Cats are Happiness! :)
Cat lovers, rejoice! This post is just for you. :)
When I think about what brings me joy in this life, cats have been an important part of my story. I fell in love with these furry balls of love when I was about nine years old. I was staying with my grandparents for the summer when their cat had a litter of kittens.
From that moment forward, I begged my dad to let me have a kitten. My father said “no” for years until one day he finally relented. What a joyous day that was! I adopted a little boy whom my brother, to my dismay, named Now.1 Despite his suboptimal name, Now only deepened my love for all cats and, to this day, I’ve not yet met a cat that I didn’t like.
Have you been a mom or dad to a cat(s)? How many? Do you remember all of their names?
In addition to the cats I’ve adopted, I’ve shared my home with foster cats, as well. My ex-husband and I served as foster parents in rescue for eight years. Over 80 cats and kittens lived with us during those eight years. The shortest stay was one night by a cat named Lance and the longest stay was five years by a cat named Lacie. Our average time to foster a cat was probably a few months. Regardless of the length of their stay, I remember each one and enjoyed the time we shared.
If you’ve never shared your life with a cat or kitten, I highly recommend it. While it’s true that you must love a cat on his or her terms, not yours, when you choose to do it their way, you’ll both be happier! :)
For those who have shared their lives with cats already, have you ever considered fostering for a rescue group? Yes, you have to give them up eventually — and that can be very difficult — but joy comes both from helping the cats while also getting to experience different kitty personalities. Not to mention getting extra kitty love!
For those who don’t have a cat and can’t get one, you can find joy simply by looking at photos and videos of other people’s cats. There are groups on every social media platform. On Facebook I follow Libertarian Cats, on Twitter Cats of Instagram can help you get your cat fix, and a recent funny find for me is Cats with Jobs on Reddit.
As you may have guessed, this post was partially an excuse for me to share some fun pictures of cats. I hope they made you smile. :)
May you discover your own joy in cats… no matter how or where you find them!
Big brothers, never, ever name your little sister’s cat. No matter the reason, if you steal her joy by naming her cat, I promise, no matter how much she loves you, she will never forgive you for this. You have been warned.