Oof. I've done a lot of research today, but today it was reading off of PDF files of academic journals on my computer. Infinitely less comfortable and infinitely more boring than reading books. I'm comfortable with books. I LOVE books. But even I hate reading things off of the computer, which is why I still treasure The Economist and the newspaper for getting news a lot of the time.
Right. Well, I'm still staring at a computer screen, but at least I'm not trying to read things anymore. Backstory:
In the course of my life, my family has owned 9 cats. 3 of them I don't even really remember because I was so young. 4 of them we still own. But basically, I adore cats. They are loving, lovable, ADORABLE, intelligent, entertaining, comforting...Granted, sometimes they are annoying, but in my opinion they are 100x easier to take care of than dogs, and not quite as annoying. But I'm just really not a dog person. Cats are my love, and they always will be. So, I present to you: Kat's Top Ten Reasons to Own a Cat
1. They're unbelievably comforting.
Seriously. Whenever I'm sad or sick or ridiculously cold (stupid Colorado...), my cat is there to comfort me. When I'm sick, she just sleeps on me all day. Which shouldn't sound very special, since that's what cats do, but she literally stays on my bed or on ME all day, reassuring me that it's okay to lie in bed all day. When I'm sad, she sits in my lap and purrs and doesn't go away. She lets me cry into her fur and SOMETIMES tolerates me using her as a pillow. And, of course, she sleeps on my feet on those unbearably cold Colorado nights. Often, though, just seeing her happily sleeping on my bed brings a smile to my face when I'm stressed or sad or just genuinely fed up with life. I know some people say the same things about dogs, and I'm sure it's true for them. But my cat probably is my best friend, the one who knows my secrets and doesn't ever make me feel ashamed. I love her. So much.
2. Cats are incredibly loyal.
Out of the 4 cats my family currently owns (2 at each house), I have my one best friend. Her name is Ebony, and she's been attached to me ever since we brought her home from the Human Society 5 years ago. I remember that first night, she was in my room on my bedside table. I turned off the light, and she was so small and just looked so confused as to what she was supposed to do. I picked her up, put her on my bed, and she's been so loyal to me ever since. I'm not saying she doesn't love my other family members or sometimes choose other places to sleep, but my parents close their door at night and my sister has her own cat, so I feel like she's attached to me. She hangs out in my room a lot, follows me downstairs...Of course, since I moved houses, I haven't gotten to connect with her, but my sister has hinted that she misses me and every time I go over there to grab something she comes running and meowing at me. Ebony, I miss you!!!
3. Sometimes, they will help you with your homework.
By this, I mean that she sits on my homework...or my books...or my computer...or my arm when I'm trying to type. It's cute, but also incredibly aggravating when she's sitting RIGHT where I need to be writing or reading or when I can't move my arm to type an essay. She's still adorable, though.
BUT, at one point, she actually was the star in one of my physics projects. We had to do a creative representation of Newton's 3 Laws, and Ebony was the star in a movie that my friend and I made. We amazingly managed to come up with something that cats do that represents all 3 of his laws. I don't remember our exact grade, but I know our physics teacher loved it. And I think I still have the DVD somewhere...I should go try and find it.
Ebony: Yes, of course I'm editing your essay for you....
4. Playing with a cat is a good way to easily amuse yourself or make yourself laugh.
Cats are easily the most entertaining animals ever. Whether it's their obsession with string or their need to sit on top of your kitchen light, you can easily find a way to make them entertain you. Our cat sits on top of our kitchen light and when we run our fingers on the bottom, she chases them. She also ADORES string, which believe it or not, not all cats necessarily do. AND, we taught her how to catch! Seriously! If and when she's in the mood, when we throw balls of paper for her, she'll catch them in her paws! Not every single one (even people aren't that good), but it's the cutest thing ever.
5. Cats will eat all your bugs for you!
Well...Ebony does. She eats moths for me. And spiders, ants, flies. Those are the only bugs I've ever had in my room, so I don't know if she'd ever eat anything else. But I love that she eats moths, because I am so afraid of them it's not even funny (I mentioned this in a blog last May). I'm not afraid of them outside, but once they enter my room, I freak. I don't want them to touch me or fly into my face, and I CANNOT fall asleep if there might be one in my room. I've gotten much better about killing them with our broom, since I know my cat can't reach them when they're on the ceiling and it'll be faster. But she eats them for me so I don't have to touch them even with a tissue. And she does catch them when she can, which is highly entertaining. She's a little hunter, that one. =D
6. Cats teach you a lot about life and relationships.
Well, she's taught me a lot, at least. She's taught me that you can have love without dependence, and that it's important to really show your love when you know someone is sad or stressed or sick. Cats are loyal and loving, but they don't totally depend on you, which isn't a healthy type of relationship. Plus she kind of reminds me that it's important to both play and relax in order to not go totally crazy. I mean, I know that's pretty much ALL that cats do, but when she won't get off of me and I can't move, she reminds me that maybe I can take a short break from working and relax. Or pet her, or feed her, but you know.
Ebony: You will NOT do anymore homework tonight!!!
7. Most cats are quite intelligent as well as intuitive.
As I said, we taught her how to catch. She also learned how to open our bottom cabinets, which is a little dangerous. And she follows us into our bathrooms because she knows water comes out of those faucets and she can get a fresh drink. Plus they don't just fall for anything--she knows the little stuffed mice aren't actually food. But cats are also incredibly intuitive, as I hinted when I said she's comforting. Ebony just seems to KNOW when I'm sad or stressed or sick or scared or...etc, etc. And I love that, because it really lets me connect with her.
8. You have great story material.
Cats make for the funniest stories. At work during a particularly slow 15 minutes, my coworker and I just talked about how adorable/smart/funny our cats were. Basically all cat owners connect over the things their cats do--like sleeping on the newspaper or homework. But in general, cats tell great stories. So if you're back at that party, even if you're NOT surrounded by a bunch of cat people, chances are you can still make people laugh about the funny things your cat does. Like how she sits on our kitchen light. Or how your cat tries to steal your food, even if it's something WEIRD like pickles or salad or peanut butter.* Or, at least, people LOVE Garfield. That's one funny cat, so you can just talk about him!** And if you ARE surrounded by cat people, you're in luck! The conversation may never end! And YOU brought the party to life! No one's sitting around anymore! Yay for cats!
9. Their cuteness makes for some great photos.
I know this holds true for dogs, too, but I love each and every picture of my cat. She's the cutest thing in the world, no matter what she's doing. And people love "aww-ing" over cat pictures. Dog pictures, too. But I'm just saying. People love pictures of pets in general.
10. You have something to blog about!
Clearly. Although I have a lot more than this. I honestly think that if I ever need a blog topic, I will just tell you ALL of the stories about dear Ebony. Because she has some great ones. Okay, and FINE, if you just don't like cats, blog about another pet. But if you think you might even like cats a little bit, you should own one. I love them.***
I hope you enjoyed that, even if you don't like cats.**** MEOW! Also, let me know if you liked the photos, because I have a TON more to share.
Tomorrow morning I have to go to check-in for school. Last one I have to do at that stifling school called Rampart, at least. *sigh* I can't believe there's only a week left of summer!!! Nooooooo!!!!!!!!
Well, I might go do some research. Or I might just wander around online reading some blogs. We'll see. ;D
Cheers!
Daily Shark Week picture:
Daily Shark Week fact: Sharks use the heartbeat of their prey to track them. They have nodules that sense electricity, so the electrical pulses of a beating heart draw sharks. This is why sharks often accidentally attack humans in murky or dark waters--they can't see exactly what has such a quick heartbeat, but just assume it's food. Days left of summer: 8
Inspirational quote/photo of the day: "I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all." ~Laura Ingalls Wilder
*One of my cats actually did try to eat salad once and my sister's cat loves peanut butter. Weird.
**Okay, so maybe you don't like cats, but how could you NOT like Garfield? That's one funny cat.
***Funnily enough, I'm allergic to cats. They make my eyes itch and water and make me sneeze. But I've gotten used to Ebony at least, and I do take Claritin since I'm allergic to pretty much everything else in nature. And I just love cats too much to ever give them up.
****Who couldn't love cats? I really do NOT understand this.
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