Why I Love Cats

Since 'Why I Hate Raisins' was such a success.

I have a confession to make.
I love cats.

Our current cat had the misfortune of being incorrectly named for a female; despite reverting to the proper sex, he remains 'Bella' to the household (and occasionally 'It' when we become frustrated with pronouns).

As I write this post, the misnamed he-cat is sitting on his cat tower by the window chewing off his toe claws. He is very fastidious about maintaining his weaponry, which include an enormous set of fangs, lethal talons and a presicent presence. This is a cat that hunts his humans...when he's in the mood.

I am in love with this cat, like the rest of the household. But his presence has had the interesting effect of making me more appreciative of cats in general. I have always been (due to my quiet, stationary nature) the seat of choice for Cats That Hate Humans. Don't ask me to explain the allure - I guess, since I leave them alone they choose not to leave me alone.

Bella has produced in me an unholy desire to be chosen by a cat. Perhaps it is because he's sometimes more doglike than catlike; what other cat sits like a meerkat when his nose is telling him something interesting? What other cat begs for food no matter how recently he's been fed? What other cat destroys things by chewing them apart, greets his humans upon their return and chases balls, paintbrushes, rubber ducks, and everything else in the house?

Having finished with his toe maintenance, Bella-cat is now having a bath. His penchent for cleanliness led to me christening him The Presence, because every time you touch him he washes himself - to remove human germs.

This cat also chases his tail. Family members who live here know this, but for those of you who don't, Bella-cat will sometimes see his tail as new and exciting (or a threat) and proceed to try and eat it. This involves much rolling around in the middle of various full-sized beds, feet in his mouth and body contorting like he belongs in Cirque du Soleil.

It's never dull in this house. Between the dog chasing the cat away from my mother, my father and sister tormenting the cat, and various things getting eaten/destroyed/lost we no longer claim to be a quiet family.

WolfGrrl