Paul this is a classic area of human/feline communications failure.
According to Desmond Morris it is because cats hate being stared at.
Cat walks into room & is met by the adoring gaze of cat lovers.
Cat non-lover looks at carpet, ceiling,curtains anything but the cat.
"Oh",thinks Tiddles,"their's one human who really understands our ways, I must go & thank him."
Seems plausible to me, what do you think?