For the first 20 years of my life, the only pets I had in my household were fish. I got really interested in aquariums when I realized I could non-fish animals creatures like frogs, shrimp, snails, and crayfish. As a teenager, I've planned that my retirement days would be spent tending to an extravagant planted aquarium. However, fish are confined to their tank. They are not warm and cuddly, and cannot really be interacted with the same way as a cat or dog. As such, there's a lot less emotional attachment to them as pets (although I'll always remember our 18 year old pleco we called "The Black Sucker").
My parents were resistant to getting a cat or dog. My mom had a bad impression of cats since she had encountered some mean ones as a child. They insisted that it wouldn't be fair to the pets since everybody was so busy with school or work.
A New Challenger
In early 2013, my brother sent a group chat to the family asking if he should adopt a cat from his friend. We shrugged and said "Sure, why not". He adopted a tuxedo cat named "Otis", who he renamed as "Oats" (for his fondness of oatmeal). He came by Vermont later that Summer for us to cat-sit, since he had to work heavy overtime to meet deadlines. Since we never had a cat in the house, we weren't sure what to do. We were afraid of him getting lost somewhere or him peeing somewhere hidden. We kept him secured in our sunroom, where had a plenty of space and a view of the outside.
Oats was a temperamental cat. He enjoyed getting brushed and bunting his head into things, but he would quickly get enraged from being picked up or getting his paws touched. He would growl, hiss, and lash out when annoyed. He was a fairly young cat (around 5), so he liked to run around and play. His favorite toy was a fortune cookie tied on a string, since he like the sound of the plastic crinkling. Despite his aggressive tendencies, our family came to enjoy his presence around the house. We let him out of the sunroom during the day for him to explore. He would lay around the kitchen and watch us eat. My mom lightened up and came to affectionately called him "Mao Mao" and even "Daan Taat"; a foreshadow of the future.
After my brother had returned and took back Oats, the house felt a bit empty. We were used to seeing a furry creature hanging around the house. We realized that cats were incredibly easy to take care of. More so, they provided a lot of entertainment and coziness to the house. Soon after, we went to the shelter to adopt a female Egytian Mau named "China" (renamed "Mao Mao"). 6 months later, we decided to adopt another cat to call "Daan Taat"; we found a feisty Yellow male longhair cat.
Cat in the Hat
I could go on about each cat profile (which I will eventually), but in general I've come to really love cats. In terms of personality, I strongly identify with them.
- Disposition: Cats are viewed as aloof, calm, and cautious. They start off distrustful with strangers until they've spent enough time around them to become more comfortable. If they are annoyed or feel threatened, they have no issues fighting back with ferocity.
- Independence: Cats handle themselves well in isolation. They enjoy the peace and quiet when left alone, but still have social needs for play or affection. After satisfying these desires, they can return to chill out by themselves. They also have no issues staying exclusively indoors, which is something I'd be fine with too.
- Cleanliness: Nature could not have designed a more clean animal! Cats have an innate desire to clean themselves frequently. They're are also naturally conditioned to use the litterbox, which saves time and hassle compared to a dog or any other pet. The only issue I have is when they vomit, but that is preventable by controlling their diet.
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