It is one of life’s most pleasant and endearing moments when you see your pets give each other affection. The charming feeling cannot be suitably expressed in simple words for one is immediately in mind of Louis Armstrong’s song “What a Wonderful World”, and that delightful Dulux advertisement a few years back involving the frolicking elephants.
When your cat edges up to his friend and playfully head butts him insisting on attention, while the other cat willingly obliges and grabs him around the neck, starts grooming him and mischievously bites his ear when said cat starts enjoying himself too much, some primordial and instinctive affection for the arrogant creatures builds in you and it is nearly impossible to curb the urge to join in.
The act of cleaning and maintaining each others appearance is a form of bonding between the animals, and the reason we find the act so emotionally appealing is because we recognise the similar behavioural tendencies in our own species.
