Cats and Bonding

Muffin Asked to Take a Walk

But she would not move

Muffin blocks the door while her mom prepares to leave for work. Photo by the author.

After a two-day, 1,000-mile drive from Minnesota, I arrived at my wife Kazumi’s apartment in Atlanta. When she opened the door, I held her and our cat, Muffin, in my arms.

We remained connected by near-daily video calls during my three-month absence. Even though I spoke to Muffin, she paid little…