It’s safe to say that people, as a whole, do strange things. Cat parents are not to be excluded from this observation. I have 3 cats in my home (Aja, Harvey, and Zac) and I adore them in ways that only fellow cat parents could understand. Here is a handful of the weird things I do to them. Don’t judge – I’m willing to bet you do at least half of these things!
1. Press their paws to make their claws come out.
There is something therapeutic about pressing on their warm soft paw pads and watching their claws fluidly extend and retract, extend and retract…
2. Rub the places they hate to be rubbed.
One of my cats hates belly rubs. So what do I do? I try every day to see if I can change his mind and convince him that belly rubs are the bomb.
3. Feed by hand.
Every now and then, I feel the urge to see if they will eat from the palm of my hand. I reckon it’s a power thing, to give me the illusion that I have some level of control over my cats’ behaviour. I think we all know who’s really in control. #notme
4. Let them drink from my water glass.
Prior to slurping from my glass, one could argue that my cat’s tongue may have been engaged in some kind of unsavoury activity, but I simply choose to not think about that. Sharing is caring.
5. Give them ridiculously unrecognizable nicknames.
You know what I’m talking about. For example, “Aja” transformed into “Bugees”, by way of Aja-Baja-Badger-Buger-Bugees. It just makes sense.
6. Speak to them with ten times more affection than to any human.
It’s the least I can do in exchange for the unconditional daily lovings they give me.
7. Try the slow-blinking thing on them.
They say that cats express love and trust for their human by slowly closing and opening their eyes. I’ve read that we can bat our lashes right back. It’s highly plausible that my cats just think I’m sleepy.
8. Believe that they know when I’m feeling down.
It’s so true, right??! When I’m down and out, my cats seem to know just when to plop themselves beside me and look at me as if to ask “what’s wrong meow?”
9. Pick a favorite.
I confess, I have a secret favorite. Shhhhh! It can change daily, sometimes numerous times throughout the day, but I give them all an equal amount of excessive love and affection.
10. Talk to them with the hopes that they meow back.
It’s a really good day when my conversations with my cats are not one sided.
11. Inhale their fur.
Hugs and kisses are standard fare in our household, but when I really want to take things to the next level, I inhale. My cats smell like heaven. It’s the same science behind why newborn babies smell so delightful.