As the owner of two cats, I have been thinking lately about the way that they show affection, both to me and to each other. Cats have a reputation as being cold and aloof, but I have to say that that has not been my experience of them at all. Getting back from work each day is marked by the sound of paws sprinting through the house to the front door with great excitement, and left to their own devices, they happily spend the entire day affectionately grooming each other and contentedly napping on the same cushion. I have a bad habit of waking abruptly in the night, with a now suddenly aware brain that’s reluctant to go back to sleep. When this happens lately, one of my cats will materialize from the darkness, hop up onto the bed, and lay across my chest purring, slowing my heartrate and soothing me back to sleep.
It’s not all fun, games and affection: I have not needed to set an alarm clock in years because when morning comes, if they have not been fed, I am well informed by my tiny charges. Just earlier this week I spent several days worriedly keeping an eye on one cat in the aftermath of him gorging himself on stolen mashed potato and making himself decidedly unwell. And of course, sometimes I will accidentally tread on a paw, or they will clamber up me using a few too many claws to gain purchase, or they will end up squabbling over food, attention, or who has the better view of the birds outside the window.
Consider This: 04/14/2025
Pictured: Morgana, left, mouse hunter. Bramble, right, mashed potato thief.
Despite all this, there is a simplicity and straightforwardness to the way that we show each other love and care. Our communication is limited, and apologies and forgiveness seem to come far more easily between us, even after heinous crimes like ‘a surprise trip to the vet’ or ‘leaving most of a dead mouse underneath the Christmas tree as a thoughtful gift.’
While I regularly inform them (and anyone else around) that they are some of the most brainless creatures to walk the earth, cats seem to have an instinct for a simple, easy care for those they love that I strive to emulate. If more people followed their example, the world would be a better, kinder place.