By Eliana Goldenholz Hi there, reader. You may be wondering, what could I possibly learn from a hair-ball-vomiting
creature? To that, I say, read on, you cat-hater! (There’s so much more to them, you know! How would you feel if I called you a snot-nosed creature? Or what about a baby-animal consumer? Doesn’t feel so nice, huh?
1. Gratitude. My cat is always very polite when asking for food, and when he gets his food
(which, I may add, is the exact same dish EVERY DAY) he is SOO grateful for it, and he
really shows his appreciation (through a series of headbutts, purrs, and kisses). So, what
if we, you know, got better at being thankful for the food we get, and focused on what is
in front of us, instead of what else could be in front of us?
2. Sleeping curled up/making ourselves comfortable no matter how much space is
given to us. I mean, this is a universal cat thing. But what if we could do that? Like if
you’re at a hotel, and you get a really uncomfortable bed, but then you just rearrange
yourself, and -- voila! -- you’re comfortable! Or you’re on the couch with your entire
family, and you feel yourself falling off…just curl up, and you’ll be the most stable one
there!
3. Dealing with our problems ourselves. Imagine that (I know). How do cats do this you
ask? Well, what is a cat’s sworn enemy? Mice. Do you ever see cats going up to their
owners with a pleading look on their faces? I think not! In fact, they do the opposite.
They bring their owners the dead mouse as proof of their resourcefulness, asking not for
help, but for a "congratulations" on solving their problem(s).
4. Needing very little to keep us entertained. I mean, if I give him a pom-pom, yes, a pom-
pom, he’s been entertained for quite some time. Now, kids these days need so much—like,
more than one toy! Parents would save a pretty penny if all their kids needed was a ball
of yarn.
5. Keeping our mouths shut every once in a while. You know that guy, Patrick, who sits
next to you on the plane and won’t stop talking to you about his stock investments for
the whole five-hour ride? Well, if Ol’ Pat learned from my ol’ cat to meow--I mean talk--
only when he actually has something to say, plane rides would be a lot more enjoyable,
wouldn’t you say?
6. Cleaning up after yourself. A wonderful thing about cats (that dogs DO NOT do, hm) is
their ability to use litter boxes. Now, I will be honest here. Sometimes, on days where
the litter doesn’t speak to him, he, err, he misses the litter box (eww) and leaves it
somewhere in our territory. Yet, he still buries it in the (very little) dust he finds! And
gets it in a corner! (Sometimes.) Ok, maybe I haven’t made a great case for this one, but
you get the idea. Tidy up when you can.
7. Noticing the little things. My cat does this very well—he notices the little things, and by
that, I mean the VERY little things, like air molecules (that can suddenly make him go
berserk). If he can do that, I bet you can acknowledge the flowers on the table.
There is one thing, and I mean one thing only, that we do that they do not. It’s not creating
deep relationships, leading meaningful lives, or sophisticated thought (I think we can agree
most people don’t have that capability). Let me just give the message directly to them:
Cat, you really don’t need to lick your butt right in front of us while we are eating dinner. If you
really have to, just go somewhere private, ok? Thanks.
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