There were other interesting findings too: in areas with high populations of cats they seem to settle into time-share arrangements with parts of their territory, they are not just purely "this is mine all the time".
This all gets messed up when new animals arrive or the habits if existing ones change, but it seems back into a new mostly stable pattern eventually.
I wonder what difference more human slaves being home all day over the last 18 months has made to all this, and how much disruption there is as we slip back into something more like older patterns.
The cats got shitty with us being in their territory all the time! We figure into their time-sharing as well, whether we know it or not.
They're not likely to care for us to not be there unless you change their meal time, reduce attention they want or go back to sending them outside all day. Our new feline took a particular liking to one of my boys when he was home from Uni and seemed put out when he left - she took to meowing in his room for the first week.
Dogs however love having the pack always there, and will be really put out as people go back to full-time office work.
My boss definitely missed her favourite slave being around when I went back to the office after lockdown 1. There have been a couple of long weekends for endurance running events in the last month or so, and she definitely puts on the "where have you been, I've been looking for you, look at me being cute, don't go away again" each time when I get back.
This all gets messed up when new animals arrive or the habits if existing ones change, but it seems back into a new mostly stable pattern eventually.
I wonder what difference more human slaves being home all day over the last 18 months has made to all this, and how much disruption there is as we slip back into something more like older patterns.