That was, until my husband brought one home (and yes we are still married). Over the past year or so, since a certain Devon Rex x Domestic Short Haired fellow named Jojo entered our lives, my cold heart has softened and I now find myself feeling…things…at the sight of other random cats in the neighbourhood.
by Hannah Mills
But how did I get here? Here’s a list of the surprising things I’ve learned about cats, and why despite my allergies, I’m now one giant leap closer to ‘crazy cat lady’ status.
They are low-maintenance
The biggest stipulation I had when my husband dared to raise the topic of bringing a cat into our lives was that I was absolutely in no way going to be responsible for taking care of it. We already had two young kids, so I really did not want nor need another living being to be responsible for. Thankfully, it turns out that cats don’t require all that much. They sleep anywhere, they do their toileting in one place (usually) and they clean themselves. My children, on the other hand, don’t do any of those things particularly well.
They can be super affectionate and social
From the moment Jojo entered our lives, he made it his personal mission to win me over. It’s almost as though he knew I was a) the one with allergies and b) not very interested in being his friend. He would opt to sit on my lap (or feet) over anyone else in the house, he would meow incessantly in this really cute and annoying way if I dared go outside without him and when in a playful mood, he’d roll over at my feet to say hello. Try not being flattered when someone loves you like that.
I know that some cats can be antisocial, but we’ve ended up with one that is very much part of the family. He likes to inspect all parcels or bags that enter the house, and will come and say hi to visitors too (an easy way to determine which of your friends do or don’t like cats). While some cats retreat for most of the day, ours is very much present around the house, likes to know what’s going on and thinks everything we do is for him (partly true).
They have unique ways of communicating with you
My husband is a walking talking encyclopedia of facts, whose general knowledge covers a wide variety of topics – including how cats communicate. From different ways they present their tails (bushy tail means they’re scared, curled like a question mark means they like you), to only letting you touch their belly if they really trust you, I have been surprised by the little cat facts I’ve been learning.
They can be a bit unintelligent (which is funny)
All cat-lovers will know that they absolutely cannot be told what to do. You can try all you like to remove them from somewhere they’re not meant to be, but there’s a very high chance they’re going to go straight back there.
They tend to get themselves into precarious situations without really considering the consequences and will look at you like they simply just don’t know how they got there (the old cat stuck in a tree scenario didn’t come from nowhere). Is it annoying when your cat sits in a pot plant for the 100th time that day? Yes. But is it also really cute and funny when they get stuck inside a shopping bag? Also yes.
They sleep a lot and have routines
When Jojo was a kitten, he could be doing zoomies across the room one minute then the next thing you knew, he’d be dead asleep on the floor. Having been scarred for life by children who didn’t like to sleep, I was admittedly kind of anxious about inviting something else that would potentially keep me awake at night into the house.
Perhaps we got lucky, but I am pleased to say that our cat knows how to sleep and from very early on he had a distinct night time routine (hop on kitchen bench to indicate he would like to be fed, have a small nibble of food then retreat upstairs for the night). Despite our noisy household, he manages to get naps in at all hours of the day. Added bonus – sometimes when super exhausted after a day of hunting cockroaches, he will fall asleep with his tongue hanging out. Fun for the whole family!
When it comes to pets, it seems the general population is largely divided. There’s the doggo-lovers and the crazy-cat-people – with not much space for those somewhere in between. While I’m in no hurry to own more than one cat, I may live off antihistamines and I have a long list of furniture that needs reupholstering, I’ll be the first to admit that I’m a reformed cat hater.
Photo credits: Header photo by Zoë Gayah Jonker, Internal supplied by Hannah
