What is it that makes us love cats so much?

[Kirsten]

Really, I've been thinking about this for a while now. As long as I remember, even as a little kid, I loved cats dearly. I mean, I love all animals, maybe more than my own species, but cats have always been very special to me.

It just makes me so happy to have them around, and when I look into these beautiful faces, my heart melts... Do you know what I mean? LOL

My fondest childhood memories are those of watching the feral kittens play in the backyard, I looked forward to this every summer... and I desperately wanted to have my "own" kitty, but my parents didn't let me have one.

Sometimes I wonder what it is that makes me have this special bond with the felines. Of course, they are sweet and beautiful creatures, but there must be more about it. I can easily live without a man in my life, but not without a kitty friend! And - don't laugh - sometimes I wish I could be a cat for a day or two, just to know what's it's like to be feline - to see the world through their eyes and to know how they think and feel. I would really like to know! Who knows, maybe I've been a cat in a previous life, and that's why I still feel so close to them.

Well, guess you can call me a weird old cat lady now (which I'm sure many people in my environment already do! ), but I guess there are people here who know how I feel, right?

Kirsten

[Palomino21]

I have always had cats growing up and considered them part of my family. I love cats because they are so much different than other pets because then seem to be able to sense things. I know other pets can too, but cats are independent and gaining their trust is different than from dogs. You can't really make a cat come to you, they just do, in their own time, and when they do, it makes you feel good. Cat people seem to also feel they can read their cat's expressions. I currently do not have a cat because my husband is not a cat person, but I survive by coming to Pettalk every day and reading about everyone's elses cats and looking at pictures is also fun for me. My mother still has cats and I enjoy her cats whenever I can. But to answer your question, I really do not understand why some of us love cats and why some of us don't.

[catnapper]

I have always loved cats. I slept as a baby in the crib with a black and white kitty named Tiny. My grandmom was a pet lover and we always had a cat. I was devastated when my mom remarried a man who hates cats! OI couldn't wait to move out on my own and get a cat... which is what I did and Allen is my first cat since I was 10. During the catless years I had dogs, and loved them darly. Nicki became my world in my early 20s... but the way I feel for her is nothing compared to the cats. Is that terrible? I love my Nicki - I fought "custody" with my parents when I moved out. But deep in my heart, I am and have always been a cat person.

Just watching them sleep. The way the sunlight hits and accentuates their eyes. Their playfullness. How sweetly they curl up in bed with us, and how they seem to know just when I "need" them to nurse me. Lets not forget the purrs! Its got to be my most favorite sound on earth.

[sirrahbed]

Well, from weird cat lady to another...

Kirsten I can easily relate to some of what you mention. I did not grow up with cats and was afraid of them actually because my mom was and I never knew any cats except for some ferals and strays.

When I was first married and moved to another town - there was a stray in the yard that we "adopted" - he may have lived somewhere I think, but we fed him and he was the sweetest thing!! Oh and he was an orangie which probably explains my preference for orange males (plus they are known to have the sweetest dispositions)

But, I feel extremely and emotionally close to my kitties. I think it has something to do with my own personality!! I would also love to experience what is is like to be a cat (but only a PT spoiled kitty!) Anyway, I tend to be quiet, serious and intense. No comments from CCL. Kim, Lori or anyone who has met me!!!

Cats don't attach to just anyone so it feels like such an honor to win the love and trust of a cat! I am calmer and happier with kitties around and never want to be without kitties. I guess I could say that except for Dennis and my family - I certainly prefer cats to most people that I know I just relate well to them. As an adult - I think other cats know this too, as I have often been befriended by cats when I go visiting - that folks tell me rarely come to strangers. I guess they just sense that I love and would never hurt them??

Also - it takes patience and time to bond with kitties - and I have lots of that. I am very emotionally close to my kitties - glad my current crew is quite young and hopefully I will not have the agony of loss any time soon - since my last crew were two geriatrics and although it has been years - they are buried outside my bedroom window, right about where my head rests - and I miss them dearly - tears come occassionally when I think about them for too long, but mostly happy smiles and memories

Maybe you and I are part kitty?? I am quite sure that I am certifiably a catcrazylady and proud of it!!

It is obvious how you feel Kirsten. Your girls are like your children and you also speak so lovingly of Aysche and Katz. I think that love shows in your wonderful website!!

I am curious -- until Emily, all of my cats were males. (honestly because it cost less to neuter them is why I started with males!!)
I tend to favor males still. Females are too moody for me, although as Emily mellows, she has become a real sweetheart. I think Lizzie is a teenager I am quite sure my next cat(s) will be male as well. When I stop and look at kitties in the shelter - I am drawn to the males.

As for Lizzie - she is my enigma...she is so aloof and I am still trying to relate to her! I love her dearly and melt when she honors me with a nap on my lap! I often catch her just staring at me intently with those gorgeous eyes of her and just puddle up!! Sometimes she comes to me and meows - but I do not know what she wants!! I reach for her and she runs off. She does this to Dennis as well. I adore her!!

One more thing!! When I am VERY nervous and ill at ease around people, I pretend I am a cat!! I have done this for a long time. Pretending you are a cat gives you a certain air of confidence and calm. I had to be in court at one time and pretended I was a cat the whole time It sure helped!!

[moosmom]

I grew up with dogs. A cocker spaniel named Peewee and later on, 2 airedale terriers named Tinker's Terror and his daughter Samantha.

I am a reformed cat hater. It wasn't until 11 years ago when I took a trip with my daughter to East Dorset, Vermont to the Bill Wilson homestead. My daugher and I paid a visit to the barn where a litter of kittens were born 6 weeks before. My daughter, persistent as she was, INSISTED I needed a four legged furry creature to come home to. I poo-pooed the idea, saying I didn't know if it was going to work out. After 2 days of engless nagging, she talked me into taking her home. It was then that I fell in love with a beautiful tortie barn kitten I later named Mollie Rose. She's been with me for a long time and has gotten me through some rough periods in my life.

I now have 6 (and at one time had as many as 9, never going into the double digits) cats. Every single day I tell them how much I love them and what joy they've brought to my life.

My main squeeze is my hairless cat (Sphynx) MooShoo. He is the love of my life!! I can never get enough of kissing his smooth skin. I love when he puts his nose in my ear and sniffs.

I guess the reason I fell in love with cats is their endless, unconditional love they give so freely. I cannot imagine NOT having a cat in my life!

Guys, they come and go. But a cat loves you no matter what!!

[Kristl]

I am much more of a cat person too. I have a dog and I love him, but my kitty boys and my new kitty girl are where my heart is!

[Fox-Gal]

Besides that they are cute furry little bundles of joy and can make you smile even at the worse times?

It their Independence that I first learned to love about them. Their not like dogs. Don't get me wrong I LOVE dogs too, but you don't train a cat like you do a dog, they train you!! That look on their face when you call them, "Yeah yeah, I hear you, I'll come in my own good time!!" Their just like little lions, proud, strong, independent balls of fur and if you earn their love, is a wonderful gift.

[CalliesMom]

I was going to start a thread about this a while back. I hated cats growing up. I had one real pet and he was a black cocker spaniel named Sultan (still is the best dog I've ever been around and I miss him dearly). We got my brother's cats my senior year of high school because he was being stationed in Japan and could not bring them. Now my mom's cats, Tatanka is pretty evil at times and Persephone hid a lot...which didn't add to my enjoyment of cats.

Right before I went to college, my sister-in-law's cat got pregnant and had a litter of six, including Shadow and Whisper. I was attached to them because they were cute little kittens but wouldn't say I loved cats at this point. A year later, Shadow and Whisper were given to me by my brother because the original owners could no longer keep them. I had them for about three weeks before my roommate told me I had to get rid of them because she was allergic...off to my parents they went for nine months.

Five months later, my father passed away from a sudden heart attack. I've told this story several times, but I was completely devastated. Part of me has still never gotten over it and even with counseling, I have not taken it well. About a month after his death, my husband found Callie after someone threw her out their truck. There is something about that cat that absolutely made me fall in love with her.

He brings this ball of orange, crying fluff into our room and a bit of my heart began to heal. She needed me to take care of her and loved me regardless of how empty I felt inside. I hardly came out of my room for months and she would sleep in the crack of my neck, on my shoulder, in my lap all the while purring herself to sleep. It was the day I met her that I fell in love with cats...and I've been obsessed ever since.

I truly love my cats, like I think most people must love their children. I would do anything for them, pay any price to keep them safe and healthy. They make my little house feel like a home and nothing makes me more happy than to come home and see them waiting for me at the door.

[Kirsten]

I just KNEW there would be people here who feel the same way!!!!

It's true, they must be something like children to me. It's not that they are a replacement for children I do not have, it's more that I decided against children and chose to live with cats instead.

To me, they are just precious little creatures with innocent little souls; souls that I would like to hold in my hands just to protect them from all harm. Does that sound crazy? Well, maybe it is. But I have always felt like that.

And what Debbie has said about herself seems to go for me also: For some reason, I seem to have a very good way with cats; often those who are labelled shy and timid would come to me and sometimes even let me touch them. I don't know why this is.

CalliesMom, reading your story about the loss of your dad and about Callie coming into your life brought tears to my eyes... It's so easy to see what a wonderful thing little Callie did for you in this difficult time!

Kirsten

[RICHARD]

Originally posted by moosmom


Guys, they come and go. But a cat loves you no matter what!!

*snicker*

I'll pass on making a comment on THAT line.....

[Maya & Inka's mommy]

Since I was a young child, I always loved cats. We had a huge garden, so my cats always had one or two cats; they played outside mostly, but were allowed inside as much as they wanted.
When we got married, we waited a few years, untill we would settle down. But then came the kids: turned out that our son was allergic to cats. Luckily, he grew out of this, and since then we swore we would never be without cats again!!!
Why I love cats? They are so independant; when they choose to love you, they do this with all their cat-heart. They always have their own meaning about things, and no matter how much you try to convince them, they keep their own meaning.
Sorry if I express this badly, but my English seems to be in the freezer today....

Anyway, I love my cats to pieces, that is for sure (it is obvious, isn't it )

[catlady1945]

When I was about 4 years old, my father brought home a stray who had been hanging around his place of work. I have been hooked ever since.

Cats are affectionate without being overpowering, funny, and beautiful. They love you unconditionally. They know when you are feeling bad and give you extra attention. I don't know what I would have done without my late cat, Ella.

[catmandu]

I think,that partly,it is the fact,that you have,to earn,a Cats love,and the fact,that they are free agents,of the Pet World,and when ,you have earned the love,of Your Cat,you have done something!

[stacwase]

Cats always snub me. I look at a cat and immediately feel insulted! Like I'm not good enough for them or something, LOL.

Toby has always been my husband's cat. He would never eat food that I gave him - it had to come from my husband. Like he was royalty and my husband was his personal taste tester or something. He would lay on my husband's chest for hours, if he let him - but not on mine! When I was laying with my head on my husband's chest, Toby would get on there and crowd me out!

Now that my husband is gone, Toby is so lonely. Poor little guy! I have a friend who Toby likes. Thank goodness he is a major cat lover. So - he gets a little lovin' sometimes. And he likes one of my stepdaughters. She's 25 years old now, and married, but she visits once in a while. When she comes over he wants up in her arms with his head on her shoulders, just like a little baby. It's like he's saying "Hold me! Just hold me! I haven't been held in so long." She paces back and forth, bouncing him on her shoulder like a baby.

Me, though, I'm just his food getter. He'll lay on my chest and knead me, but just to let me know he's hungry. Once I feed him, he wants nothing more to do with me until he's hungry again.

I can see that it would be a major compliment to be chosen by a cat. I just haven't been honored yet!

[NoahsMommy]

I too, am a reformed cat hater. I grew up with both sides of my family loathing cats.

When I met David, he got me to get Noah by telling me cats ate bugs and spiders.

My boys and Pee Pee are my angels. The other three are more David's cats and I adore them too, but my five and I are totally connected. I cannot do anything without a kitty trail (usually 5 deep) and kitty shadows. I love it. They are loving, but still retain their dignity.

I tend to go for the males, as they seem attracted to me, but I love female cats. I love the attitude and dignity. Tortitudes have to be my favorite.

I think it goes along with what Gary said. You have to earn the trust, love and respect of a cat, that's what makes it special.

Great thread!