Random Thought #2: More (Humane) Uses for Cats

People who own cats have to talk about them. It's just how it is. It's not that people don't talk about their dogs, or birds, or goldfish, but cat owners seem to have a particular compulsion to talk about their cats.

Since I don't want to be the cat owner to break tradition, I have come up with a list of (humane) uses for cats.

(1) Foot warmer--this is the most obvious one. My cat Carmela is the best foot warmer. Moonie sometimes likes to sleep on the pillow and wrap herself around my head.

(2) Massage therapist--my cats like to walk on my back on occasion. This is very tension-reducing.

(3) Protector--this one is not so obvious with cats, but I believe it can be true. Once I was really sick, so sick that I thought I was going to die. I ended up having to go to the hospital and get rehydrated. But while I was lying there in bed, trying not to die, Moonie literally would not leave my side. Usually she is pretty skittish and will jump off the bed whenever I move, but this time she refused to budge. I suppose there's a chance I could be anthropomorphizing here, but she seemed to feel like she needed to be there for me.

(4) Comic relief--once, after shopping, I left a big shopping bag with handles on it on the living room floor, thinking it would make a dandy kitty fort. Indeed, Carmela enjoyed playing with it, until she got herself into a slight fix. I heard her rattling around out in the living room, and then she walked into the bedroom, wearing the bag. (Note to self: next time cut the handles off the shopping bag before letting the cats play with it). Of course, she wiggled like crazy when I attempted to free her.

Now, if only I could get them to do these things on demand.

Another fun cat book:

What Cats Teach Us: Life's Lessons Learned from our Feline Friends, by Glenn Dromgoole (Minocqua, WI: Willow Creek Press, 2000). This is another novelty-type book. I am a sucker for cute cat pictures, of which this book has a lot. The pictures illustrate brief sentiments about getting along with others, self-esteem, etc.