French writer Theophile Gautier said that although gaining the friendship of a cat is a ticklish business, for it has very fixed ways and clear ideas of what it wants, anyone who does so will find that a cat is a faithful companion in good times and bad.

Gautier notes that a cat who has accepted you as a friend will demand exclusivity. He will no longer seek the companionship of other cats, preferring to spend all his time around you; but equally, he will expect you to spend your time with him, and such is his almost human intelligence and affection that no one could refuse.

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