Is cat ownership a blessing, or a curse?

If you are a cat owner, then you know how wonderful and yet how awful it can be.  Cats are soft, loving, adorable creatures that will wrap you right around their paw and keep your heart forever.  Yet, when they get feisty, watch out!  Cats will rip you up, rip up your furniture, rip up the walls and wood work, rip up each other, and even rip up your shower curtain.  They climb, jump, and walk on everything, the higher the better.  They eat until they throw up.  And they will go after whatever plant you have in the house, even if it is poisonous to them. 

With that said; why do we keep them and love them so much?  Cats seem to ooze love and companionship.  They can, with just a look, communicate whatever it is they seek.  They will glance in your direction, and you will immediately know that you have forgotten something; or that you haven’t clean their litter box to their expectations.  Yet, with a simple purr or a rub, they can immediately change your anger at them to melt-down love.  They lay around all curled up in tiny little balls and you can’t help but smile when you see them.  They jump into boxes and bags and look at you like you are foolish not to be in there with them.  Cats will play with the stupidest things, mine love straws.  They will chase them around, carry them all over the house and then chew them to bits.  I find chewed up straws everywhere.  No, I do not give them to the cats; the cats steal them out of my straw container, which is, by the way, covered. 

If something makes noise, you can bet the cats will find it and make as much noise as possible with it, especially if you are trying to sleep.  They have ‘tasted’ my coffee, milk, soda, juice, and water by sticking their paw in and then licking their paw clean.  Often, they will try to dip a second time.  Usually by then, though, I have yanked the cup away and dumped it down the sink.  Anything breakable will not be in perfect condition for long.  The cats will, eventually, find it and *crash*, so much for you new wine glasses, or that beautiful serving tray you found.  I find that no matter how high or how secure I keep things, the cats find them. 

© Cheryl Simonds 2012

They have a million toys to play with, but they chase rubber bands instead; or pull out my pipe cleaners from the drawer where I keep them (or try to keep them).  They have scratching posts everywhere but they prefer to scratch on my furniture and walls.  They have beds of their own, but guess where they sleep; you guessed it, on my bed, usually on my pillows.  So why do I have cats?  Can you actually look at those sweet little darlings all curled up and innocently asleep and ask?  (I know, I’m crazy, can’t help it-those cats seem to be able to hypnotize with their eyes--oooweeeoooweeee--don’t look in their eyes or you’ll be hooked for life!)