What I Love About Being a Cat Owner

by Cheryl Lock

The day my cat Penny and I locked eyes at the cat rescue event at our local pet store, I knew I was doomed. I had never had a cat before, and quite frankly had always considered myself to be a dog person (please don’t tell Penny).

Still, I couldn’t resist the urge to pick up this little ball of grey-and-white fluff, take her home and call her mine. So that’s just what I did. Over the three years now that we’ve owned Penny, I can honestly say that not one day goes by where I’m not learning something new about her. Cats are mischievous, smart and cunning, as well as independent, savvy and entertaining.

And while there’s a ton that I love about my relationship with Penny, these are a few of the things that I’ve come to cherish most.

Our Early Morning Snuggles

There is nothing more amazing than waking up in the morning to a cuddly, purring ball of fur. While Penny enjoys her free reign of the apartment during the night, and usually doesn’t sleep in the bed with me from the get-go, without fail I will wake up in the morning to a sleeping kitten curled up next to me in the sheets. It’s impossible to start the day off badly when that’s what you’re waking up with.

Our Evening Greeting

Don’t get me wrong, I certainly realize that Penny isn’t pining for me when I happen to be gone during the day hours. She’s looking out the window, keeping herself entertained and, for the most part, napping. However, despite however independent she might be during the day, when I put my keys in the front door to unlock it, I can always hear her come running from the bedroom to greet me. She stops just short of meeting me directly at the door (she has her dignity, after all), but she’s always alert and sitting promptly in the foyer, waiting for me to come to her to give her a pat hello. It’s our little evening ritual, and I’ve come to look forward to it after being out of the apartment.

Our Mini Work Breaks

When I recently went from working full-time in an office to working full-time from home, I wasn’t sure how Penny would react. After all, like I mentioned, I think she’s grown pretty accustomed to having free reign of the apartment during the days to do as she pleases. While there definitely was a bit of an adjustment period for both of us (during which I drove Penny crazy by following her from room to room as she tried to avoid me), we’ve settled nicely into a little routine now. And whenever I’m feeling restless and could use a quick 5-minute distraction from work, I know Penny’s up for a quick game of laser pointer or a couple-minute snuggle. I think it’s just what both of us needs to get on with our day.

Our ‘Look at Me, Mom!’ Moments

These don’t happen often, but when they do my heart melts. Occasionally, just occasionally, while I’m working, Penny will take it upon herself to sit directly on top on my hands as they’re typing away at the keyboard. When this occurs, I know it’s time for one of those aforementioned mini work breaks—time to pay a little bit more attention to Penny before we can get on with our days.

Being a cat owner certainly has its ups and downs, but overall I’ll say—I can barely remember what our apartment was like before Penny came into it, and I can’t imagine being without a cat ever again.