I'm A Cat Person

As anyone who knows me knows, I have two cats - one tortie and one calico, sisters, about 5-1/2 years old. I got them when the cat that I had, who I had had for 13 years, died from what we suspect was stomach cancer. I had "inherited" that cat from a friend of my sister who was moving to Australia and didn't want to subject the cat to quarantine for many months. Before that, the last pet I had had was a cat in college that my senior year roommate came home with one day. Being the responsible one of the pair of us, that cat ended up as my cat when we graduated that spring. When I left Boston a couple of years later, I had to leave him behind. Long story short, in my adult life, I have only had cats as pets. As a kid, I had a dog. I got her for my 11th birthday present, and she lived to be about 15. By that time, I had been away to college and she had stayed with my parents, but I still thought of her as my dog. All this to say that, while I've had cats as pets in my adult life, when it comes to pets, I'd take either a cat or a dog. It's just that cats are more convenient when you work long days and live by yourself, as I do. But I do love dogs. In fact, I originally got involved in animal rescue just to have an excuse to be around dogs. I missed them.

But I came to the realization the other day that really I'm a cat person. Not in the sense of which type of pet I prefer. But that I am really cat-like. Have cat qualities much more than dog qualities.

For example, I am terribly independent yet want affection. Doesn't that sound like the stereotype of cats? I've been living on my own my whole adult life. I'm used to doing for myself, and I must admit, I sometimes have a hard time letting other people do things for me. And yet, I would really like someone in my life to share the decisions. And I think I'd learn to let go of doing everything if I had someone who would take some things on. I just haven't had that, so I'm used to doing everything. Independent in part because I have no one to depend on.

And yet I'm also very tactile. I have to be careful when I say that to people because it can sound terribly crass. But I'm a hugger. I love physical contact and miss it in my daily life. I call it tactile, because I also have very sensitive skin. Annoyingly sensitive skin. I can't wear wool, for instance, because it's too scratchy. Unless it's extremely fine, it literally gives me a rash on my skin. Even through something else. On the flip side, give me anything soft and silky, and I'm in seventh heaven. Same goes for human touching. Not a fan of rough-housing or being constrained. Love to hold hands, hug, and generally be convivial. Sort of like my cats. Who love to be with me, to be pet, but don't like to be held. (Well, not exactly, since I do like to be held, but I think you get the idea.)

Another quality I share with cats is a love for sleep, but also that I'll wake up at every little noise. Have you ever noticed that a cat will wake up whenever you walk into the room? Most of the time, mine just roll their head to look at me. Sometimes they just roll over and go back to sleep. Sometimes they get up and come over and say hello. But the point is that they wake up. I too am a very light sleeper. Heck, I wake up when my cats jump on my bed, and they aren't very heavy. It's not a cat quality I particularly enjoy having. But I do have it.

In my case, I also share a food pickiness with my cats. In my experience, most dogs eat what you put in front of them, often as quickly as they can. Cats, on the other hand, have been known to turn up their noses at what is presented. My cats are always anxious to be fed; they curl around my legs when I get home until I put their food down. But once the food is there, they both have a quick bite, then Mia eats for a little while, then Brie comes in for a little while, but they don't just gobble the food down. And they get "bored" of the same food after a week or so. I usually have two varieties of canned food to put down at each meal. And they still start turning up their noses at it after a few days of the same variety. I'm just a picky eater. I like what I like. I don't like what I don't like. And what I don't like is a pretty long list. I think what I do like is a pretty long list, too, but somehow I often get accused of being picky. And so cat-like.

Like any good pet, including cats, I also will cease to be friendly to someone who doesn't treat me right. And like any good cat, I will not tolerate abuse for really any length of time; dogs are much more patient/tolerant. I won't say that the one who hurts me will feel like my claws, but I can't say they won't either.

But mostly I think my biggest cat-ish quality is my independence. I love who I love. But don't ask me to follow you around without a thought in my head. Ain't gonna happen.