It’s because the cats give genuine affection, no strings attached, except for a couple of helpings of Meow Mix every day.
yes, and none of that leaving a bowl full for them to snack at will. Nooo, the servant human must put food in the bowl more than once per day. And if the food separates and the bottom of the bowl is visible, well, human has not done the servant job properly. As the saying goes, dogs have owners, cats have staff.