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In my cat Bhutu's case, neither my mom or I feeds the cat. It is the two maids who feed the cat. Yet she showers all her affection on my mom and me.

She is just friendly towards the two maids.

Is this natural cat behavior? Also, does it happen in all cats?

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Food is just part of the story with a cat's affections. Although some people say cats "don't feel love", this is not particularly true, and they can bond deeply with people who are kind to them. If you and your mother have spent time with the cat, shared your affection with her by petting, grooming, talking and playing with her, or allowed her to rub against your legs or sleep on or near you, you've formed a bond that goes beyond being a mere source of food, and she considers you part of her family.

Most cats will bond with people who they share lots of positive social interactions with, so if your maids are around a lot and play or cuddle with the cat, she might start to share her love with them as well. If your cat has negative interactions with the maids, even accidental ones (like for example, if they don't notice she is asleep in the room and turn on the vacuum, scaring her), she will probably continue to be more distant with them.

There is also some truth to the idea that cats just love who they love, and may choose a favorite person in the family with no obvious reason, even if everyone in the household equally feeds and pets them. Anecdotally, some breeds are more likely to be 'one person cats' than others, and this mainly comes down to personality of the cat.

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  • You are right the maids don't spend much time with Bhutu, they just doo their duty to feed Bhutu, She spends most of the time with us. Also can you elaborate this? Bhutu plays only with me and she loves that. And she will sleep only on mom's lap and she loves that. She will not play with mom and not sleep on my lap. Also whenever she is distress she runs for cover in mom's lap, not in any hiding place.
    – Sonevol
    Jan 7, 2019 at 12:33
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    Just like any person may have some friends they confide in during hard times, and some they like to have fun with, and some they just talk to casually, but still care for each of them, pets and animals have surprisingly complex social relationships. How they interact with each person can depend on both their needs and wants, and what they consider their human friends to want. For example, some people have found if they have a cat that likes to play with them by rarely snuggles, when they get a serious illness and can no longer play, the cat will start to snuggle more and to comfort them.
    – Meg
    Jan 7, 2019 at 14:05

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