20 Things I’ve Learned From Living With a Cat
Living with a cat teaches you things you never expected to learn.
Some lessons are practical. Some are funny. Some make you shake your head and wonder what on earth your cat is thinking. And some are surprisingly meaningful.
I’ve learned quite a few things since Rebel came into my life. She has her own personality, her own routines, her own opinions—and, of course, her own ideas about the rules of the house.
Here are 20 things I’ve learned from living with a cat.
1. A Cat Can Keep You Sane
This might be the biggest thing I’ve learned.
Rebel keeps me sane.
There is something comforting about having a little furry companion around as I go through my day. Sometimes she makes me laugh. Sometimes she makes me stop what I’m doing to give her some attention. Sometimes she simply sits nearby.
She doesn’t have to do anything special. Just having her around can make a difficult day feel a little better.
2. Cats Have Their Own Way of Showing Affection
Rebel has a very specific greeting routine when my husband is home.
He’s the first person in our family she saw and, technically, the one who rescued her. So when she decides to come join us, she always goes to him first to say hello.
Then she comes to me for her snuggles.
I’ve learned that cats don’t necessarily show affection in the way we expect them to. They have their own ways of saying, “You’re my people.”
3. Cats Can Have Special Bonds With More Than One Person
Rebel’s relationship with my husband is different from her relationship with me, and that’s okay.
She has her own connection with him, and she has her own connection with me.
I’ve learned that a cat doesn’t have to love everyone in exactly the same way. They can develop individual relationships with the people in their lives.
And sometimes, those relationships have their own little rituals.
4. Cats Have Routines—Even When We Don’t Realize It
Rebel has several routines that seem to have developed all on their own.
When my husband gets home from work and we’re relaxing upstairs, she often comes up and hangs out with us on the bed.
When we’re walking down the stairs together, she’ll sometimes stop on the last step and wait for me to pet her. Once she gets her attention, she’s ready to continue on with whatever important cat business she has planned.
I’ve learned that cats can create little traditions that become part of everyday life.
5. Cats Don’t Always Need Your Attention to Want Your Company
Sometimes Rebel doesn’t want to sit in my lap or be petted.
She just wants to be nearby.
If I’m in the kitchen, she’ll sometimes jump onto a counter in the other room and simply watch me.
She’s not necessarily asking for anything. She’s just keeping an eye on things.
I’ve learned that companionship doesn’t always mean interaction. Sometimes being in the same room—or even just having a good view of each other—is enough.
6. Cats Like to Know What’s Going On
Whenever I go into the garage to get something, Rebel has to follow me.
But she’s not necessarily following me because she wants to spend time with me.
She’s investigating.
She sniffs around. She checks things out. She makes sure she knows what’s happening in her territory.
I’ve learned that cats have a strong need to understand their surroundings. If something is happening, they’re probably going to want to investigate it.
7. Curiosity Really Is a Cat’s Operating System
Paper scraps? Must investigate.
A garage? Must investigate.
Something moving on the floor? Absolutely must investigate.
Rebel is incredibly curious. I can be doing something completely ordinary, and she’ll suddenly appear to see what I’m doing.
I’ve learned that for a cat, “What is that?” is apparently a perfectly good reason to stop everything and investigate.
8. Cats Can Be Surprisingly Fast
I was watching Rebel chase a spider recently, and I was reminded just how fast she can move.
One second she’s sitting there.
The next second she’s a furry little blur.
I’ve learned that cats can go from completely relaxed to full-speed hunter in an instant. Their speed and reflexes are pretty amazing to watch.
Especially when the target is a spider.
9. Sometimes the Best Cat Bed Is Whatever You’re Working With
I was cutting up some paper and put the scraps beside me on the floor.
Naturally, Rebel came over and lay down on the paper.
Right next to me.
Of course.
I’ve learned that you don’t necessarily need to buy a cat something special to make it interesting. Sometimes a pile of paper scraps is apparently far more appealing than anything you deliberately purchased for her.
10. A Cat’s Favorite Toy Can Have an Expiration Date
Rebel is also a typical cat in this respect.
She’ll love a toy for a while, play with it, and then suddenly seem completely uninterested in it.
That toy can sit untouched for who knows how long.
Then one day, she may decide it’s interesting again.
I’ve learned not to assume that a forgotten toy is permanently forgotten.
With cats, apparently, toys can go into retirement and come back when they feel like it.
11. Favorite Things Can Become Part of a Cat’s World
Rebel has her Baby.
Baby is a stuffed toy that she carries around, and every night she brings it upstairs.
It’s become part of her routine.
I’ve learned that cats can form surprisingly strong attachments to particular toys or objects. Something that may look like an ordinary stuffed toy to us can apparently have an important place in a cat’s little world.
Baby is clearly somebody special.
12. Cats Appreciate Having a Safe Place to Hide
I made Rebel a cardboard box maze that I put underneath the bed.
At one point, I removed it when I was desperately looking for her. Afterward, I noticed that she wasn’t going underneath the bed nearly as much as she used to.
That made me wonder if the maze had actually been part of what made the space appealing to her.
So I recently put it back—but I made the holes bigger this time because Rebel has grown since I first made it.
Now she has somewhere to hide inside the maze or behind it.
I’ve learned that cats don’t just need places to play. They also appreciate having spaces where they can tuck themselves away and feel secure.
13. Cats Understand Boundaries—Even If They Don’t Always Respect Them
Rebel recently tried to jump onto a piece of furniture she’s not allowed on.
I could see her scheming.
I told her no.
She looked at me, then looked back at the furniture.
I told her no again, and she stopped.
Then I called her over, and she came. So naturally, she got a good scratch behind the ears.
I thought we’d settled the matter.
We had not.
Afterward, she went back and jumped onto the furniture anyway.
I’ve learned that a cat can understand a boundary perfectly well and still decide that she’d like to reconsider the agreement.
14. Positive Reinforcement Goes a Long Way
My husband goes to bed early because he works in the morning. If Rebel is sleeping in our room before he goes to bed, I’ll call her downstairs.
She comes running.
I also give her treats when she comes downstairs without us having to force her.
I’ve learned that making something rewarding can go a long way with a cat. Instead of turning it into a battle, Rebel has learned that coming when she’s called can have a pretty good payoff.
Sometimes that payoff is a treat.
Sometimes it’s ear scratches.
Either way, she’s getting something she likes.
15. Cats Can Be Curious and Cautious at the Same Time
Rebel is not a door dasher.
If the back door is open, she doesn’t immediately take off through it.
She inspects the opening first. She sniffs around. Then maybe one paw goes out.
After that, the other front paw might follow.
If everything seems comfortable, she’ll eventually come all the way out.
And even if she gets outside, she doesn’t immediately run away. She stays close to the door and looks around.
I’ve learned that curiosity doesn’t always mean recklessness. Rebel wants to know what’s out there, but she likes to assess the situation first.
Of course, once she’s outside, I still scoot her right back inside.
16. Cats Notice When Their People Come Home
Rebel is usually waiting near the garage door when I come home.
She hears the garage opening or my car pulling in, and she goes over to wait for me.
I almost hit her with the door once, so now I’m especially careful.
When I come inside, I always give her a big hello and some petting.
Then she follows me while I put away my keys and shoes.
I’ve learned that cats can pay much more attention to our routines than we sometimes realize. Rebel knows the sounds that mean I’m coming home, and apparently she considers greeting me part of the arrival process.
17. Cats Can Be Very Interested in Where You Are
If Rebel doesn’t happen to be with me when I go to the bathroom, she somehow knows I’ve disappeared.
Soon I’ll hear a scratch at the door or a meow.
She’s letting me know that she’s there and would like to come in.
I’ve learned that cats may be independent, but that doesn’t mean they don’t keep tabs on their favorite people.
Apparently, bathroom privacy is simply not part of our household arrangement.
18. Sometimes Cats Follow You Just Because They Don’t Want to Miss Anything
Rebel follows me into the garage, follows me when I put away my things, and sometimes comes to check on me if I’ve disappeared behind a closed door.
But she isn’t necessarily demanding attention every time.
Sometimes she just wants to know what’s happening.
I’ve learned that cats can be wonderfully independent while still wanting to participate in the ordinary moments of our lives.
They don’t always need to be the center of attention.
Sometimes they just want to be included.
19. Cats Have Very Definite Personalities
The more time I’ve spent with Rebel, the more I’ve realized that it’s impossible to understand cats simply by reading about “what cats do.”
Rebel does plenty of typical cat things.
But she’s also uniquely Rebel.
She has her own habits, preferences, routines, favorite things, quirks, and ways of communicating.
I’ve learned that getting to know a cat means getting to know an individual—not just a species.
20. Life With a Cat Is Full of Little Moments That Become Important
Maybe this is the biggest lesson of all.
It’s the greeting at the garage door.
The stop on the last stair for a pet.
The quiet time on the bed.
The cat sitting nearby while I’m in the kitchen.
The paper scraps that suddenly become a bed.
Baby coming upstairs every night.
The cardboard maze under the bed.
The suspicious look at the forbidden furniture.
The little scratch at the bathroom door.
None of these things would seem particularly important on their own.
But put them all together, and they’re life with Rebel.
And I’ve learned that those ordinary little moments are often the ones that make having a cat so special.
Life With Rebel
Living with a cat has taught me that cats are funny, curious, independent, affectionate, stubborn, cautious, clever, and sometimes completely unpredictable.
They have their own personalities and their own ways of showing us that they care.
They can make us laugh when we need it most. They can keep us company without saying a word. They can turn a cardboard box, a paper scrap, or a stuffed toy into something important.
And sometimes, they simply sit beside us and make an ordinary day better.
For me, that’s Rebel.
She’s not just a cat who lives in my house.
She’s part of my life.
And after everything she’s taught me, I wouldn’t have it any other way.