I’ve Become a Cat Lady
What has quarantine done to me
It’s official. I like cats. I never wanted to admit it, but it’s true.
I’ve always been a dog person. My family has only ever owned dogs so I never really was with a cat for a long period of time. My parents are now on their third dog over the course of my life. One boxer and two wheaten terriers. I’ve loved them all to death and, based on the knowledge I have of dogs, they likely felt the same. I’ve obviously been around cats a bit, friends who have them, neighbors. But to be honest, I never understood the appeal. I was instilled with the idea that your pet should love you unconditionally, a pet that you can play with, be rough with, show little emotion, and just be cute.
But despite this, over quarantine, I’ve grown close to a cat. His name is Gimli. So I’ve been asking myself, how did I succumb to his extreme cuteness after being so stubborn about favoring dogs over cats? Well, a few reasons. First off, he is indeed extremely cute. He is a “ragdoll” cat. I know nothing about cat breeds, but Wikipedia says that they are placid cats who are affectionate in nature. I’d have to agree with this. Gimli is a remarkably chill cat. On occasion, he’ll want to play with you but on his own accord. Never when you want. The minute you start giving him attention, he stops.
Honestly, I was not a big fan of Gimli at first. He would wake me up in the morning scratching and his cage and litterbox. He’d jump up on the bed and knock stuff over when I was sleeping. But then he started to grow on me. After spending days on end with him I started to pick up on his habits, his trends, his routines. What he likes and dislikes. I always knew cats had a little more visible personality than dogs, but I never knew to what extent. Every day, all day, he jumps back and forth between the windows in the living room of the house I don’t even think he even looks out the window, I think he just likes the smell and the wind on his face. But if I am the first one up the morning and I open the windows for him, he’d thank me but rubbing his tail on me or rolling over on my foot.
Watching him roam around the house aimlessly just looking at something for the thousandth time has been fascinating to me. What is he thinking? Is he just seeing if anything has changed? Is he noticing something new every time? Who knows, but it’s fun to think about.
Obviously, one big reason Gimli and I have grown to like each other is that we’ve been spending a lot of time together during the quarantine. He’s become used to me being around the house and I’ve learned how to treat him so he doesn’t brutally scratch me. It’s pretty remarkable what a pet can do for your mental health during these trying times. Gimli provides me with seemingly endless entertainment. A distraction from all the bullshit going on just outside the front door. And he doesn’t even realize it.
