amyvernon:

Every time.

There’s actually a reason cats do this (and I’m only sharing because I see a lot of memes about it lately with no mention of it).

For the same reason that cats will gravitate towards your guest who is not a cat person, your cat is more likely to come and show affection when you are ignoring them or otherwise preoccupied. It has to do with how cats perceive body language. In nature, a cat will show another cat it is friendly, non-aggressive, and/or means no harm by turning away or not looking at the cat.

So when a cat walks into a room and sees you not making eye contact or acknowledging it, it actually perceives that as welcoming and warm.

They are like creatures from Bizarro World, in other words.