I found this on a greeting card someone sent me a while back, when I was still single. Not that I needed any convincing that cats are superior to any other life form.
A cat always hits the litterbox
Better chance of training a cat
You never have to spend time with your cat’s mother
If you ask enough times, a cat may actually listen to you
You can de-claw a cat…Try to get a guy to clip his toenails
It’s okay if a cat rubs up against your best friend
A cat knows you’re the key to his happiness…A man thinks he is.
If a cat jumps into your lap, a little light petting will satisfy him
A cat died and went to Heaven. God met her at the gates and said, ‘You have been a good cat all these years. Anything you want is yours for the asking.’
The cat thought for a minute and then said, ‘All my life I lived on a farm and slept on hard wooden floors. I would like a real fluffy pillow to sleep on.’
God said, ‘Say no more.’ Instantly the cat had a huge fluffy pillow.
A few days later, six mice were killed in an accident and they all went to Heaven together. God met the mice at the gates with the same offer that He made to the cat.
The mice said, ‘Well, we have had to run all of our lives: from cats, dogs, and even people with brooms! If we could just have some little roller skates, we would not have to run again.’
God answered, ‘It is done.’ All the mice had beautiful little roller skates.
About a week later, God decided to check on the cat. He found her sound a sleep on her fluffy pillow. God gently awakened the cat and asked, ‘Is everything okay? How have you been doing? Are you happy?’
The cat replied, ‘Oh, it is WONDERFUL. I have never been so happy in my life. The pillow is so fluffy, and those little Meals on Wheels you have been sending over are delicious!’
One of the most rewarding aspects of living with a cat is hearing that contented purr. It’s a vibration that starts deep in the cat’s chest and spreads outward to fill your heart with joy. Two of my three cats (Pippin and Tigger) will purr readily. The third, Lapsang, requires specific conditions before he will begin to purr. Pippin and Tigger are both laid-back, friendly lap cats who will soak up any amount of hugs, strokes, and kisses, and even enjoy the attention. Lapsang, on the other hand, is high-strung and difficult at best. I’d like to blame this on his Siamese heritage, but I’ve owned enough other Siamese cats to know that their personalities vary with the cat.
So when we got home last night after a long weekend away, Tigger and Pippin greeted us with cheer and relief. Both cats wound around our legs and purred and received love happily. Lapsang, however, did not even emerge from the basement right away. Finally, I guess his curiosity got the better of him and he came up. He let me pet him and miaowed at me in an only-slightly grumpy way, but he didn’t purr. His main concern seemed to be that we let him outside as soon as possible.
That night when we went to bed, all three cats settled into their usual places. We fell asleep quickly. About three in the morning, I woke up to go to the bathroom. Tigger came with me, as he always does. When we got back into bed, he rumped up against my neck and sprawled partially across my pillow and immediately started purring. Normally he would wait for some strokes before purring, but this time I think he was so happy and relieved that we were home that he just couldn’t contain himself and the purrs just came roaring out. Of course, I started petting him and whispering sweet nothings to him and that only increased the purr. Finally I got tired and stopped petting him but he kept right on purring. His purr was so contagious that Pippin, across the bed on the other side of my husband’s legs, also started to purr. I waited for Lapsang to join in but he never did. He probably thought we were all idiots for making such a ruckus in the middle of the night when there was sleeping to be done.
The kitties finally stopped purring and we all fell asleep. But I’ll never forget how gratified I felt that they would give some extra purrs to let me know how much they missed us and how happy they were to be snuggled into bed with us to keep them warm.
One thing that interests me is the history of pets through the centuries. Everyone knows the Ancient Egyptians revered cats, but not much is heard of how cats were regarded in other countries. I was pleased to find this picture (on Wikipedia.com) of cats playing in a garden in 12th century China. This is such a sweet picture - it must have been made by an artist who truly enjoyed cats.
Cats and Kittens in a Garden
Here is what Wikipedia has to say: “Cats that were favored pets during the Chinese Song Dynasty were long-haired cats for catching rats and cats with yellow-and-white fur called ‘lion-cats’, who were valued simply as cute pets. Cats could be pampered with items bought from the market such as ‘cat-nests’, and were often fed fish that were advertised in the market specifically for cats.”
Cats don’t seem to enjoy the same fond regard in China today. All you have to do is Google “cats in China” to find dozens of horror stories of the mistreatment of cats. The long-haired variety are kept as pets so I suppose short-hairs are just out of luck.
Sleeping arrangements with three cats can be a challenge, especially when two of the three don’t get along. In my house, Lapsang and Pippin cannot really be described as close friends. Or friends. Or buddies. Or anything. In fact, they really can’t stand each other.
So night-time can be difficult when all three cats want to snuggle. Over the years, we’ve worked out sleeping positions that seem to be generally accepted by all three cats and both humans. Pippin sleeps on my husband’s side of the bed. We call that area “Pippinville.” The two Siamese sleep on my side. We call that “Siamesetown.” A mountain rises between the two towns in the form of an extra blanket and provides a physical security barrier for the feuding felines. Sometimes raids into enemy territory occur. I used to keep a spray bottle of water on hand for these unfortunate occasions, but there were too many civilian casualties so now I rely on lightning quick timing to administer a swat to any furry butt within reach. (Well, except my husband’s.)
This system has been in place for some years now and, on the whole, seems to work for us and the kitties. Now, if I could just get my husband to stop snoring…
