short note, no more, about something which occurred to me the other day. Domestic cats do follow our energy levels. It is not a direct formula but in general if a cat owner is moderately active their cat will also be more active than they would otherwise be if their owner is very passive.

Photo in public domain.

It can be more precise than that. If, as I do, you do some exercises at home on the floor (due to coronavirus lockdowns), this in my experience stimulates a cat companion to participate. Conversely, if a person spends a lot of time in bed or sitting down it encourages their cat to either sit on their lap to join them or curl up somewhere else and be passive. If they are allowed outside they may go outside at that time to find their own activities.

So what's the point of the article? It is healthier for a cat to be active at least a part of the day. My argument is that if a cat owner is highly inactive perhaps because they are elderly and infirm it is far from an optimal situation. By and large elderly, retired people are good cat companions because they are with their companion all day every day, normally. But the downside is that due to infirmity they may become too passive with a consequential decrease in animal welfare.

A side effect is that it can encourage feline obesity especially if the cat is allowed to free-graze on dry foods which is likely as it is highly convient.