I love being petted in the morning when my human wakes up. We talk to each other a bit, and he pets me some more. Oh, I sure like that.
However, I can only take so much at one time. You know what it's like when you get your back scratched when you wake up, right? Same with me. I love it, but I have to step away when it gets a little much. I'm not leaving. I'll turn around and get petted some more until I need another little break. My human gets it. I'll even lay down so he can rub my belly. Then, I'm good. I hop off the bed and move on. I got things to do.
My human understands this and doesn't try to do too much. He even leaves before I'm ready, at times. He's got things to do.
I like my relationship with my human. He comes over every once in a while, just to say hi and give me a pat. I like that he shows he cares and that he's around if I need him. Sometimes, he picks me up when I don't want it and I let him know. Sometimes, he lets me go; sometimes, he doesn't. I'm generally ok with it, though, because he gives me food and water. More importantly, I know he loves and respects me for what I am and the value I can bring to the family.
I hear my human talk with the family about his work. He doesn't like his job because his boss doesn't seem to care. His boss doesn't come around until he wants something to get done. The boss doesn't know my human and there's little connection. The boss doesn't give him any pats on the back to say hi or congratulate him for a job well done.
My human doesn't like where he works. He's good at what he does and knows he can be even more productive, but chooses to not give that level of energy because there's no upside for doing it. He gets money to do the work so we can all have a house, and I have food. That's why he's still there, but he won't get more money for more work. More money isn't a motivator for him. He's looking for a new job.
Timmy plays basketball. He loves his coach. When he comes home from practices and games, he's so excited because his coach makes him feel valuable. He sees himself growing as a player and wants to see how good he can be.
Timmy has talked about how Coach gives all the boys high fives and praises them for working to get better, even if they make mistakes. That helps each of the boys push themselves forward. Timmy has talked about tough conversations Coach has had with him about how he goes about his work and what Coach needs from Timmy. However, he says those conversations have helped him and he sees how those requests can help the team because he knows Coach cares. He learns so much from Coach.
I like when he comes home from basketball, because he comes over to play with me happily.
Boy, I guess I'm pretty lucky. I live with a family that understands me, loves me and has built up trust and connection. It makes me want to come over to them and be there when they need me. I want to be the best cat I can be for them. I can tell from how they talk that there are a lot of places where the bosses don't make the connection.