he’s mirroring! cats do that to be social that’s also why they will lie on laptops or books. they want to do what their humans are doing because they enjoy being in the same room and socializing that way. getting him his own prayer mat was a really good idea bc now he gets to mirror without being in the way!
The other thing is that cats have a very good sense of time and tend to like regular schedules. If OP’s family members pray every day at the same times, in the same place, the cat knows the drill and probably considers this an official Household Activity which requires Feline Supervision.
¯_( ಠ_ಠ)_/¯ 