Top 5 Reasons I Love Being a Cat Dad
How She Has Helped Me Grow
I have always been a dog person. Growing up we had a Bichon Frise named Sammi. She was like a second sister to me. My sister Taylor and I would fight on who got to have the dog sleep in the room with them. We all loved Sammi, she was a very good girl.
I never really thought I would ever be a cat person. In fact, as a child I was allergic to cats. My aunt had many, and when I would visit her house I NEEDED to dose up on an allergy pill or else my eyes would swell and it would be hard to breath (kind of like now when I am stung by a bee). As I grew older, the allergy seemed to diminish. I was able to be around cats more often, and only really had an allergic reaction when I touched my face after petting one.
Last September when a coworker jokingly asked if anyone was looking for a kitten, my ears perked up. I had always wanted a dog, but the apartment building wouldn’t allow us to have dogs, which made it very strange when I saw one of these on a leash outside of the apartment:
I asked if I could see some pictures of the kitten, and that was the first time I saw her. Her big eyes and ears hiding by the legs of the chair. I was instantly in love. We picked up Zoey on a Monday night in October of last year and brought her home.
The first few weeks of being a Cat Dad were stressful. Constantly worrying about her getting stuck somewhere, or eating something she shouldn’t. I was a mess when she spent the night at the vet before her spaying.
Fast forward to now. She is getting so big! Last time I checked she was 10lbs. She loves to chase and be chased, climb on top of everything, and LOVES to lick my forehead while I am sleeping at 5 in the morning (this is usually when I put her out in the hallway and close my bedroom door). We are one month away from her first birthday!
From the moment we picked Zoey up, she was my little girl. She would curl up on my lap and take a nap while I was playing video games. When she first started eating wet kitten food, I smiled ear to ear like a proud dad. Since this past weekend was Father’s Day, I was inspired to write about why I am proud to be Zoey’s Cat Dad.
#1 She Helps Me Exercise
While she knows that I like to exercise after work almost every day, Zoey likes to check in on me every once in a while to see if I’m ready to get a quick run in. As I sit in my room working, Zoey will walk to the door and chirp a few times to get my attention. When I finally give her my attention, I can immediately tell its time to go. She turns and takes off down the hallway like the roadrunner (quite literally as she has long fur between her paws that makes her slip sometimes on the wood floors).
We chase each other around the house until she decides that I have had enough exercise for the moment. She returns to her favorite spot under the chair in the corner of the living room, and I return to work feeling energized.
#2 She Keeps Me on My Toes
Sometimes Zoey likes to hide in random corners throughout the house and test my reflexes. Her current favorite is the area at the end of my bed where my comforter touches the floor. Here she can wait to pounce like a lion stalking its prey. As I unknowingly walk into her trap, she pounces grabbing at my feet.
Luckily, this has been going on long enough that I am able to quickly jump out of the way. I’m lucky that she cares enough to help me work on my footwork.
#3 She Protects Me
Just the other day, I was attacked by a flying beast that forced its way into the house. Zoey immediately sprung into action. The battle that ensued was a sight to behold. As the beast dove to make its final assault, Zoey valiantly batted it away with her mighty paw. The beast was vanquished.
On another occasion I was standing in the kitchen getting a drink before bed when I heard a commotion from the dining room. Out of the corner of my I, I caught a glimpse of a many legged creature crawling across the floor. Like a knight in shining armor, Zoey entered the room and, with her paw, stopped the creature’s progress. Seizing this opportunity, I worked up the courage to squish the creature and toss it in the trash. Zoey scoured the area for any other fiends that would dare enter her arena, while I breathed a sigh of relief that she had saved my life once again.
#4 She Reminds Me to Enjoy the Little Things In Life
Zoey is constantly showing me how to enjoy the little things in life. Her favorite thing to show me is how to properly nap. Most days between the hours of 12pm to 5pm Zoey can be found curled up on the chair, or sprawled out across the coffee table. Personally, I think that napping for 5 hours is more considered sleeping, but I never question her teachings.
Another lesson she has taught me is how to find joy in a cardboard box. Out of all the toys that she has (which is a lot) the HP desktop box is her favorite. She loves to lay inside and pretend she is a princess in a castle, or she will reach her paw through the handle on the side of the box and grab at anyone who stands near it. She loves to show me the infinite number of ways to have fun with a cardboard box.
#5 She Always Reminds Me That I Am Loved
Every morning when I wake up I open my bedroom door and immediately hear chirps echoing from the living room, followed by the pitter patter of her paws as she rushes to greet me. She runs to my feet and plops herself down, stretching out as long as she can stretch, waiting for me to pet her. This is her daily routine.
Throughout the day while I am working (and between our workout sessions), Zoey will run into my room and jump onto the bed just to see that I am still there. She races across the bed, rubs her head on mine, and trots back to her napping spot delighted that I am still here.
One sign of affection stands above all others. Whenever I pick her up and hold her like a baby, she sits purring in my arms. She looks up at me with a little look of happiness on her face, and with a look of love, licks the tip of my nose. Although her tongue feels like a coarse grade of sandpaper, there is no better feeling in the world.
Zoey and I are continually learning from and teaching each other. I look forward to many more years of being Zoey’s Cat Dad.
