Dear Prudence,
My retired mother and I are currently in an adorable dilemma: Her cats like me more than they do her! Now that she’s retired, my mom feels a bit lonely and she decided to adopt a cat to keep her company during the day. However, ever since I switched to working from home, this cat has decided that I am her favorite chair. I thought this problem could be fixed if we simply got my mom another cat, but the second kitten ended up being bonded to the first cat and now they both hang out on my lap! My mom handles food (and all of the cats’ favorite activities like playtime) while I am only on litter duty, and they still prefer me over her! She’s a rather loud person, so that is likely why they prefer me over her. I know the best solution is to simply get a dog, but she has a bad hip and due to my chronic illness, I wouldn’t be able to walk the dog or help it burn its energy. My mom is a little sad her cats clearly prefer me instead (the first cat will tolerate her presence but she makes it clear she likes me more, while the second kitten spends all of her time in my room). Any advice on how to either get the cats to like her more or another hobby to occupy her with? These cats feel more like my cats now and I feel bad about it.
—Cat Napper