There are two kinds of people really; people who like cats and people who think they don’t like cats. I used to be the person who didn’t like cats until I went to visit a shelter where my cats chose me. They bring so much joy into our lives.
When the shelter owner said, “How susceptible we are to a cat’s meow”, she smiled wide because she was thinking about her cat meowing. Honestly it’s like my chips drop and I am instantly disarmed when I hear a cat meowing. A cat could murder the whole world and meow at me and I will forgive and forget.
When I first got cats I didn’t know they were untrainable…so I trained them! One of my kitties will kiss me when I say, “kiss-kiss.” Another just kisses me and her siblings all the time. All three are incredibly cuddly and loving. So blessed to be tamed by those cutie pies.
Cats are amazing just being cats as any other species is also incredible by its own way. Cats are not genetically enslaved to humans. They don’t beg for your approval. They don’t tolerate abuse, and they mostly don’t push your boundaries just to get attention, they do it because they need something from you. When a cat is nice to you, you know it’s because it actually likes you. Cats are still semi-wild and not completely under your control. They treat you more as a friend than a master. You need to earn a cat’s trust through time, and once they accept you, they shower affection on you. This is again unlike dogs, which are way more one-dimensional, predictable and easy to befriend. Introverted people who like their space relate better to cats than dogs which are aggressively social. That’s why, I like cats, because they are independent and they will do whatever they want, whenever they want, but they are so loyal to the people they love.
I just realized some who have deep affection for cats admire the independence, the self-possesion, their athletic prowes, the pointed ears on the top of their heads, the expressive tail, the long whiskers jutting to each side of their heads, and the many other aspects and characteristics of cats that are decidedly not human-like. Those wonderful cats have cared for me as much as I’ve cared for them. Although I love all animals, I choose to live with cats. One more thing that could’ve be mentioned is how they tend to quickly bring you out of a sad mood.
When I struggled with my life, one of my cat, named Miri, was sometimes the only thing that kept me alive. I couldn’t find love or joy for anything or anyone, but her, because she made me feel things again. If I cried a lot, she would look at me with her big eyes all sad, if I got mad, she would hide under the bed, if I couldn’t sleep she would distract me, if I sat still for too long, she would bring me toys and wanted to play. So, she made me feel again. And she comes from a shelter and I thought if I died, she would have to go back and I couldn’t bear that thought, because she had a hard life there before I got her.
Miri was my soul mate for five years, she was so affectionate, and loyal to me. I could sense her passion about our friendship and the way she could feel my pains, happiness or even emotions. She even licks my tears whenever I was sad, and she would give her love just to me. She also love my brother but not with the same loyalty and affection. She used to sleep on top of my pillow, her tail would just wagging on my face during the whole night long. When she started purring, that sound would just makes me relax and feel secured. It happens on few occasions where I’ve kissed her on her tiny lips, she would then bite my lower lip very gently. So I would understand that she was kissing me back. My Miri had been diagnostic with Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) on March 2022. After three weeks, she’s been putting to sleep. I missed her so much as Miri was the best companion someone can have. When they gave her the injection to sleep, she looked into my eyes as if she was saying goodbye and that was the last second of her life. (But that’s okay, I am all fine, now)
When I said, “When you love cat, you gotta show the world”, I mean it. Maybe if I was asked to write, “why do I like cats?” and “why should you have a cat?,” it will be a very thick book. I have admitted so many times that cats are special creature for me. I continue to live with my cats from my childhood along with unexplained happiness all along. Just looking at cats go about their daily routines can entertain you indefinitely!
