Becoming A Cat Person

Historically, in the 21 years I’ve been alive, I’ve been anti-cat. Those who are cat people get turned off by this and understandably so. When people say they’re not “dog people” I freak out. How could you not be a dog person? They are friendly, active, cuddly, and cute, which is why I have been a dog person for the past twenty years of my life. 

I had relatives with cats and never really connected with any of them. I found them to be standoffish and unaccepting of my attempted pets and cuddles. I was so pro-dog that even when I was bitten on the nose by a dog on the street when I was a little girl, I still would’ve chosen dogs over cats any day. This was all until my sister got a cat a few months ago. I’ve never taken a bigger 180. 

My sister and I live together in the city and after the passing of our childhood dog in December, she constantly brought up the idea of being a cat owner. I would not give my approval at first. They poop inside! I’d say. They’ll claw the couch! They’ll walk all over the kitchen counter! They’ll scratch at us! 

None of my comments mattered to my sister and she found a way to combat all of my hesitations:

“I’ll be the one cleaning the litter box.”

“We’ll spray them with a bit of water when she claws the couch and then they’ll learn not to.” “We’ll do the same when they climb on the kitchen counter.” 

“I can’t really stop her from scratching at you though, that seems like a problem.” 

I missed our dog enough to help her look on PetFinder to find available cats in our area. In fact, I started scrolling through pet profiles when I was on my own and would send her links to the ones I thought were the cutest. 

In February, she adopted a kitty, around 3 months old, of an undetermined breed and we named her Cleo. Cleocatra. 

She’s white with spots of brown fur and has a little, tan birthmark on the side of her nose. It only took one cuddle sesh andI started calling myself a cat person. 

It was easy to fall in love with Cleo as she acclimated to our space quickly. She let us hold and pet her within the first few hours after we picked her up from the adoption center and was already litter box trained. Before we got her, I assumed cats had no personality, unlike dogs who are full of personality. From my experience, all cats were grumpy and uninterested in what humans were up to. This is not the case with Cleo. She likes to rub herself against our legs when we’re cooking dinner and watches me while I’m working on assignments. She’s curious, hyper, and downright silly. 

She holds a consistent schedule, even though it doesn’t line up with our Homo sapien timeline. 

• Wake up around 5 a.m.
• Wreak havoc in the kitchen while you wait for your owners to wake up.
• Meow loudly to let them know you’re reading for breakfast.
• Eat breakfast around 7:30 a.m. 
• Chase things (laser pointer, stress ball, lint, etc) through the house.
• Sleep from 11 a.m. to 5:45 p.m.
• Come out of a groggy sleep to eat dinner.
• Run around the house until 11 p.m. 
• Sleep for a few more hours + then repeat.

As a college student, a cat feels like the perfect pet. We’re both tired during the day and active at night. We oftentimes have to lock in on small things until we get bored and have to move on to something else. We also love to nap. 

Nothing will ever come between me and my love for dogs but in this life stage, having a cat brings me just as much joy without as much responsibility. Dogs need walks several times a day, constant attention, and are typically bigger and therefore can get into more trouble if they’re not trained. I shouldn’t have been so closed-off cats for so long. My sister and I were lucky enough to find one who’s adorable, low maintenance, and loves us as much as we love her. I never thought the day would come but here I am, writing this, with a cat in my lap.

• #pets #petowner #cats #catlady