Cats are People, Too!
If you’re not a ‘cat person’ then don’t bother to read this. On the other hand, maybe you should read it and possibly understand furry felines a little better.
Cats have been part of my world for most of my adult life, and they have rewarded me with companionship (when they wish), learning the art of compromise, understanding a different language and confirming the psychic connection to name a few.
A cat can sit and stare at you or something outside a window or at each other for countless minutes. One can only imagine what they are thinking or planning.
A cat will cuddle up to you when they feel safe and all of the their needs are met. It matters little that you might be trying to nibble away at a meal while watching your favorite movie. After all, you only need one hand to feed your face, right? Why not brush the cat with the other hand? Perfectly reasonable (to any cat).
If a cat doesn’t like the food you present to them, they will often turn their back and sit there waiting to see if you can do better. One trick I learned after years of opening many different cans of food: outwait them. If that’s all they’re going to get, somehow it’s not so bad after all.
A cat will come and tell you to ‘change the litterbox’. If you are off schedule — yes, cat’s are very much about schedules — they will let you know.
And cat owners can attest to merely thinking of something cat-related, and suddenly a cat appears (or disappears, depending on circumstances).
Possibly a cat’s most human-like trait is waiting until you’re on the telephone, then raising a full roof-raising ruckus! If that isn’t reminiscent of a two-year old child’s behavior, nothing is! In fact, sometimes I think of cats as perpetual two-year old children, regardless of their feline age. It’s all about me, me, me, and they do know how to say no, no, no, even if it is spoken in feline.
But regardless of their wiles and woes, we love them. We love them because they are a lot like humans. Independent, stubborn, unpredictable, yet lovable enough to make us keep on caring. Those are some of the same reasons some people prefer dogs. Ah, but that’s another story altogether.