By Abby Hudson, sophomore writing coach
Cats. Everyone knows them, and most love them. Except for some Europeans during a moment in the Middle Ages who decided cats were evil and should be killed (which, funnily enough, potentially helped to spread the Black Plague when the rat population subsequently skyrocketed). But are cats really all that wonderful? Yes. Yes they are. And here is why.
Pet? No. Strange friend thing? Yes.
If you decide to have a cat as a pet, instead of getting an animal that’s as cute as a baby—but also as high-maintenance as one—you’re getting an animal that acts like a teenager, mostly capable of taking care of itself while also disappearing into its own personal pocket dimension at random times. Each cat has a unique personality that it won’t hesitate to show you by performing new hit songs in the bathroom for the massive audience consisting of you and yourself, or intently staring into the corner in a way that makes you wonder if there are ghosts on the ceiling. Cats are happy to ignore you all day until they hear that tell-tale sound of a can opening, and then you’re suddenly their bestest friend and how could you not know that? If you attempt to capture their adorable-ness in a pic, they’ll undoubtedly move the second before you snap that perfect shot, which I know from many, many failed attempts (curse you, Pharaoh the housecat!), but will eventually grace your photo collection with immeasurable cute ones such as this.
Even though cats hardly bat an eye when you leave for your day of school or work, strangely enough, they’re always there at the door when you come back. They’ll be happy to lend an ear when you rave about your favorite show or need to rant about life’s injustices. When there’s a spider on your wall, you won’t need to summon up the courage to squish it, because your feline roommate’s already been stalking it and will eventually eat it (they did this years ago too when the pest was rats and cats were guarding food sources) (Zax, 2007). And don’t worry—cats will warm up your favorite spot on the couch, or maybe settle for sitting on your lap instead as a compromise, keeping you both cozy in the dead of winter.
They want affection…just when you least expect it
Imagine this: it’s a Tuesday night, you’re swamped with homework, you have two tests to study for tomorrow and a paper due on Thursday that you still need to start (you realize the Writing Center would be a great place to seek help with that and promptly go to set up an appointment during MAST), and you can feel the stress slowly building up. Soon enough, you’re tense enough to snap at anything and everything that does the smallest thing to set you off. It’s infuriating. You promised yourself it was just going to be five more minutes before you took a break—but that was half an hour ago when you first started your chemistry homework.
Then, suddenly, you get a face full of fur. Lo and behold, it’s the feline that you tried to pet three hours ago, but who just walked away when you tried. And now, while you’re busy and stressed and not in the mood, your roommate wants attention. They won’t leave until you scratch that place behind their ears they oh-so-love, and you begrudgingly oblige. It’ll only take two seconds, right?
And then your cat starts purring. When you move your hand away, she looks so sad, so you sigh and keep petting her. Two seconds turns into a minute, which turns into five, and you only realize it’s been fifteen minutes when you laugh at how your cat just batted the toy she’d somehow procured. You still have that math test to study for. But now, as you go to sit back down at your desk, you find that strangely…your stress is gone. And you can focus more than when you were lamenting about how to get this and this and all those things done.
Did your cat just make you relax? Without you knowing? Yes, yes they did. Do they also help to lower your risk of a heart attack and boost your immune system? Yep (B.V. Center, 2019).
So many memes it’s a cat-tastrophe
We were all children once. We all had that weird obsession with Nyan Cat and Pusheen. Don’t even get me started with Bongo Cat. This cat obsession wasn’t only in our own generation—even in the late 1800s and 1900s, some of the first cat memes were getting started thanks to Louis Wain and his hilarious illustrations (Bryll, 2020).
Getting a cat not only reintroduces you to all the wonders of that extremely popular side of the internet but also gives you 24/7 access to your own personal cat memes. It’s wonderful to have that little spark of unexpected happiness. You will be constantly laughing when your cats think that it’s very smart to sleep in the sink and then blame you when they’re wet and keep doing so for all the time you’ve had them. I use these two pictures of Vivaldi to measure how much he’s grown since he started sleeping in my sink.
In conclusion, not only are cats the best animal ever, but they are also the most amazing form of matter to ever exist. Yes, I have a love-hate relationship with my two ginger-furred sons when they conspire to steal my dinner off my plate. But, no, I would never give them up for anything. And if you like felines as much as I do, then maybe you should consider trading those pictures of cats on your screen for a new friend of your own.
References:
Bryll, M. W. (2020, November 9). Louis Wain and His Weird Cats | DailyArt Magazine.
DailyArtMagazine.com – Art History Stories.
https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/louis-wain-cats/
Center, B. V. (2019, April 17). Meow! Benefits of Owning A Cat. Berkeley Veterinary Center.
https://www.berkeleyvetcenter.com/blog/meow-benefits-of-owning-a- cat/#:~:text=Cats%20improve%20your%20physical%20health
Zax, D. (2007, June 30). A Brief History of House Cats. Smithsonian Magazine.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/a-brief-history-of-house-cats-158390681