20 Things I've Learned From My Cat

by: Debra Wier

We’ve had the good fortune of sharing our home with our cat, Puddin’, for nearly 16 years now. This means she is going on 80 in human years. She was a young stray when we found her or rather, when she found us. She was hanging around the place I used to work and since she was so persistent with her little meow, I simply had to pet her. She certainly was a lovable cat. It was dark outside so I didn’t really get a good look at her.

After I came home from work, I told my husband about the cat and suggested we drive by there since we were going out. He said, “That cat isn’t gonna be there, that was 2 hours ago! Besides, what would we do with it?” Well I wanted to go back anyway, just in case. I really had no plans of taking her home, at least consciously. I mainly just wanted him to see her.

When we arrived back at the office, I got out of the car and called her. I said something goofy like, “Where’s Mom’s baby?” She instantly came running out from under a bush across the street. My husband said, “Well I’ll be damned!” I took this as some kind of sign and my husband just fell in love with her immediately. He said we needed to take her home and feed her because he could feel her ribs. “Yeah but we don’t even have a litter box or cat food or anything and I’m not sure I want an indoor cat. What if she has fleas?” I had a million excuses but we decided we’d just feed her and keep her as an outdoor cat. Yeah right! That idea lasted for all of about two seconds.

We took her home and since we didn’t have any cat food we gave her tuna and milk. We let her come in and we put the food on a plate in the foyer. She lapped everything up in record time. Now that I could see her in the light, I thought she was the most beautiful cat I’d ever seen. It was those huge eyes; so big and beautiful. She reminded me of an owl.

After her feast, we opened the door for her to leave but she didn’t want to go back outside. NO WAY! As far as she was concerned, she had hit the mother lode, the jackpot, the lottery! The funny thing is she’s never been out since! She loves being an indoor cat and loves living the life of Riley.

We originally named her Savannah but then started calling her Puddin’ because my Dad had affectionately called her that once. It was a name she responded to quite well and it seemed to be a better fit. So we kept calling her Puddin’ and it just stuck. She unfortunately has a slow metabolism, and is now a big fat butterball, weighing in at nearly 22 pounds. While she no longer does back flips and now needs to be carried up the stairs, she continues to bring us much joy.

If you are lucky enough to share your home with a cat, then you know the wonder of the fabulous feline. If you are one of those people who doesn’t like cats, I’m sorry to hear that. I don’t understand how anybody can dislike any animal; it makes no sense to me.

Animals behave as designed by nature. They are usually not mean spirited unless they are mistreated. Obviously, I wouldn’t have a pet shark because their behavior isn’t really all that compatible with humans.

Just because cats don’t jump all over you, slobber on you, and lick you to death doesn’t mean they don’t love you. They simply have a different way of showing it. Whenever I hear someone say they hate cats it reminds me of not liking someone because of their skin color. I guess prejudice isn’t limited to human beings.

There’s an Irish proverb that says, “Beware of anyone who dislikes cats”. My feeling is that people who don’t like cats simply don’t understand them or don’t take the time to.

I’d like to share a few things I’ve learned from my cat. If you’re a cat lover then you can relate, if you’re not, then I hope perhaps I’ve made you more open minded to enjoying these magnificent creatures.

Things I’ve learned from my cat:

1. Sleep does the body good

2. Comfort is highly underrated

3. Baroque music is soothing to the soul and silence is golden

4. Getting your back scratched is one of life’s great pleasures

5. You learn when you explore; after all, the world is your oyster

6. Stretching after a nap is highly recommended

7. Showing no expression makes us appear less judgmental

8. You can learn a great deal by being a good listener

9. Don’t hesitate to give affection to those you love

10. Your crap should be covered at all times

11. It’s essential to be fastidious with your grooming habits

12. Even if you’re smarter than everyone else, there’s no need to let it show

13. Don’t worry about what others think of you

14. It’s best to live life on your own terms

15. When you go out on a limb, be sure to land on your feet

16. A persistent little nudge can pay off big time

17. Attitude is everything. Even if you’re just a kitten, see yourself as a lion

18. Independence is wonderful and so is companionship

19. If you have that wide-eyed, innocent look, it’s easy to get anything you ask for

20. Purring is an excellent way to show appreciation