A lot of people these days are dog lovers. Dogs are fun, that’s true. But cats will always be for me. They have the best qualities! 

I have been caring for my elderly father in recent months, about 100 miles from my home (see my post on caring for an older parent). I need to be with him about three days a week. It is SO nice to not need to worry about my cat when there’s just so much other stuff going on. I’m not neglecting him, and do have a friend stop in and check on him now and then, but it is honestly a relief he can be on his own for a few days.

So my first point is that cats are incredibly low maintenance. We invested in this terrific self-feeder.

Just downloading the app (petkit.com), I set the times of day and amounts to feed him. I did have to experiment with this a bit when I was home because you don’t want him overfed (he’s a bit of a chunker) or starving either. Once those things are set, it’s good to go! Our feeder even has a camera, so I get notifications when he’s eating, and how much is left in his bowl.

It’s pretty cool to get this information when I’m away. It just gives me peace of mind. You can also purchase (from this same company and others), a self-cleaning litter box. I haven’t gone that far, being away for a maximum of four days at a time doesn’t make his box too full. But it’s an option! Same for self-waterers. My cat opts for a water bowl, so no need for the self-watering thing for us, but your cat may prefer it.

Loving. Of course, cats live up to their reputation of only being with you when THEY want to, but that’s fine with me. As soon as I come in the house, he runs out to greet me. And he loves to lie on our laps and snuggle. This is just so sweet! 

Cats are just such great company. My cat joins me on the bed for my morning meditation every day, and pretty much sits in any room I’m in throughout the day. He enjoys sitting out in the sun when I’m outside, and lies on me when I’m watching tv at night. So he’s really become my buddy! This is a really nice thing for me, since I’m living by myself much of the time these days. It really feels like you have a roommate! 

Quiet. Not for everyone, but for my introverted personality, I love that cats are so quiet. I am not a fan of yipping dogs! My cat will be sitting next to me for hours and I will often forget he’s even there! He does sometimes cry in the morning because he’s wanting me to wake up, and also makes the weirdest noises when watching the birds outside. Ha.

They are the perfect pet for children.

They frankly need minimal care, and provide so much love. Teaching children to care for something (see my post on teaching your kids to be thankful) is a really important thing to instill in them, in my opinion. It gives them confidence and empathy among other positive things. My children wanted a cat very much, so it only made sense they take part in his care. So feeding, litter box cleaning, clean water, combing him, flea treatments…they do it all with me. They really do consider him part of the family. I love this photo from one of our recent Christmases- he’s looking right into the camera like everyone else. 

In keeping with low maintenance care, cats are very easily occupied. You can find my cat looking out the window at the bird feeder, or playing with something as simple as a bow from a present. A favorite of his is just a piece of crumpled up paper. He doesn’t tire (quickly) of chasing it every time I throw it for him. My cat loves to jump into empty boxes, or your suitcase if you’re in the middle of packing! There are no expensive toys needed for cats, but if you care to invest in something, a toy as simple as this one keeps my cat occupied for awhile! They LOVE any toys with catnip too!

They keep mice away. I’ve had cats that are indoor/outdoor and they were always busy catching things outside. It used to be a criterion of any boyfriend I had that they be comfortable getting rid of dead things, since my daughters and I certainly didn’t want to do it! 

My cat now is pretty much exclusively indoors, although I let him out to enjoy a nice day. In addition to not being used to the outdoors, I’ve mentioned that he’s a ‘bit’ overweight (he was before I got him, no judgements), so isn’t exactly a fast runner- so I wouldn’t have expected him to catch anything. But he has! A few mice outside, and actually a few in the house- and this is when he is most helpful.

It gives me some anxiety (and my daughters A LOT) when there is a live mouse in the house. In Spring and Fall where we live, when the weather is warmish but chillier later in the days, the mice are wanting to get somewhere warm inside. There may be one lurking around-and sure enough our cat will find it and take care of it. Phew! 

They are funny. I like that cats are unpredictable. My cat will be sleeping or just laying around, and then decide he needs to run at full speed into the next room. Or he runs down the hall and jumps up on my leg (I read this means he’s trying to get my attention). I love watching him chase leaves, climb trees, and roll around in the sunshine outside.

I’d love to hear about your cat(s) and his happy life with you!