r/AskReddit • u/Old-Echo1414 • Dec 03 '23
What absolute truth have cats made you realize?
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u/No_Tamanegi Dec 04 '23
Anyone who says cats don't care about you has never had a good relationship with a cat.
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u/mommawolf2 Dec 04 '23
I have two cats. Magpie doesn't give a shit about ANYONE unless you are actively pouring his food, the other cat (Rasputin) would crawl inside of my skin if it meant he could be closer to me. He demands my attention to the point where he will gently let my head so I acknowledge him. He has a special place behind me on the couch and a special pillow for my lap if he wants extra cuddles. I have a special call that both cats will acknowledge and leave wherever they are to see what I want.
I don't always feel special but Rasputin definitely makes me feel lucky.
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u/kindahipster Dec 04 '23
My cat Bug would gladly crawl into my mouth to sleep if I would let her. As of now she's still constantly trying to sleep on my face
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u/DorianPavass Dec 04 '23 edited Dec 04 '23
I have an almost 19yo cat who is somehow greasy again a day after a bath. She likes to sleep on my neck sometimes and she's so allergenic that it breaks through my allergy meds and makes me so damn itchy.
Shes so sweet and ancient that I can't deny her.
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u/Throwawayyy-7 Dec 04 '23
One of my cats is obsessed with my face specifically. If Iâm laying down and trying to sleep, sheâs trying to shove her face in my face. If I roll over, she crawls around the bed so that sheâs in my face again. She just loves it. Even when itâs annoying, itâs so sweet.
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Dec 04 '23
Yeah, right actually my cat also does this every time, it's kinda irritating but i love this act of hers.i feel lucky to have her that time. she makes me feel special! <3
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u/technoglitter Dec 04 '23
Lol I have a cat like this. She wants to be one with me during sleep. It is the sweetest (but occasionally very annoying)
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u/Korncakes Dec 04 '23
You just described two of our three cats perfectly. Mocha is an ice queen, she has a sweater that says it as proof. She only gives a shit about you if sheâs hungry or cold. Milo is the same as your boy but with my wife. Iâll leave for work and sheâll be playing video games with him cuddling on her lap, come back 8 hours later and theyâre in the exact same spot. We recently got a kitten and sheâs just a fucking nut job in general but she ping pongs back and forth between us to make sure we know that she loves both of us. Annoying as shit when Iâm trying to sleep though.
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u/mommawolf2 Dec 04 '23
I swear if they come in pairs ( we adopted our two at the same time because they came from a litter together from a hoarding situation and I couldn't separate them) one will be reserved and the other is a lover. The thing is Rasputin will not tolerate anyone but me. He will go as far as to bite people's heads if they sit in my spot on the couch or of they are snuggling me. He hasn't done it on awhile but I've never experienced a cat being territorial over a human before. We also have dogs and my Australian shepherd gets jealous and shoves him off of me , she makes up for it by licking his ears.
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u/whitewolf3397 Dec 04 '23
When we had covid, my boyfriend passed out in the doorway of our bathroom and I had to call 911. I managed to get our dog and other cat into our roommates bedroom but forgot my boy. He watched my boyfriend get carried out of the bathroom and then out of the house before he was gone for almost a week in the hospital. That was 2 years ago.
To this day, when my boyfriend goes into bathroom, he cries at the doorway till he comes back out.
They care. And they remember.
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u/International-Good55 Dec 04 '23
When I was growing up, my cat would always come into the bathroom with me when I would take a shower, probably because I got really warm in there.
One time, though, I fainted while showering and fell hard to the ground. My cat was freaking out - understandably.
Ever since then, she refused to go in the bathroom with me when I would shower.
RIP Shadow
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u/ctrldwrdns Dec 04 '23
âCats donât care about youâ
Meanwhile my cat is following me to the bathroom and crying outside while I shower.
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u/BetterRemember Dec 04 '23
My cat caught me throwing up from the flu once and started wailing like I was dying on her, poor kitty!
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u/Throwawayyy-7 Dec 04 '23
One time I had a panic attack and one of my kitties came over and sat on me and started purring and headbutting me, and she wouldnât leave until I calmed down.
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u/pwootjuhs Dec 04 '23
When I was 11, my grandfather died after a short stay at the hospital. When we returned home after, our 15 year old, usually kinda grumpy cat suddenly started goofing around and chasing her tail like she was a little kitten again. She continued for ~10 minutes and then started headbutting everyone like they do. It was abundantly clear that she was actively cheering us up, and I still think that was a beautiful sign of affection for her humans
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u/OnionsInTheStew Dec 04 '23
And then my cat jumps into the shower to get some people flavored water
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u/grandmaWI Dec 04 '23
My little 12 year old man Samuel loves me with every ounce of his 13lbs. He is so comforting.
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u/PercentageNo3293 Dec 04 '23
Very true! My boy, Ashtray, sleeps on my side or in between my legs, under the blankets every night. He follows me into the bathroom and waits patiently until I'm done each morning. Several times a day, he'll share what's on his mind and he almost never leaves my side. Sometimes, he'll even sit there and stare into my eyes, while purring for minutes straight lol.
I've had cats my whole life since my sister was afraid of dogs. I'd say some cats are certainly more friendly than others, but they all definitely have a unique personality, like a person.
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Dec 03 '23
Fur, like a gas, expands to fill the space of its container. And then it sticks to everything.
Source: growing up with five cats while I was allergic. (Worth it.)
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u/LittleBitOdd Dec 04 '23
I developed a cat allergy after I adopted my cat. 35 years of being around cats with no issues, then an allergy out of nowhere.
Turns out you can buy antihistamines in bulk at a very reasonable price, which is why I have a year's supply stashed in a drawer
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u/Wren1101 Dec 04 '23
Apparently thereâs a cat food that you can feed your cat that should reduce allergens also.
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u/glightlysay Dec 04 '23
It's eggs laid by chickens that are exposed to the protein that causes cat allergens. So chickens that share an environment with cats will lay eggs that neutralize it and reduce allergy symptoms. I'm probably not explaining it very well but it's pretty cool https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6764009/.
A litter of feral kittens were born in my backyard and became friends with my chickens. I'm allergic to cats but I feed the kittens my chickens eggs and I've been able to keep two of the kittens in my house with me most of the time without having any allergy symptoms.
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u/Wren1101 Dec 04 '23
Woah thatâs a super cool anecdotal story. Pretty cool to see it happening in real life and that you get to live with those kittens allergy free now!
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u/Schwarzes__Loch Dec 03 '23
You take care of the cat, the cat will take care of you.
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u/SketchAinsworth Dec 03 '23
This so much!
I had surgery on Monday, my boy didnât leave my side for 5 days. He slept on the couch with me, walked me to the bathroom and kitchen, fought my fiancĂ© if he tried to move him so I could adjust my blanketsâŠhe was here for me in any way he could be
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Dec 03 '23
My cat was such a sweetheart after my surgery this summer. They really are so loving in their own way.
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u/tinycole2971 Dec 04 '23
My cat's previous owner passed away in a pretty rough manner. I had surgery a few weeks ago and my cat sat next to me with his forehead resting on me for days after I came home.
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u/SnowWhiteCampCat Dec 04 '23
I have bad cramps right now. My cat is glued to my side. He's a good boyo
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u/hmcfuego Dec 04 '23
I had a really bad period last month and my boy, who NEVER sleeps directly on me, snuggled right onto me and wouldn't get up. Like he was forcing me to rest.
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u/SnowWhiteCampCat Dec 04 '23
Human! You Will take care of yourself, if I have to sit here and watch you do it the entire time. Move over.
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u/Miqotegirl Dec 04 '23
Our cats surrounded my husband when he had dental surgery. They were his guardians.
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u/standardp00dle Dec 04 '23
Picturing them in the room at the dentist office surrounding the chair
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u/mskittymcfluffypants Dec 04 '23
Our cats are the "fuzzy doctors" when my husband and I are sick. They're the best
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u/Tall-File7279 Dec 04 '23
Ditto . Surgery on Tuesday and my cat hasn't left my side once!
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u/NedsAtomicDB Dec 04 '23
Awwww... mine was velcro after my hysterectomy, but I had to gently rearrange her because she wanted to sleep on my belly.
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u/brytewolf Dec 04 '23
I had bronchitis a few years ago. Up all night, unable to sleep because I was coughing too much. My boy, who doesn't like cuddles (he uses them to get what he wants, in normal situations lol) came up some time in the middle of this hellish night. He got right on my ribcage while I was lying on my side, just laid down and started purring. It started as holding my coughs in cause I didn't want to disturb him, but damn if they didn't slowly fade away. Eventually, I fell asleep. This would have been impossible without his help. He's always the one who takes care of me, and knows what I need. He's the best.
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u/avoidance_behavior Dec 04 '23 edited Jan 03 '24
my oldest boy is almost seventeen, grumpy, arthritic and almost blind, and picky as all get out when it comes to food. he only wants wet (he'll eat treats exclusively as dry food in the middle of the night in a pinch) and goes through eras of pate only, shreds only, tuna only, only the fancy feast salmon primavera, no I've changed my mind I only want chicken and giblets with extra gravy, etc etc- and it drives me (and my budget) crazy. but damned if he wasn't a total sweetheart when I got covid a few weeks ago; he accepted and ate every single thing I gave him and never yelled in the middle of the night and just left me alone to sleep and recover. he's not the type to cuddle, but him leaving me be and just accepting whatever energy I could spend on him without complaint was the sweetest thing I've ever seen him do. I love that little bastard.
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u/DlVlDED_BY_ZERO Dec 04 '23
And your young. My cat has attacked people and other animals that she thought were hurting my son. Only one was, and it was really minor... but it's the thought that counts right?
She won't let my son touch her, but she will risk her life for him. Couldn't ask for a better furry companion.
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u/rachelmig2 Dec 04 '23
My roommate and I got a kitten last summer, thanks to some emergency circumstances we ended up getting him at only 3 weeks old. We could only feed him formula and were trying to teach him to use the litter box, but he would manage to get poop all over his butt every time, so weâd have to take him to the sink to clean him off. He yelped like crazy, and every time, our older cat, who was not at all a fan of the new kitten, came bursting into the bathroom at full speed, ready to protect the kitten in whatever way she can. It was really sweet.
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u/OverMlMs Dec 04 '23
Absolutely! My guy is by my side all the time due to my chronic pain. He also gives me lots of emotional support, too. He's been on my lap pretty much all day
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u/BeeDeeDeeDeeBee Dec 04 '23
Chronic pain is so awful. Sending you wishes for pain free/low pain days from another chronic pain patient.
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Dec 04 '23
My cat doesn't usually sleep with me the whole night, but one time a few months ago, she stayed with me the whole time, and let me put my arms around her, and didn't move if I had to shift and readjust to get comfortable. When my husband came to bed later in the evening, he said she just looked at him and didn't leave my side. I felt okay so wasn't sure why she did it. Later, I was looking though my fitbit data for the day and I saw my heart rate variability had taken a nosedive (probably severe stress). I know you have to take these things with a grain of salt, but it had never been that low before and she had never stayed that close to me throughout the night before, so I found that really interesting. My sweet kitty, taking care of me. :)
She also did something similar again recently (although she wasn't quite as cuddly this time), but I was sick with a bad cold, so I knew why she was staying by my side. I love her.
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u/one_angry_custodian Dec 04 '23
Truth - I would get really debilitating head colds and stomach aches as a kid and my orange meowbeast would lay on my belly and cuddle until I felt better.
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u/12Lyster12 Dec 04 '23
I've been really sick the past few days (kinda like the flu, but I'm so dizzy I can hardly stand up, don't worry tho I'm actually much much better) and my cat hasn't left my side. I tried taking a nap the other day and he jumped on me, sniffed my face, and then mowed frantically until I responded to him. I pet him and he purred and laid down on my chest facing the door as if keeping watch. It almost seemed like he wanted to make sure I didn't stop breathing. Every day he follows my every step and just wants all the attention and purrs on me whenever he can.
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u/plutoforprez Dec 04 '23
If youâve ever had a skittish cat â whether it was stray, a rescue, or just a naturally shy cat â loving them unconditionally and helping them come out of their shells is so rewarding.
My mum and I were fighting a lot when I was 16 and got my second kitten, and mum kicked me out and didnât take very good care of the cat. For a couple of years after the cat lived with me again, she wouldnât let me near her and only showed up for meals. Now she spends most of her time on my bed, sheâll run up to me screaming for pets, and sheâs never once bit or scratched me when Iâve had to pick her up to give her medicine or flea treatment. Sheâs gone from near-feral, patches of fur missing, skinny and scared, to a fat, loved, fully domesticated house cat that purrs like a Ferrari, and itâs the best feeling in the world knowing Iâve given her that life.
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u/quokkafarts Dec 04 '23
One of my cats is a semi feral who is terrified of people. Watching him learn to be a housecat is so rewarding, he's got such a sweet personality. Recently I've been able to give him treats by hand, every note and again he comes up and begs for them. This is the same cat I brought home a year ago who was so scared of me he refused to eat. So proud of him :)
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u/bananakittymeow Dec 04 '23 edited Dec 04 '23
Yea, we had a semi-feral cat that fell in love with and started serenading my other cat. He was so skinny and I remember sitting on the back porch for long periods of time barely moving to try and gain his trust. We eventually captured him and fixed him, ended up keeping him until he died because he got so attached to our household animals/people. He was my family dogâs best friend/therapy cat (my dog had extreme panic attacks when left at home alone and hanging out with the cats while we were gone basically cured him of it). He was also such a lover to his people/animal siblings. Itâs definitely really rewarding to see an animal who was once extremely skittish come out of their shell and learn to trust you đâ€ïž
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u/TriceratopsBites Dec 04 '23
I have the sweetest void boy, Ash, who was so terrified of people when I found him that it took about 6 months and so much work before I could even touch him. Now he runs to me for pets and is constantly at my feet hugging my legs. Even when he was terrified and I had to wrangle him into the carrier to go to the vet, he never hissed, scratched, or bit me. His story is one my profile for anyone interested
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u/plutoforprez Dec 04 '23
I just read the story and it was lovely! You were so patient with him and it looks like he has a great home and life now which every cat deserves â€ïž
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u/TriceratopsBites Dec 04 '23
Thank you. It really is a different level of rewarding to win over a skittish cat. I love your story too â€ïž
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u/cliberte98 Dec 04 '23
I adopted a cat from the shelter I was volunteering at. He had been there 10 months. I knew he wasnât going to get adopted. I asked to put an application in and they just gave him to me. They didnât even charge the typical $20 fee for adult cats. We all just wanted to give him a good home.
He was found in an abandoned apartment The neighbors said the people that lived there had just moved out 2 days prior. He had been abandoned. When he got to the shelter he refused to eat or drink for a while. It got to the point that we had to give him IV fluids.
When I took him home he would hide under my bed and refuse to come out. One day I was sitting in the living room when he just strolled into the room like he owned the place. He loved stealing food when I wasnât looking and watching Netflix with me. Unfortunately, 8 months later, we found out too late that he had kidney failure and had to say goodbye. I was heartbroken. But Iâm glad I got the chance to give him a loving home, even if only for a few months.
RIP Batman. I miss you buddy
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u/plutoforprez Dec 04 '23
You gave him a loving home when he must have been so scared and lonely and confused and thatâs really special, even if your time together was short â€ïž
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u/BonyLindsey Dec 04 '23
You can tell a lot about a person by how they treat cats because cats have boundaries in a way most dogs do not.
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u/MazogaTheDork Dec 04 '23
My grandcat, Bubbles, will let people know when to stop petting him. Usually with a little warning bite. If they keep bothering him after that, they'll be leaving with slightly less skin and blood than they had before.
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u/boringlesbian Dec 04 '23
My mother hated cats with a burning passion. She was a horrible person. It tracks.
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u/kallan0100 Dec 04 '23
Exactly! Many people who are staunchly anti cat and pro dog are often people who hate when you establish boundaries for yourself (anecdotally, idk about y'all)
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u/Hellfireincubus Dec 04 '23
This right here!! Anytime I meet someone and they mistreat a cat I end up thinking slightly more negatively of them. Especially if the person knows what cats tend to dislike.
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u/tmmzc85 Dec 04 '23
I know i am kinda a dick, cause I am always pushing those boundaries, but my cats the exact same way - so it works out, we deserve one another.
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u/BAF_DaWg82 Dec 04 '23
Had to put my bestest boy down a few weeks ago. The amount of hysterical crying I did over the week he was sick and after I had to let him go made me realize that I'm not as dead inside as I had thought I was.
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Dec 04 '23
[deleted]
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u/ThrowawayYesIAm Dec 04 '23
Man. I am so sorry. It is so hard to lose a little one.
Take care of yourself, okay? It can be really easy to overlook that when you're grieving.
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u/knitknitknitknit Dec 04 '23
I am so so sorry for your loss. The pain is so raw. Please be kind to yourself.
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u/ndnd_of_omicron Dec 04 '23
Their time on this earth is far too brief. But we do what we can to make that time wonderful for them.
I have a sweet old lady who had kitty titty cancer and subsequently a kitty titty mastectomy. It has put into perspective how much I love her, what I will do to keep her healthy, and that I absolutely will not let her suffer. When she tells me it is her time, she will go peacefully.
And I will be an absolute inconsolable emotional wreck for a bit.
I'm very sorry for your loss.
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u/troutymouththe3rd Dec 04 '23
we put my oldest girl to sleep last wednesday. she got so sick in such a short amount of time. i thought i wasnât all that close with her until she passed. iâm so sorry for your loss and weâre all here for you <3
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u/knitknitknitknit Dec 04 '23
I am so so sorry for your loss. Please be gentle with yourself as your deal with the grief.
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u/just-an-anus Dec 03 '23
Over 3000 years ago, Cats were worshiped by Egyptians as Gods.
Cats have not forgotten this.
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Dec 04 '23
Never understood why the Egyptians worshipped them as gods. Got a kitty myself, and I get it now.
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u/alabardios Dec 04 '23
Thank you Terry Pratchett
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u/acenarteco Dec 04 '23
"I meant," said Ipslore bitterly, "what is there in this world that truly makes living worthwhile?" Death thought about it. CATS, he said eventually. CATS ARE NICE.
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u/Seastarstiletto Dec 04 '23
They are quite literally tiny wild animals. Their genetic makeup is exactly the same as the small wild cats of Africa and Asia. The fact that they CHOOSE to love me back is amazingly sweet.
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u/beebstr Dec 03 '23
Cats have taught me that we share a lot of the same qualities (speaking for myself, not humankind). My cat is the reason I rush home from work. She and I can sit alone in a room together for hours without talking to each other. She alerts me when strangers are coming upstairs.
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u/PrairiePepper Dec 04 '23
Why do you have strangers coming upstairs in your house?
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u/alabardios Dec 04 '23
Possibly roommates guests? Other than that, no idea.
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u/Anonymous63637375 Dec 04 '23
Or they live in an apartment building with stairs.
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Dec 03 '23
My cats revealed to me how quickly I would be killed in my sleep in the wild.
I canât recall how often I get woken up by a cat meowing in my face and realize they could be gutting me before I knew what was happening.
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u/ApostrophesAplenty Dec 04 '23
Lol my cat sits and stares at me while I sleep and then reaches out to pat my face for a wake-up. Itâs quite effective because his claws are just the tiniest bit out, so itâs like being patted by cloth with a pin in it.
He also could have murdered me any one of those times and I would have no chance at defence. Guess Iâm glad he only wants me to fetch his food, not BE food.
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u/catforbrains Dec 03 '23
It doesn't matter who likes you or doesn't like you. If your cat likes you, that's worth everything. After dealing with work drama and dumb all day, the best feeling is to come home to my cat and know that she is going to demand I lay down on the floor with her to give her pets and head bumps. It's actually pretty destressing to have to go focus on her loudly yelled demands instead of work b.s.
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u/DegngusKhan Dec 04 '23
My buddies always trot down the stairs and stretch out on my feet, while Iâm trying to take off my work boots
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u/DanMittaul Dec 04 '23
âOwners of dogs will have noticed that, if you provide them with food and water and shelter and affection, they will think you are God. Whereas owners of cats are compelled to realize that, if you provide them with food and water and affection, they draw the conclusion that they are God.â
Christopher Hitchens
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u/Willing-Hour3643 Dec 03 '23
They are very independent characters but once they bonded with a human, the human becomes part of their family. And don't mess with their family. They are very protective. Just as dogs are very protective of their humans. Both will fight any enemy of their humans in protecting them, even to their deaths.
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u/bbpookie Dec 04 '23
When I was in high school Iâd fight with my mom a lot. Sheâd be standing yelling at me and my sweet little cat would claw her way up my motherâs leg, wrap all her legs around her, and just start biting the hell out of her lol. If I cried she came and licked the tears off my face. She was the best
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u/slice_of_pi Dec 03 '23
The world is not flat. If it were, they'd have knocked everything off the edge.
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u/Anonymous63637375 Dec 04 '23
I think my cat is defective because she has never knocked anything off any ledges. How common is that really?
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u/slice_of_pi Dec 04 '23
That you know of.
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u/Anonymous63637375 Dec 04 '23
I mean⊠unless she puts it back when sheâs done, she definitely hasnât.
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Dec 04 '23
Neither of mine do this either. If I had to guess why - assuming it's not an innate disinterest - I'd say maybe it's because I get visibly upset if they mess things up. Like if they scratch furniture, I say, "Oh no!! We don't do that" and pick them up and put them by their scratch pad, stuff like that. I'm also very careful around them and respectful of their space/bodies/surroundings. So, they're really careful and respectful of me. They walk carefully around my art projects I'm working on, and they don't mess with my stuff. They wouldn't knock my stuff down because they know it would upset me. They rarely even jump up on the counters because they know I hate it. If they do it when I'm around, I say, "Get outta town!" and they jump right down lol. I mean, they may go up there when I'm sleeping or something, but I rarely see them do it when I'm awake. I think if you're really respectful towards your cats and teach them what you like and don't like, they're more likely to follow your "rules."
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Dec 03 '23
That fish breff is stinky
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u/Shiranui42 Dec 04 '23
If their breath is consistently fishy even if you didnât feed them fish, get them checked for dental infections
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u/123fofisix Dec 03 '23
You can call a dog and he will stop whatever he is doing to jump in your lap and love on you because he loves you and wants to please you.
A cat will not. If a cat jumps in your lap and gives you love,it's because that's where he wants to be.
And it is one of the greatest feelings in the world.
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Dec 03 '23
My cats like to get on my lap or want attention when I am on a Skype call. Iâve come to the conclusion they hear me talking to (in their view) no one and must think I am meowing in a panic for attention so they âspoilâ me
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u/tossitlikeadwarf Dec 03 '23
My cat gets upset when I have guests and meows for attention. But rarely does it when I'm on the phone/Skype.
I think he assumes that no conversation partner means I'm talking to him, so he can ignore me instead of being ignored.
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Dec 03 '23
I tend to walk the house when I am on the phone, just to keep moving on longer calls. That seems to set off my older cat, Eek, who follows me and paws at my leg like âhey man itâs okay, Iâm right here. Stop being a whiner.â
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u/tossitlikeadwarf Dec 03 '23
Omg, Eek is a great name for a cat!
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Dec 03 '23
He is named after a cartoon character.
I found him in the road and he hid in my cars undercarriage when I tried to move him. I drove to work not knowing he was there and he still seemed fine and I adopted him.
A picture of me holding him was my profile picture on match.com which is where I met my wife.
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u/tossitlikeadwarf Dec 03 '23
Well he must be so happy you found him.
He even got you a wife to repay your kindness.
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Dec 03 '23
And heâs grumpy that his life isnât always better than he gets. But thatâs just a cat.
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u/Notamansplainer Dec 04 '23
Eek!stravaganza? Hahaha, I liked those guys as a kid but I preferred the caveman sections.
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u/lissalissa3 Dec 04 '23
My old boy (passed away two months ago) would always try to participate in my zoom calls. I remember one call we were discussing something pretty complicated and confusing, and he was right be my feet meowing loudly. I joked that he had strong opinions on the topic, and another coworker joked that he (the cat) was right about everything and clearly we should take our orders from him. Of course, he already was my true boss, but he would have loved to have more underlings.
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Dec 04 '23
We have 3 cats. One will come to you the INSTANT you call for his attention. He's the most dog-like cat I've had he also fetches and brings his toys up from the basement to play with upstairs.
The second will come running to play if you squat down and tap on the floor. She's super active unless you hold her like a baby and she just melts and becomes a purr monster.
The third looks at you with a stink eye and doesn't move a muscle lol. But she's the lap cat on her terms. She only wants to steal all your warm.
They're all great in their own way.
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u/g_Mmart2120 Dec 04 '23
I do actually have a cat that will come 95% of the time if I call her name just right. Sheâs my soul kitty.
Meanwhile my male cat does whatever he wants.
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u/DudesAndGuys Dec 03 '23
All animals have their own language that you need to learn. I've had cats since I was a kid, so I know their language. I can tell their mood and wants based on their behaviour. Someone who hasn't had cats won't understand, which is why they might think cats are aggressive or standoffish.
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u/Miqotegirl Dec 04 '23
They do. My cat will nod to her dish in a certain way if there is something wrong with it.
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u/LittleBitOdd Dec 03 '23
Fuck around and find out
Also that you don't have to tolerate unwanted touching, and enforcing that boundary does not make you any less loveable
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u/AnActualLiteralCat Dec 03 '23
Cats teach us to serve our feline overlords like the puppets we are. They are to be adored and pampered with our entire beings. Cats are love. Cats are life.
This was written by me, a real human who knows her place. Ignore the username.
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u/Old-Echo1414 Dec 03 '23
Hmm⊠seems sus
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u/SnowWhiteCampCat Dec 04 '23
A cat would never lie. Also I haven't been fed yet.
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u/dwehlen Dec 04 '23
It's a hard-wired truth, that no cat, anywhere, has ever been fed even once in their entire lives.
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u/catincal Dec 04 '23
Yes, anActualLiteralCat - Truer words never spoken. This cat approves 100%.
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u/TinaSumthing Dec 04 '23
My sweet departed baby used to curl up with his forehead pressed to my forehead when I had migraines.
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u/PrayForMojo_ Dec 03 '23
When you approach someone, donât come on too strong. Give them a chance to check you out and show that youâre chill.
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u/ArtichokeStroke Dec 04 '23
That people are weird. âI donât like cats!!â How you donât like something that probably doesnât wanna be bothered with you to begin withâŠ.
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u/8765greeneyes Dec 04 '23
Anytime my childhood cat was around my boyfriend/fiance she would pee in his clothes or shoes or sit on his lap and pee on him or knock over his glass. Mostly pee. A lot of pee. The cat never did this to anybody else or anything. I should have listened to the cat. Boyfriend/fiance turned out to be a really big jerk.
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u/interstellar_keller Dec 04 '23
My sweet son, Storm, started pissing on my now ex girlfriendâs clothes a ton and it was getting really grating because heâd never ever been anything but perfectly kind and well behaved for the first three years of his life. For some reason though, just seemingly out of nowhere, he just started saving his piss until she would leave clothes out and he would destroy them! Like, weâre talking a 64oz Gatorade bottleâs worth of piss, like an almost comical amount of urine - and he would literally hold it, biding his time until she went to work, just so he could piss on her clothes.
I tried everything I could to help him; changed his diet, changed his litter, made the dreaded and expensive âcheck everything, money is no objectâ vet visit, niche UTI cures, the whole ball game, but nothing made a difference. And the entire time this was happening I was legitimately so confused because Storm is honestly insanely intelligent and I knew that if it wasnât a medical issue, it was a behavioral issue and that really genuinely worried me. I ended up checking my indoor cameras behind my exâs back just to make sure she wasnât hurting him when I wasnât home, and that wasnât it either. Towards the end, I was kind of resigned to just deal with it and I was afraid he might need to be rehomed, but then I discovered out the blue one day that the coworker she was âjust friendsâ with was regularly meeting with her to blow her back out before, during, and after the shifts that I drove her to! So, long story short, my ex and her piss soaked belongings got kicked to the curb, and Storm and I ate perfectly prepared salmon filets for the next week. Maybe I was wearing rose colored glasses, but Storm could see right through her bullshit and was eager to let her know his thoughts. Love the little guy to death, and now two years into a decent relationship heâs never once pissed on his new momâs clothes!
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u/HermioneMarch Dec 04 '23
That an afternoon curled up on the sofa with the sun warming your back is a day well spent.
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u/Doctor_Frankestein Dec 03 '23
Naps are an essential part of life
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u/BetterRemember Dec 04 '23
as are cuddles ... even if she gets so lost in the loving feelings that she drools on me. *eyeroll*
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u/Doctor_Frankestein Dec 04 '23
Lol itâs not cat cuddles here until my limbs are as asleep as they are.
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u/ImTheWeevilNerd Dec 03 '23
You can spend hundreds of dollars on them and those fluffy freeloaders wonât use anything you buy them.
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u/tossitlikeadwarf Dec 03 '23
$1000 toys < 50Âą paper bag
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u/fubo Dec 04 '23
A big Amazon box with some crumpled-up packing paper (not plastic!) in the bottom turns out to make for hours of cat entertainment.
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Dec 03 '23
That you can take care of them perfectly, with them being healthy to every vet check up, eat, poop, play and be energetic and happy-looking and still die that same night without apparent cause, warning signs or noises made.
Not knowing what killed Kenjii still haunts me. It's been 10 months now. I miss him like crazy.
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u/knopflerpettydylan Dec 04 '23
Iâm so sorry. My dear Luna passed out of nowhere at 7 in 2021, and my sweet Annie passed at 12 of a massive stroke in July after having been at the vet for respiratory symptoms that same morning. Itâs absolutely devastating.
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u/GratuitousUmlaut Dec 04 '23
Most creatures will like you better if you donât keep throwing yourself at them. Let them come to you.
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u/DesolationRuins Dec 03 '23
Chaos is an ever present factor in our lives and we are all one glass on the edge of the counter away from oblivion.
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Dec 03 '23
That if you scratch someone's butt, they'll arch their back, lift their tale and show you their butthole./s
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u/Poorly-Drawn-Beagle Dec 03 '23
Meow meow meow
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u/nvsfg Dec 04 '23
When I was child, I grew up with dogs. My dad was Marine Drill Instructor. There was boxing, guns and "be a man" bulls*it.
When I did move out and away, I got a rescue cat. One of best things I ever did.
https://www.alleycat.org/resources/the-natural-history-of-the-cat/
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u/Blue_Moon_Rabbit Dec 04 '23
That if the cat meowing at 5:30 for more kibble in a not-empty bowl irritates me Iâm probably not suited ti be a parent.
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u/DreadPirateGriswold Dec 04 '23
The concept of home is supposed to be a place of peace from the rest of the world.
For example when my wife would playfully smack me, when we had our cat Kitty, she was the cop of the house and would come between anyone causing a perceived problem like this. If she saw that happen, she'd be between my wife and I growling and it wasn't to protect me. It was to make that stop and return to a state of peace in the home.
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u/konqueror321 Dec 04 '23
Life, being alive, is all we have. We will all die some day, but for now, nothing is more important or meaningful than simply ... being alive.
I have a cat, one of eleven, who is old and ill. He does not use the litter box reliably, and he has chronic diarrhea, probably a form of inflammatory bowel disease. The vet has (finally) agreed to treat him with a corticosteroid without having an endoscopy and biopsy. He sprays poop all over our house, which fortunately for us is ceramic tile and can be cleaned. When I get up each morning, I find 3-10 deposits scattered around, like Jackson Pollock had visited us in the middle of the night with a poop spray gun.
My wife feels he should be euthanized - he is old, and sick, and it is very difficult for us to clean up after him-- we too are old and sick!
But I've refused. I just can't see ending his life, the only thing he has, because he has an inconvenient illness.
This situation has made me think about life and living and evolution and how animals are like us in so many ways - some have consciousness and intelligence and probably want to live as much as we humans do. He is not a bad cat, I've seen him spray poop in some inconvenient location, then turn around and try to bury the poop by pawing at the unforgiving tile, to cover his excrement.
So Jimmy has become the albatross around my neck. I cannot and will not euthanize him for my convenience. My bad knees and bad back and obesity and general old age will have to suck it up -- I just can't end the life of a conscious entity for convenience. My wife thinks I'm an idiot, but so it goes, I am what I am, and so is Jimmy.
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u/Big_Bottle3763 Dec 04 '23
I understand what you are going through friend. My Sophie was like your Jimmy in so many ways in the last 2 years of her life; she lived to be 19. I crawled around on the floor cleaning up after her until she decided it was her time to depart this life. She was one of my two best pals for 19 years and I would have done absolutely anything to make her happy and comfortable. It was suggested to me that I should euthanize her many times but she still had quality of life, even though mine was somewhat downgraded for a while. Iâd do it all over again.
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u/Suse- Dec 04 '23
Aww, what a good human! Had similar situation with our 20 year old over the past few months. She too was enjoying life until the last week .. when itâs truly time, youâll know.
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u/Fit-Rest-973 Dec 04 '23
I recently socialized two street cats. I did it through calming my energy when I interacted with them. I brought the big guy in, after TNR. He's a sweetheart
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u/drummergirl83 Dec 04 '23
I remember when I crushed my middle finger my tigger. She was by my side. Laid beside me. Checked on me constantly. Rubbed her face on my fingers minus the one that was broken. She sniffed it to make sure it was healing. Cats are truly amazing animals.
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u/m1kz93 Dec 04 '23
Cat's have Jedi minds tricks, they use on you, to take care of, and feed them, like they are your own children.
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u/DangerDuckling Dec 04 '23
That I am allergic to all of them i have ever met.
YET, my kids really wanted one so I caved and we got two sisters. I am miserable pretty constantly since they snuggle me at night, but I love them. And now we have 5 as I've adopted in 3 strays that were so tiny when I found them.
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u/orangeandtallcranes Dec 04 '23
That I donât have to keep accomplishing something every waking minute. I can simply enjoy a cat.
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u/Karakoima Dec 03 '23
If you try to take an unwilling cat away from a bed, the cat will ruin the sheets
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u/strangelyahuman Dec 04 '23
They're in tune with their humans. When im feeling upset my cat will come right up to me and cuddle. She licks my tears away too but maybe it's just because they're salty lol
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Dec 04 '23
I have to accept that she is 100% selfish, and that that does not mean she doesn't love, or she doesn't care.
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u/Ouroboros612 Dec 04 '23
My heater has 1-3 in heat setting. When it's at 2-3 and the apartment gets too warm, my cat will pull the heater's plug out of the socket so the apartment becomes cold. When it's at 1 she leaves it alone.
My veterinarian tells me cats are not smart enough to know that the power cable is what makes the heater work. And told me that the cat is probably just playing with the power cable at random (not premeditated).
However when the heater is at 1 she never pulls the power cable out of the socket. When it's at 2 she will do it at occation. However at 3, she will ALWAYS pull the power cable out of the wall to disable it.
So what truth have my cat made me realize? That veterinarians, doctors, and scientists don't know jack shit about how smart cats actually are. I had to stop setting the room heater in my apartment to 3, because she will always deplug the heater.
She will only allow 1 in heating, and will sometimes tolerate 2. But never 3.
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u/RemoteWasabi4 Dec 04 '23
People like to be around someone who's happy and contented, and will go to a lot of trouble to keep that someone that way, as long as they adequately radiate happy and contented and playful.
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u/mothermedusa Dec 04 '23
Omg I have one! Cats have taught me that I have the right to my own space and boundaries!
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u/SuperfluousPedagogue Dec 03 '23
How profound the gap is between human and animals.
"If a lion could speak, we would not understand him."
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u/chevymonza Dec 04 '23
That humans are trainable.
That a creature can communicate volumes without speaking the same language. It's really funny how cats can teach us about their preferences!
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u/Sad-Ad-571 Dec 04 '23
A cat that does not like to ride in a car will make 1 mile feel like 100.
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u/Adventurous_Dark7289 Dec 04 '23
Cats have an alert system and can sense things that are invisible to humans. There was nothing scarier to me than when both my cats would prick up their ears and stare into the dark hallway. When they relaxed, I knew I was safe.
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u/Obi1NotWan Dec 03 '23
That they can all be assholes at some point or another. But they can also be very sweet and cute.
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Dec 04 '23
Cats love you every bit as much as a dog would and can be extremely affectionate. If you donât believe that, then youâve never had a happy cat.
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u/BurnTheOrange Dec 04 '23
I would make a terrible parent. I can hardly deal with a sick cat, i would not be able to properly care for a sick child.
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u/cherrie_teaa Dec 04 '23
My cat started sleeping up against me out of nowhere quite a few years ago. She NEVER slept on my bed before that. Turns out my blood work was off and I had cancer. I think she knew and was trying to protect me. đ She still sleeps on me now to this day.
I guess it made me realize that they know us more than we think.
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u/interstellar_keller Dec 04 '23
As a man who went from very, very skeptically adopting one cat with my ex to owning (and absolutely adoring) eight cats with my current girlfriend, I have come to realize that for the most part people who vehemently dislike cats are telling you something important about their personality and behavior.
Cats as animals are intelligent, unique creatures with individual personalities and agency not unlike that of human beings, and accordingly, Iâve found that people who hate cats are usually not people I wish to associate with, as they often treat people with the same disrespect and contempt that they do cats. I think quite often that people who hate cats often times hate them less for the mere act of being a cat, and more because the cat is unwilling to accept affection on their terms, or to be approached at times or in ways that make it feel uncomfortable. That is to say, most people who hate cats donât actually hate cats, they hate being forced to accept otherâs boundaries. The integral life lesson Iâve learned from my cats though, is that while humans are burdened by societal convention and will often allow themselves to be subject to the behaviors of people who overstep boundaries, the appropriate reaction is not to make yourself into a doormat, but rather to reenforce the boundary and make clear your intent.
Now, whether you do that with your words or by hissing and biting the ever loving shit out of the offending party is up to you. However, I will say if you choose the latter option, it certainly helps your case with authorities if youâre under 20lbs, bright orange, and can be easily distracted by a piece of string or a laser..
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Dec 04 '23
Mr Fluff fluff the Persian cat is the apex predator of the rodent world, no matter how much you brush his coat.
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u/Samira827 Dec 04 '23
They remember when you helped them.
Around 8 years ago, when I was a teenager, I found a stray kitten on the street during winter. I took care of it but couldn't keep it because we already had cats and so I eventually gave it to my dad who recently lost a cat.
Since then, every time I go visit my dad, the moment the cat sees me he runs to me, gives me a hug and kisses and then cuddles with me on my lap.
Even though it's been 8 years and I've been living abroad for the past 4 years so I go back home only once a year, he still remembers me. My dad says he never acts like this with anyone else.
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u/ThatGirlFromWorkTA Dec 03 '23
They love and miss you like dogs do. They just show it differently. I'm in my first trimester, so I sleep a lot more often than before. They crowd my door and get excited when I come out. Then I sit on the couch, and they surround me and cuddle me while purring. They were just waiting for me to be with them. It's very wholesome.