My life with cats
Oct. 25th, 2013 10:22 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wispfoxCurrently having no cat, I'm musing on why cats are so important to me.
We always had cats growing up. Usually ones that we found or that started hanging out outside our house.
I don't recall a time when a cat's behavior confused me that wasn't later determined to be illness or pain or something along those lines. I suspect that cat body language was my first language, and certainly the first nonverbal communication that I understood.
So being around a cat is relaxing in a way that humans, even the humans I love dearly, just isn't. I can know what to expect from a cat, and don't have to worry if I missed something or accidentally upset them or something.
Cats are warm, and soft, and their purrs are so soothing. They tend to cause people to interact with them in ways that are delightful to watch and experience ("you're a kitty!"). Ones which like humans (I wouldn't want one that did not) will tend to want to know what their humans are doing, so you will periodically notice that the cat appeared out of nowhere to figure out what you're up to.
Cats make me happy. Even in the middle of winter, they are a calm space, a space where I _know_ - even in the worst of my depression - that I'm loved and wanted and they welcome my presence. They may not manage to improve my mood at that point in time (hard to tell), but they at least offer a safe space in the midst of hardship.
Cats remind me to get out of my head. The first cat I got after I graduated college was, at least in part, to make sure that I continued to get out of bed and get things done in the middle of winter with no one else around. Cats need feeding, and their litterbox needs changing, and they can't do it themselves. At the time, I had forgotten all the other benefits I get from cats, as it had been a while.
Cats are sometimes silly creatures. I know that at least one of the cats that I have had would do things purely to entertain me. Ash pretty much didn't play, but every so often he would and I would laugh. I like to think that's why he did.
Playing with a cat is fun. You might see them make crazy leaps, or attempt to kill a small toy with their back legs, even though it's far too small to actually reach with those back legs.
Cats are, well, cats. They require far less work than most other pet animals. They don't need to go for walks (although some can be trained with a harness and _enjoy_ going outside on leash). They can typically get their exercise inside, especially if they have a feline companion with whom to play. They use a litterbox, rather than needing to be brought outside regularly. They don't have complicated food requirements, nor a cage to clean. They don't have a noticeable scent, and don't need regular baths (because they bathe themselves!).
Having a cat, in many ways, is a significant improvement to my life. They're a mood booster, a source of calm, a reminder to stop thinking so much (and a space in which I _can_ stop thinking so much), a tactile delight (fur and purrs)... Small furry companions are important to me, and they are one which doesn't take a huge amount of change in our lives to incorporate.
We always had cats growing up. Usually ones that we found or that started hanging out outside our house.
I don't recall a time when a cat's behavior confused me that wasn't later determined to be illness or pain or something along those lines. I suspect that cat body language was my first language, and certainly the first nonverbal communication that I understood.
So being around a cat is relaxing in a way that humans, even the humans I love dearly, just isn't. I can know what to expect from a cat, and don't have to worry if I missed something or accidentally upset them or something.
Cats are warm, and soft, and their purrs are so soothing. They tend to cause people to interact with them in ways that are delightful to watch and experience ("you're a kitty!"). Ones which like humans (I wouldn't want one that did not) will tend to want to know what their humans are doing, so you will periodically notice that the cat appeared out of nowhere to figure out what you're up to.
Cats make me happy. Even in the middle of winter, they are a calm space, a space where I _know_ - even in the worst of my depression - that I'm loved and wanted and they welcome my presence. They may not manage to improve my mood at that point in time (hard to tell), but they at least offer a safe space in the midst of hardship.
Cats remind me to get out of my head. The first cat I got after I graduated college was, at least in part, to make sure that I continued to get out of bed and get things done in the middle of winter with no one else around. Cats need feeding, and their litterbox needs changing, and they can't do it themselves. At the time, I had forgotten all the other benefits I get from cats, as it had been a while.
Cats are sometimes silly creatures. I know that at least one of the cats that I have had would do things purely to entertain me. Ash pretty much didn't play, but every so often he would and I would laugh. I like to think that's why he did.
Playing with a cat is fun. You might see them make crazy leaps, or attempt to kill a small toy with their back legs, even though it's far too small to actually reach with those back legs.
Cats are, well, cats. They require far less work than most other pet animals. They don't need to go for walks (although some can be trained with a harness and _enjoy_ going outside on leash). They can typically get their exercise inside, especially if they have a feline companion with whom to play. They use a litterbox, rather than needing to be brought outside regularly. They don't have complicated food requirements, nor a cage to clean. They don't have a noticeable scent, and don't need regular baths (because they bathe themselves!).
Having a cat, in many ways, is a significant improvement to my life. They're a mood booster, a source of calm, a reminder to stop thinking so much (and a space in which I _can_ stop thinking so much), a tactile delight (fur and purrs)... Small furry companions are important to me, and they are one which doesn't take a huge amount of change in our lives to incorporate.
no subject
Date: 2013-10-25 10:10 pm (UTC)Instead, I fell in love with elizabear and she came fully equipped with wonderful cats.