One of the little, endearing things about Baldur's Gate 3 that sticks with me is how Scratch calls you "friend". Not "owner" or "master". From his point of view, that is perfectly logical. It has made me think about how my own pets and I interact and they they likely perceive me.
To the cats, I'm a big cat who protects them but is too inept to hunt. They try to lick because that's how cats socialize. They try to bite because that's how cats play. They eat when I walk in the room because they want me to know I make them feel safe. They show their bellies because they want me to know that they trust me.
They meow at me because I never learned to speak cat properly.
I never even considered giving Scratch "back". He's family now.