Pets Crave Privacy Sometimes

At least, that has been my experience

After lunch, I was looking for my cat, Opal.

“Do you know where she is?” I asked Mom.

“Isn’t she with you?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

“Did you look in your closet?” asked Mom.

I turned the light on in my bedroom closet, and there she was, in a back corner, lying on a nest of my favorite sheets.

Seeing how comfortable she looked, I apologized for bothering her, turned off the light, and let her be.

That cat I had prior to Opal, Snoopy, had also sometimes craved privacy. Her space, however, was the basement. She’d get quite annoyed if we went down there to do laundry, turning on the lights and invading what she considered her personal fiefdom. It got to the point that she would jump up from the stairs to turn off the lights to discourage us.

While dogs are, in general, social beings, even they sometimes want to be left alone.

This is particularly true of older dogs, but even puppies are not always in the mood to play.

I’ve found a crate works really well for providing a dog with a safe space to find some privacy. Line it with his favorite blanket, keep the door open so he can go in and out as he likes, and position it so it provides him some privacy while still giving him a decent view of what the family is up to.

What about other types of pets?

I personally have not had anything besides cats and dogs, but I suspect other pets also like occasional space. Some, like horses, naturally want to be part of a herd, however, and so they may not need space. Others might prefer to avoid having friends altogether.

Just like I try to create space for myself and my mother, I also try to respect the needs of my pets. At the very least, if they want to curl up in a back corner of my closet, I know to leave them alone!

Note: The cat in the image up top is not Opal. I didn’t want to disturb her by shooting pictures of her when she wanted her space!

Thank you for reading this article. I hope you found it interesting.

I am fighting stage IV cancer. If you can help with medical bills, I would really appreciate it. Or if you enjoy my writing and would like to buy me a cup of coffee, that’s great too. Maybe someday I can return the favor.