It’s June, and that marks National Adopt A Cat Month. Every month is a good month to adopt a cat, I say, but with June marking the height of the infamous ‘kitten season’ there really is no better time to go down to your local shelter or humane society and bring home a little fuzzball of your own. Be sure to check out the link above for the American Humane Association’s Top Ten Checklist for bringing home a new cat.
Speaking of stuff to check out, here is a little video from the CATalyst council talking about the bennies of cat ownership:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1ioxsEao6wA small quibble: People who own cats at some point in their lives are 40% less likely to die of a heart attack? Really? Have any of these people lived with a black cat who likes to sleep on their chest and wake them up with the force of their silent, baleful stare mere centimeters from their orbits?
We can talk stats until we’re blue in the face, but anyone who’s ever owned a cat will tell you that cat ownership cannot be summed up adequately by such things as blood pressure measurements or the advantages of having a self-cleaning pet (though those are nice perks.)
We like cats because they are such weird otherwordly creatures that defy explanation. Alien, really.
Both playful and aloof, adorable and intimidating, cats embody something we strive for and can never quite achieve: the ability to be oneself without giving one flying leap about what anyone else thinks of it.
A total lack of self-consciousness, the inability to be embarrassed, and with that the ability to throw oneself into whatever it is one wants to throw oneself (both literally and figuratively in this case) into without regard for appearances or consequences.
We love dogs because they love us unconditionally. With cats, it’s a bit more complicated. They challenge us to earn their love. And like the eager to please fools we are, we fall for it hook line and sinker with such contraptions like 10 foot tall cat trees, self-spinning lasers, and heatable cat bedding. All to get that indescribable feeling of joy you get when the cat who hates every human being on the planet strolls over to you and starts kneading biscuits on your belly while purring contentedly.
That is why we own cats. Or, you could say, they own us.
As anyone who’s spent an afternoon goofing off on the web will attest to, cats own the internet. At least, they own a good chunk of YouTube. If only we knew what they were plotting:
Perhaps our grisly deaths. But honestly, I think they are happy with the benevolent rule they already enjoy. They get to sit and hang out, we bring them food, water, toys, and clean the litterbox? Why would they want to mess that up?
So if you’re pondering bringing a cat into your life, what are you waiting for? Run on over to Petfinder and pick one out! And when you start your YouTube channel you just let me know.
Yea for cats! I didn’t know it was Adopt A Cat Month when I strolled into PAWS Cat City to visit with the kitties yesterday. They are celebrating the month by waiving all adoption fees (free kitties!).
While innocently visiting the place, I didn’t expect my heart would be stolen by an elder snuggle-boy. Even though taking him home cost no fee and my heart was stolen, I came home feeling richer.
You adopted another one yesterday? HOORAY!!
the cat guy: so beautifully written! i have a friend who works there…i know forwarding your comment to her will make her day!
You nailed it Dr. V when you pointed out that it’s the ‘otherworldliness’ of cats that intrigues us 🙂 And I’ve always liked biscuits, so that’s a bonus.
The “Come Pet Us Danny” cat photo might be the funniest thing I have seen in a long, LONG time. I’m imagining blood pouring out of the elevator right behind them.
I have a cat question – just took my 9 year old cat in for a teeth cleaning today. The vet let me observe. There were three problem teeth. One tooth I chose to have pulled, and it fell apart as she was removing it. The other two have cavities that she recommends getting filled with a specific cat dentist. My cat has had a hard time today coming out of anesthesia… should I get the cavities filled or pull the teeth?
Sorry – I realize you can’t give me specific advice. But can you weigh in on how a vet in the US would recommend treatment? My Austrian vet says see the pet dentist, but she also recommends Xrays at the drop of a hat and my other cat had a CAT scan.
It’s so hard to say! Your vet needs to explain clearly why that treatment is being recommended. Is it that the tooth is getting a filling (which is a pretty unusual recommendation for a cat), or that she isn’t comfortable pulling them herself because of advanced disease, or that she suspects an underlying disease like resorptive lesions that would benefit from specialist treatment? It sounds like the main thing you need right now is more information.
She is recommending fillings for two teeth. They have small cavities along the gumline which she showed me during the cleaning. I had not heard of fillings being recommended in the US for cats, and in fact saw one website that said cat fillings are not recommended because they will fall out. I think vetrinary practices in Europe are VERY different than in the US in general, but this is a specific example.
hooray for cats! I recently adopted 2 more. I got them at 2 weeks old to bottle raise and the whole time I was telling myself “no, I’m not keeping them. I’m not keeping them”. best laid plans, huh?
I love my cats so much, they bring so much joy to my life. I don’t know what I’d do without my Minion, Boffin, Mana and Hermes.
I have two beautiful kitty’s. Kozmo is 4, and I’ve had him since he was 8 weeks old. We go Delila about a year an a half ago because Kozmo needed someone to wrestle with other than his humans! They get along great! But I discovered my husband and I are ALLERGIC to them! We just take extra allergy medicine because I could never give them up. It’s probably a good thing though – or we might have a whole house full of cats!
I love watching the two kitty’s interact. They wrestle, poke, and chase each other. Kozmo even cleans up after her! It’s amazing how they both have such different personalities too. Kozmo is quiet, independent, athletic and aloof where Delilah meows all the time, needs attention and snuggles, and is not very graceful or athletic. But I love them both!
i have an 11yr old dog , who thinks he is still a puppy ,recently he has developed some inflamation and arthritis ,dr. put him on rimadyl 100 mg, it helped him greatly !!! but unfortunately i can not afford to keep him on this !!! i would like to know if there is a home remedy that i can give him to ease his pain and inflamation ????