The ties between animals and human beings can be as complex as those that bind us people. There are some who maintain bonds of reluctant cordiality with their pets. They feed them, they take them for walks if need be, but rarely do they speak to them other than to scold or “educate” them. In contrast, there are others who make of their turtles their closest confidants. Every night they lean in toward their tanks and tell them about what happened to them at work, the confrontation they put off with their boss, their doubts, and their hopes for love. Among domestic animals dogs get particularly good press. It is even said that they are man’s best friend because of their loyalty and nobility, words that often signify nothing more than a tolerance for abuse and abandonment. Dogs are generally good animals, true. But I’ve also heard about some who don’t know their masters and, fed up or in a fit of madness, attack them, causing the same bewildered reaction as when a mother hits her young children. Felines on the other hand suffer a reputation of being selfish and overly independent. I don’t at all share this opinion. It’s true that cats are less demanding than dogs and their presence often much less imposing, at times barely even noticeable. However, I know from experience that they can come to develop enormous empathy toward others of their species, as well as toward their owners. In reality, cats are highly versatile animals and their natures range from the ostracism of a turtle to the omnipresence of a dog.

My understanding of cats goes back to when I was still in college. I was finishing a degree in history and my dream was to do my postgraduate work abroad, at a prestigious university if possible. In those days I was renting a spacious and sunny apartment I occasionally shared with other students and then later on with two cats. Now that I think about it, roommates can sometimes fill the role of pets and ties with them are just as complex. Two men and one woman lived with me in that apartment. The first studied architecture but was passionate about tattoos. He decorated his room with colorful posters of naked Japanese men and almost never opened his curtains. The woman was more social. She liked to invite friends over and organize movie marathons with them. However, she was a closet bulimic, which made splitting the cost of groceries unfair and an issue she refused to discuss with me. The day I felt obligated to say something she decided to move out. The third tenant, a man with a much more low-key personality, was studying to be a doctor and spent a lot of time at the hospital. As he was never around, he was by far the best. He stayed just over six months, and then left the city to complete his residency.