10 Things Only Cat Owners Can Understand…

Our feline buddies sometimes get a poor rap from folks who don’t own cats.

Kitties have a lot of features that we all know and (mostly) love: they’re cute, cuddly, and highly judgmental, just like the majority of our friends, right?!

When you actually own a cat, though, something different happens. You begin to learn, understand, and feel deeply in your soul about some things.

Some of them are completely gush-worthy, while others are completely awful. All of these things add up to the delight of owning a cat. (Think of it as the joys of parenting, but with cats.)

So let’s chat about some topics that only cat owners actually understand.

1. YOU ARE ALWAYS COVERED IN CAT HAIR.
It’s hardly even worth attempting to keep your clothes free of cat fur.

I’ve had so many visits where I’ve put on a new pair of jeans just to arrive at the appointment and FIND cat hair on the pants.

You’d given up after so many failed attempts at lint rolling, acquiring specialty vacuum attachments, and avoiding dark-colored clothing.
I suppose having cat hair on my clothes is preferable to not having cats in my house.

And, anyway, when your clothes are coated in your cat’s hair, it’s like carrying your kitty about with you, which is sort of cute… right?

2. YOU QUIT PLACING ANYTHING ON ANY SURFACE.

We had to search the floor for our jewels far too many times before we realized that flat surfaces are not the best location to store valuables.

Cat owners are well aware that their feline companions will attempt to knock anything off of any surface. Especially if they notice how much it bothers you.

We’ve discovered that ignoring their chatter has helped some cats quit tampering with the goods. They also do it for their own pleasure at times.

But isn’t it keeping the house clean? We rarely have a messy counter.

3. CAT BUTT IN YOUR FACE DOESN’T BOTHER YOU ANYMORE.

You have no idea about the number of meetings when a cat walks into the webcam now that everyone works from home…
and pauses their butts directly in front of the camera.

It’s reached the point where the meeting doesn’t even come to a halt. We’re all just going to keep going.

Cat owners frequently get up and personal with their cats’ butts, there’s no other way to put it.

If you didn’t know, having your cat push her butt in your face is actually a nice thing. In reality, it indicates that they adore and trust you.

4. YOU MUST KEEP TOILET PAPER AWAY FROM YOUR CAT.

When I was composing this, I literally burst out laughing.

A brief backstory is provided. We don’t have a toilet paper holder in one of our restrooms. My spouse couldn’t count the number of times he walked into the bathroom and couldn’t find toilet paper.

The best part was when we discovered the kittens bringing down the stairs an entire roll of toilet paper in their jaws! I’m not sure how that’s even possible.

We’ve recently learned a few methods to keep our cats from causing problems in the restroom.

5. CATS SLEEP ALL THE TIME… BUT YOU CAN’T SLEEP PAST 6 A.M.

Cat owners’ sleeping patterns are a little different from ordinary humans.

The only constant is the time to get up.

We have FOUR CATS on our bed, meowing and walking on us if we try to sleep in even a half-hour longer than usual. One cat will even bat at my phone and push on my head to wake me up. (I assume I can set off the alarm.)

At the very least, we’re ready for when the kids want to get up early.

6. YOU FORGET THAT YOUR CAT IS POOPING IN A BOX IN YOUR HOUSE.

This is one of those things that I completely forget about.

While it’s wonderful not to have to get up in the middle of the night to take a pet out to go potty, we would never consider pooping in a litter box as a human (unless the situation was very, very dire).

However, it’s perfectly normal for your cat to poop in a box in your home… and I’ll leave the cleanup to you. Also, for good measure, track some litter around the room.

7. DO NOT SPEND AN EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF MONEY ON TOYS. ONLY THE CHEAP STUFF WILL APPEAL TO YOUR CAT.

We’ve spent a lot of money on various cat toys. And there are so many cat toys in their toy bin that are only played with when we are going to throw them away.

Do you want to know what our kitties’ current favorite toy is? Earplugs.

Let me be more specific. EARPLUGS IN NEON GREEN. We probably spent around $20 on 100 earplugs. That my spouse attempts to use at night for himself.

So don’t be concerned about overspending on cat toys. The small stuff is also effective.

8. YOUR CAT HAS A BETTER FOOD SELECTION THAN YOU DO.

We feed wet food to our kitties. We have to offer them a variety of cat food every night since they have become so finicky. And if they aren’t in the mood for that flavor today, they won’t eat it.

Not all cats, however, go to such lengths. However, we all know that our cats have favorite foods and those that they will not eat.

They will often throw food on the area carpeting to demonstrate how much they enjoy the cuisine.

9. YOU’VE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT YOUR CAT IS IN CHARGE.

We’ve both learned that the cats are in charge of the house.

Do they want to eat? We wake up. If I stay up too late, my cat even informs me it’s time to go to bed. She’s doing it right now, in fact. Just a bit longer, Phebes.

We all know who’s in charge in a cat house. Yes, they enjoy knocking things off counters, lounging on your laptop as you attempt to work, and dictating your sleeping schedules.

10. YOU NEVER KNOW WHETHER YOUR CAT WOULD LIKE TO CUDDLE WITH YOU OR BITE YOU.

There’s nothing like snuggling up on the couch with your cat… Until you make a single mistake, at which point they panic out, bite you, and flee into another room. Alternatively, if they are laying on you and you make a tiny movement. You would think you just told them no more food for the week.

How dare you? Moving?!

BONUS: CATS ARE ACTUALLY VERY JOYFUL IN OUR LIVES.

There are several jokes (and truths) about cats that make us laugh and cry. But, when it comes down to it, cats truly do bring so much joy into our lives.

While some of these are crazy, I wouldn’t have it any other way.