Lessons from my cat

It seems there are two main types of cats: the ones who purr every moment of the day and constantly desire one’s affection, and the ones who rarely purr and are, frankly put, unfriendly.

I had a cat named Thomasita who fit the latter type. She hissed, she growled—heck, sometimes she even barked. When she meowed, it sounded like she was saying “no.” When people walked past her, she attacked their feet. When someone rubbed her belly, she would attack the wrist or the face when she felt it was too much.

Despite her not-so-charming nature, she taught me a few lessons throughout the time I spent with her.

1)     Dogs aren’t the only animals who bark.

Prior to Thomasita, I believed dogs were the only animals that barked. Thomasita proved me wrong. One day she came inside after presumably getting into a fight. When our dogs came slightly near her, her back arched, her hair stood up, and saliva escaped from her mouth as if she was foaming. She growled, and when the dogs got an inch too close, she released a high pitched bark.

2)     What it means to be honest with actions.

Animals are honest creatures. Whether they’re angry, sad, or happy, they’ll show it through their body language and sounds. Thomasita was an excellent example of this. When she was discontent with her situation (which was often), she would let us know through her actions. She never pretended to be happy when she was upset, and she never acted upset when she was happy. Her actions exemplified honesty.

3)     Even the most unfriendly creatures are capable of love.

Even though Thomasita sometimes acted like a possessed monstrosity of a fur-ball, she was still capable of love. When I lay in bed, she would jump up and cuddle with me, purring all the while.

Thomasita had her bad times, but she also had her kind moments. She hissed, she growled—heck, sometimes she even barked. But she also cuddled, purred, and sometimes let people pet her.

I, too, allow unfriendly noises and words to come out of my mouth, and sometimes I’m a little too honest with my actions. But at the end of the day, I really just want to love and be loved.