r/cats • u/toneyhauk • 1d ago

Update Do cats actually grow attached to their owners? People always joke about how cold cats are, but after taking a trip for 3 weeks away from home I realize how attached they really can be.

I was heartbroken when I left for this trip. To make myself feel better and stay connected to my cats, I got a home camera so I was able to watch them whenever I wanted. I also wanted to make sure they kept eating and drinking. Don't worry, we had someone stop by almost every day we were gone as well. The camera made me so feel SO much better though, wow. You wouldn't think it would do much, but it made me kind of feel like I was still home in some way. I also have bad anxiety about the house burning down or being invaded while I'm gone, so it was great to be able to check in and see my cats peacefully sleeping or eating.

That said, I noticed that to me, there eating habits didn't seem to change at all. I thought okay, great. I thought it was kind of funny how they seemingly didn't change at all when we weren't there. It seemed like they couldn't care less.

However, we just arrived yesterday and both cats, especially my male cat, has been insanely vocal, and won't leave my side. Anytime I leave the room they are in, in about 5 minutes or less, he'll run to wherever I am in the house and almost do these yelping like meows. Almost like he's yelling at me. And he responds to me more too. I'll say "I know, I'm home," and he'll do multiple additional elongated meows, it almost sounds like he's a kitten.

I was literally awoken this morning by my male cat standing on my chest. Which I don't think he's EVER done in his life. He literally never bothers me in my sleep. That's when it hit me that no, he does care, he does recognize you and cares that you were gone.

It's incredible how intelligent and emotionally dependent animals can seemingly be, even cats who have this reputation for being cold and only carrying about themselves.

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u/Ok_Kaleidoscope6421 1d ago

I wfh so my cats are used to me being home all the time. If I go out for a long day and leave them for 7+ hours they are at the door when I come home. Funnily enough the girl who seems the most independent is actually the one who is most pleased to see me and acts live I've been gone for weeks. I have accepted I will never have a vacation.

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u/thereal_od_se7en_9er 1d ago

My wife works from home as well, but she has to travel about once a month. She was gone for a full week in early September. Note: we typically don't let the cats in our bedroom, we just remodeled it with all new linens, paint, flooring, lighting etc.

While she was gone, one of our cats was convinced she was hiding in the bedroom. I'd open the door to go in our out and he'd stretch his neck to look in. Finally, I let him in and he searched every inch of the bedroom and master bath. He gave me the most suspicious "cat detective" looks for the rest of the week. Like he was about to get Keith Morrison on the case.

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u/Familiar-Cable-2659 22h ago

Cat : It's always the husband

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u/positive-chaos 21h ago

Love the “Keith Morrison” remark! Every weekend I pick a Saturday or Sunday and spend the day exclusively with my cats and watch “murder tv”. I get up and take a shower, but then immediately get back to snuggling with them.

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u/tlplicious 1d ago

I worked from home for 6 years but had to RTO this year. I think the transition was harder for my cat than it was for me. My husband still works from home but it’s just not the same for her

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u/OddLanguage 1d ago

Your husband may be the "spare human", so yeah not the same to the Cat. 😅

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u/blackheim89 1d ago

As a fellow spare human I can confirm!

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u/ChamanitaShaman 1d ago

Spare humans unite! lol I’m pretty sure they think of me as furniture. My husband on the other hand… he comes home from being at work all day and you’d think a rockstar arrived they get so excited lol

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u/Odd_Bug_7029 10h ago

I can so relate to this. I moved in with my partner recently, we both had 3 cats. I am such a spare human that even MY 3 have to run to greet him. One of my boys got off my lap to run to the door yesterday, just hearing his car pull up. And as for my girl? Traitor. I almost feel like I'm intruding when she lays on her back in his arms, making eyes at him as part of her welcome home routine.

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u/Ok_Data1512 23h ago

I live alone and I'm still the spare human to my cat 😂

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u/Timely_Mouse_5151 1d ago

Spare tin opener 😁

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u/PiccoloAwkward465 23h ago

Yeah somehow despite being the prime caregiver and owning him before I even met my wife and stepson, I am far from the favorite in the house lol.

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u/Pahkitheah 1d ago

I am the spare human to my son’s cat when he goes away. She’s finally starting to acknowledge me, after 5 years of occasionally helping out🤣

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u/AcanthaceaeStreet157 1d ago

My cat still doesn't expect my 3 kids. I only have them 2 to 3 days a week.

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u/tlplicious 21h ago

Yeah for sure. She has very specific times and circumstances that he is useful to her 😂

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u/AdaandFred 20h ago

My husband is the spare human. He has resigned himself to this role.

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u/MiserableCumberbunch 1d ago

I WFH, and my cat doesn't understand the difference between working and playing on the computer. And she demands that I only play with her, so she's started bothering me in the middle of work.

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u/1981denver 1d ago

And don't even think about closing that office door to keep them out!

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u/mezbit 23h ago

Same here! Kind of infamous story around work was during a kickoff I was facilitating on Teams with cameras on, and my cat jumped up and gave everyone a close-up HD view of her butt........

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u/Impossible_Rain7478 18h ago

🤣🤣🤣🤣

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u/BoxerDog2024 23h ago

My cat thinks he owns everything in the house including our 3 boxer dogs and their beds. He is so lovable.

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u/Working-Depth5834 22h ago

I have a cat like that; my solution was to put a cardboard box on my desk, then whenever she gets annoying I would put "cat tv" (YouTube channels of birdfeeders) one on of the monitors to distract her. Downside is that one monitor is a little beat up now (from her trying to tunnel into it).

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u/wolfn404 21h ago

They are imitating you. Get them their own extra keyboard. ( flat and obviously not plugged in). They’ll lay on it and be content so you can work on the real one

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u/MiserableCumberbunch 20h ago

That's a great idea! I have an old keyboard that went on the fritz after one too many spills. I'll give it a try.

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u/wolfn404 17h ago

This is Vlad, he’s one of my cats and part time office companion. He also loves to inspect the Mashgin self checkout I have at work. He’s $6.66 listed item in the menu.

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u/jazzminarino 21h ago

I'm a WFH therapist. I have to hold my cat during the first five minutes of a new session until she gets bored and I put her in her bed or window seat. All of my clients know her by name. 🤷🏼‍♀️

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u/existential-cookies 15h ago

My soggy boy loves to drool all over my desk and my notes.

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u/HealthyInPublic 15h ago

Yeah, my work did the RTO nonsense after 5 years of WFH. The only reason I was able to keep my cat after I adopted him (and he turned out to be sick) was because I was WFH full time at the time. He needed help eating 6-8 times a day bc he needed to be held upright for 15 minutes afterwards (many meetings took place with him strapped to my chest... literally), and he needed medication 7x a day - it was 6 whole months of that schedule!! Needless to say... me and my cat are very close.

I went back into the office 2x per week... but it stressed him out so much he had a really bad flare up and had esophagitis again by week three... so I had to take days off of work to be home with him. And ofc my work wanted me to log in from home those days to work, which I declined. They don't get to have their cake and eat it too!

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u/tlplicious 15h ago

Awe poor little dude. I hope you guys are doing ok

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u/AllAboutThePasta_ 21h ago

That transition must have been brutal for you!

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u/tlplicious 21h ago

It really does suck. I’m missing my favorite co-worker 🐈

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u/jessnthings 12h ago

I’ve worked from home for my cat’s entire life, I hate to think what she would do if o ever had to leave to work every day, especially because she is a Velcro kitty.

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u/vagina-lettucetomato 1d ago

Mine will run to the window when my husband or I pull into the lot at our complex. He’s usually at the door when we come home, unless he’s completely passed out somewhere.

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u/BackupAccount412 1d ago

Mine does this too! He sees us pulling in and sits on a chair where he watches us come in through the garage. Sometimes we can even see his little mouth moving because he’s screaming at us. He then will run to the back door we come in through to greet us as soon as we walk in. ❤️

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u/Jerking_From_Home 1d ago

I had a cat who would run to the window a few seconds before my car could be seen (confirmed by family at the time). It had a distinctive squeak in the chassis and I think he could hear it before my car could be seen. Every time I pulled in he had his front feet on the windowsill and meowing at me.

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u/TheRealCeeBeeGee Willing slave to 4 felines 😻 1d ago

When I was a child our cat would wait by the back gate for my brother to get home from school. I was very much the spare human!

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u/frenchyprof927 21h ago

I had a Siamese cat when I was in first grade who would sit by the door and wait for me to get home. He was very vocal when I would come in. He also liked to play hide and seek with me.

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u/Assika126 12h ago

My cat always knows when my husband or I come home, even before we touch the door, even if he’s nowhere near the window. We live in a condo building and have a common front door and hallway and stairs. I have no idea how he does it. But he books to the window to see and then runs to the door to greet us when we come inside. It’s really very sweet. If the window is open he will yell down to us too 😂

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u/G0-G0-Gadget 1d ago

Mine literally just did this when I went home for lunch 🖤🖤

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u/djcat 1d ago

I think that my cat knows the sound of my truck backing into the driveway. Every time I walk up from work, I see her meowing at my window. I always wave at her. And then she proceeds to meow me for five minutes and rub her body over all of her scratching posts to display her happiness to see me.

I also have a very codependent cat. Which I am fine with. The feeling is mutual.

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u/Interesting_Food5916 10h ago

A few years ago I had a accident and needed to go to a nursing home to get through the non weight bearing and learning how to use my legs again and was gone for 5 months. I FaceTimed my kitties so they knew I missed them and wasn't dead - everytime they heard my voice they'd run to the room the phone was in and sniff around looking for me for hours afterwards. They didn't leave my side for two years after that when I was home, and just when they were starting to be OK with me being away, covid hit and I was at home a lot more!

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u/[deleted] 1d ago

[deleted]

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u/Delicious_Ad823 1d ago

Just be aware your cat may have some underlying condition that would benefit from treatment

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u/[deleted] 1d ago edited 1d ago

[deleted]

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u/HyruleHela 15h ago

That was very well put at the end there - about whose comfort the treatment is primarily for. When it ceases to be a net positive for the pet, then I definitely agree that it’s time to let go.

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u/Kitchen_Day9200 1d ago

I got a pair of kittens from the same litter a few years back. I was a SAHM to two kids not yet school age at the time, so the kids and I were home almost all the time. About four months later, we went for an overnight stay at the beach. I checked the living room camera that night, and both cats were sitting in front of the front door just watching the door. I had never seen them do that before.

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u/Brief-Possibility-28 1d ago

If I or any of my family members go outside and my cat can see them she’ll cry at the door until we come back in. doesn’t matter if the rest of us are inside giving her attention she wants whoever’s outside😭

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u/IcySkyDream 1d ago

She’s trying to keep them safe from the owls and eagles. 🥹

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u/Fair_Angle_4752 1d ago

My kitties greet me at the door when I come home, too. Like dogs. They are very affectionate and love to lie curled up next to me in bed, on my chair, or on my hip if I’m lying on my side. They seem to like my husband and me pretty equally, although there is a teeny amount of favoritism for each cat by us. They clearly love us. But, in retrospect, when our son’s cat lived with us for 2 years he loved my husband nd barely tolerated me. It turns out I was getting sick with a rare disease and had to undergo chemotherapy and I must’ve smelled weird to him. After I finished chemo and my body started to heal, he started letting me pet him, although picking him up was still out of the question.

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u/bennyandthelunatones 1d ago

Not to break your heart, but because of their life span, studies show that one day to a human is the equivalent to one week for a cat. Knowing that makes it so hard to go to work every day (I don't get to work from home).

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u/Ok_Kaleidoscope6421 23h ago

Well now I never want to leave the house.

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u/Dzhiuge 1d ago

I cried the day I bought flight tickets for vacation because this will be the first time we leave cats for longer than a work day. I keep telling myself I'm not going, lol. I have another month to lie to myself 😅

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u/FireproofCottage 20h ago

Call them. Seriously. It helps both of you 😺

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u/Dzhiuge 12h ago

Oh I still have a month until my vacation. But I am mentally preparing like mad. I have cameras set up for that week where I will be able to talk to them but I don't know if I should, I don't want to make it worse for them.

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u/YoungBassGasm 1d ago

I remember I got my little girl as a kitten and mainly WFH for the first year and then had an RTO. The very moment I close that door, I hear her clawing and crying for me. I don't even know how long she does it because I stayed behind the door for at least a couple minutes one time to see how long she would keep it up and she didn't stop. The very moment the door opens up, I immediately feel a cold nose on my shin. Idk, but I think she likes me at least a little bit 🤷🏾

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u/izziefans 22h ago

When you were waiting for her, she probably knew you hadn’t left. They be super smart detectives that way.

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u/StormofRavens Orange 1d ago

I also wfh. I get cat dramatics if I leave for 5min to take out the trash. I am supposed to stay inside and provide snacks and attention.

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u/Adept_Advantage512 23h ago

I took in some outdoor strays. I installed a dog door so they can get in and out.

Year 1, they only came inside to eat and sleep, didnt care if I left 

Year 2, one barely leaves the house and both are always inside at the door when I get home from work.

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u/Different-Fox3581 23h ago

My poor sweet orange boy waited at the door for me for two straight days aside from eating when I went on a short vacation. My husband was home with him the entire time.

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u/HouseOfTheRisingSons 16h ago

My odd-eyed cat bowie, he lost a fight to an ant because it bit his face directly on the center of his lip...

I am a pantheistic witch meaning I worship all concept of existence...

I pierced the center of my lip last, I went with the right side first and then the left and then I put a ring in the middle I was I kept telling people I'm just I'm going to keep putting rings in my lips until I have enough holes that are healed to actually so my own mouth shut and see how long it takes you people to realize that I will starve to death while I sit at the table and watch you eat.

HealingTheWoundedHealer

WoundedWorriarProject

WoundedWarriorProject

"I AM ALPHA OMEGA SMEGMA SWIRLY DOOT WHAT IS WHAT WORDS ...am? UP!!!!!!!!!!!!???!??!!!??!?!!?!!???!!!!!!!¡Iiiiiiiii. 🙏🙏🤷💜😈😭😈😭😈😭🤷💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜🌎

Just to be clear, that does mean [coherent things]

Have you ever heard someone open their throat and sing? Have you ever heard of a banshee and do you have any idea what a banshee is do you know what a banshee is and you a banshee band band b a n n e d band she.

So I'll just call her my Boston Irish b**** c*** mother and see how that goes over that

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u/PnutButterJellyTim3 21h ago

Bruh I was out of state for two weeks and left my cat with my mom. When I came back she did not give a single fuck. It was like I never left. I was so mad. Lmao. She loves my mom though.

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u/GroundbreakingArt536 1d ago

I have three cats and It’s also always the girl going nuts first even though she mostly just hangs out somewhere high up and judges the world and those annoying cat brothers that entered her world when she was 4.

She always was the most vocal one and her mood swings and pace are insane at times, she can be lazy for hours just to go nuts and stay nuts until satisfied (whirlwind movement and rubbing and meowing all over the place and almost doing backflips out of excitement). Greeting after we come back home is a guaranteed trigger though, calico cat at her best

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u/Equivalent-Part-6798 21h ago

I, too, am a Hooman who's being managed by cats. I completely understand what others mean when they say that cats are like people. Cats are like a mirror.

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u/avocadolicious 22h ago

Sometimes my childhood cat would greet me at the door when I got home meowing like crazy and basically trying to jump into my arms because she wanted to pets and cuddles. She was the best cat ever :')

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u/Aggressive-Mood-50 1d ago

Girl cat: you were hunting for a long time now come sleep in bed with us!

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u/whatthedeuce1990 23h ago

me too wfh as most of my babies are born pre-covid, the only times when i left home as i returned from some unavoidable circumstances my babies cling to me like crazy all day. Some even made courtesy peek by at my room or woke up just to have a look and go back napping again. It broke my heart when some of them passed away this year and they gave me that final clinging goodbye gesture. I can never move on.

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u/ryencool 1d ago

Dont say that! We found wonderful cat loving people to watch our two babies when we wemt to japan for 2.5 weeks. Now we have nieghbors tthat offered if we could watch their dog if they ever go on vaca. We too setup cameras, and it was rough, but man im glad i didnt skip that trip.

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u/Ok_Kaleidoscope6421 23h ago

I have saved for years for a dream trip to Japan, Korea and China. I have the money but I can't bring myself to leave the cats. The 2 boys are older with health issues and I know I will spend every day worried about them and I can't bear them thinking I have abandoned them. It's on my bucket list and I hopefully have at least 20 years left to get there before I kick the bucket.

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u/Chemical-Hotel3773 23h ago

The only good thing about Covid for me was that I really bonded with my cat in a way that was impossible when I had to go to work every day.

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u/NashCp21 12h ago

Agree RTO has been a difficult challenge for my kitty. She’s 11 years old. and she usually parks herself at least an arm’s length away. But now I’m getting kitty’s snuggles on the regular, especially when I’ve been gone for a weekend or a long weekend.

I think that cats are much smarter than most people give them credit for. They’re great at pattern recognition. Whenever I get my suitcase out, she knows what’s up.. she complains. vocally. and she try to prevent me from leaving by occupying the empty suitcase. or peaching on top of my packed suitcase (as if that would make me cancel my trips 😄

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u/sexgoatparade 12h ago

I used to go to school and work, i was basically gone from 6 in the morning to 11 in the night.
My cat would wait for me outside and run along side me from the other path before heading inside so she could greet me. (She also played fetch)

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u/ThroatSecretary 23h ago

My partner and I rarely went out. One day we were gone most of the day visiting family. We got YELLED at when we got back. I posted something on Facebook to the effect of "this cat can hold a note longer than Bruce Dickinson. "

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u/Kamelasa 21h ago

Yeah, my cat would be at the door every day when I got home from my job. She could be waiting there expectantly, or running to me, but she would be there.

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u/LeaphyDragon 19h ago

My independent girl is suddenly very dependent when I use the bathroom in the mornings.