Although Trent Harwood of Nashville, Tennessee, does his best not to take things personally, he admitted to questioning whether his cat, Sheba, truly respects him.
"Sometimes I feel like she's playing with me," said Harwood of the alluring Abyssinian feline who moved in with him eight years ago. "She knows I'll do anything for her, and I can't help thinking she's milking it for all it's worth."
Among the erratic, almost borderline-personality behaviors that have caused Harwood to wonder if Sheba secretly despises him are her habits of biting his toes early in the morning while he's still sleeping and sneaking up behind him on the couch and pouncing on his head, and her never-ending demands for attention.
"She has to be the superstar all the time," said Harwood. "I don't mind sharing the spotlight, but a little reciprocation would be nice."
Still, despite his concerns about whether Sheba truly respects him, Harwood has vowed to hang in there for the long haul with the sleek, fine-boned female he considers his feline soul-mate. "Relationships are always challenging - and who knows? Maybe I'm even projecting my own insecurities onto her. At the end of the day, there's no one I'd rather snuggle up in bed with."
