Today began much like any other day. I woke up, and headed to my desk for my morning coffee and the ever so depressing news broadcasts.
As usual, Claws the cat jumped up next to me on the desk,
and Dexter the cat sat at my feet,
both of them simply staring at me, waiting for the morning ritual to begin. So I made my coffee, turned on the TV, and gave them both a sold head rub. After their morning head rub was complete, they headed off into their separate directions in the house to find a suitable sunbeam location to bask in, and begin their day.
What is it that drives these two furry roommates behaviors? There is definitely a daily routine. Wait by the door until I get up, follow me to the desk, Head Rub time!, stand at the top of the stairs when I leave for work, headrub!, wait by the front door unitil I get home at night, follow me to the desk again, and then hangout until bedtime.
Now take into consideration that these, despite how they act, are natures most efficient killing machines, They like to sleep high up for safety, they are keenly aware of any noise in the house, they will hang out in boxes to reduce their blindside areas. Yet with me, they are 100% trusting and loving. They roll over for bellyrubs (supposedly a sign of ultimate trust, exposing their most vulnerable area), all they want is my attention, and they trust me implcitly to provide and care for them, and are seemingly 1000% certain I will bring them no harm.
How wonderful would it be if we could bring that kind of trust into a dynamic? The answer is, we can. But it did not happen overnight with my 2 furry roomies, It took time to earn that trust with them. And, I never violated that trust either. I never smacked them around, verbally abused them, starved them, or mistreated them in any manner. Have I ever corrected them? Of course, especially when training them or stopping bad behavior. But even that corrective action was normally more showing displeasure than anything physical.
Do they get the occasional "Good kitty" and a whole bunch of pets ... of course!!! I also give them freedom and accept them as they are, without reservation, as they do me. And call me crazy if you want to, but BOTH of them seem to know if I have had a rough day when I get home, because they will INSIST on taking turns laying on my chest and purring and pawing.
In short, I earned their trust, and they see me as the "alpha" in the group, the established leader if you will. Now I am NOT advocating treating your Sub like a pet, but I am saying there are ALOT of commonalities in earning their trust, and by extension their submission ....
And so ends my kittie comparison! Hope you enjoyed it!
