Top Ten Reasons to Love a Cat

By Julia Williams

Ah, to love a cat. What’s not to love, really? Well for starters, there are those nights when you get up to use the bathroom and your bare feet step in something squishy. I don’t love my cats all that much in that moment. And then there are those days when they are naughty for no other reason than because they just want to see how red your face can get. But other than that, there are plenty of reasons to love a cat. One that won’t make my list, however, is the oft-used “they give you unconditional love.” I’m pretty sure my cats have at least one condition, which is that they be fed regularly. If I withheld their food for very long, I’m thinking they’d give their love to a neighbor without so much as a backward glance at me. But I digress. Here are my top 10 reasons to love a cat.

10. Cats are such good little helpers around the house. They keep the tub from getting water spots by licking it dry right after you shower. They make sure any crumbs that fall to the floor never need to be swept up. They help you decorate by re-arranging your knickknacks. They keep the coffee table free of clutter, and they make sure your bookshelf is always dusted (with a built in duster no less!). 

9. Cats are always willing to give fashion advice. Case in point: the hilarious feline ‘Catfoodbreath’ posted my favorite tweet ever – “I napped on your outfit to keep you from leaving the house looking like someone who didn’t own a cat.” Having a cat also serves as a deterrent to wearing drab black too often. (Black pants are THE biggest fashion faux pas if you have a cat!).

8. Cats are remarkably self cleaning. There are very few good reasons to give your cat a bath, and considering how they react to being submerged in water, it’s not something you should be doing anyway.

7. Cats help you accessorize your furniture. They graciously make sure the couch is always covered in cat hair so that when your visitors leave, they take about half-a-cat’s worth of hair home with them on their behind.

6. Cats help you lose weight by stealing food from your plate. They usually do this right in front of your nose, which serves to remind you that you shouldn’t really be eating all of that food anyway.

5. Cats make sure you never, ever forget what it feels like to be embarrassed! I still cringe when I recall the time my friend emerged from my bathroom with a look of horror and said, “There’s some kind of dead animal in there.” I didn’t need to look to know what it was. My cats are such giving souls they frequently leave these types of “presents” for me.

4. Their purr motor makes a great “white noise machine” that can lull you to sleep like nobody’s business. And a kitty head-bonk can make you feel better no matter what ails you.

3. Cats make great, energy efficient bed-warmers on a cold winter night. Who needs an electric blanket when you can have cats plastered to both sides of your body? Honestly, the serious body heat these tiny creatures can generate never ceases to amaze me!

2. Cats provide thousands of jobs for people in the Carpet Cleaner industry. In fact, one of my worst nightmares is opening the cupboard to discover that my favorite spot cleaner is almost gone. Nothing prompts a trip to Target more than an empty bottle of Folex!

1. And the Number One reason to love a cat? Because they love you back! No, not unconditionally…they do have that one demand I mentioned early. But keep that food bowl filled with FELIDAE, and you’ll have a never-ending source of love, healing head-bonks and purrs.

Photo by Jonathan Crowe

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