9 Life Lessons to be Learnt from Cats

6 minute read

A few months ago my husband and I adopted two absolutely gorgeous rescue kittens. Fionn is ginger, but really more golden with amber eyes and Lulu his little sister is a grey tabby with emerald eyes. We have been besotted since day one, although they were a little recalcitrant at first. But little by little we gained their trust and now they have the run of the house and sleep on our bed at night. “As bold as brass” my Granny might have said.

They are bringing us so much joy and are a balm for my nervous system and a pacifying influence in our home. It’s hard to be too angry, or raise your voice when there are two furry packets of cuteness hanging around, napping in armchairs, or lounging on window sills. Last week we had our first big argument since we’ve had them. Voices were raised, it wasn’t pretty. It felt particularly awful to see Lulu running away. Kitty trauma?

The kitties are becoming cats, they’re somewhere between six and seven months old now and they have become important teachers for me.

Herewith are nine lessons from my cats:

Cultivate Curiosity

They say that curiosity killed the cat. But they also say that cats have nine lives, so maybe their curiosity serves them well. I love watching my cats navigate the house and our upstairs patio. They are so curious, using their little noses to smell everything in a never-ending investigation. No object, or place, is out of bounds. Vases filled with flowers, my toes, laundry waiting to be folded, patio plants, bathroom tiles, brown paper bags.

It’s beautiful to watch, almost childlike. Maybe they’ll grow out of it, I’ll have to wait and see.

Pay Attention

Lulu and Fionn are highly skilled in the art of paying attention, virtuosos in fact. They can sit and watch the world around them for quite long stretches of time, perched on patio walls or open windows. Are they really seeing things or just staring into space? Who knows, but they certainly give the impression of alertness and taking it all in. They are avid listeners too. Right now, Lulu is reclining on a table six feet away from me while Fionn is amusing himself in a room nearby. Although she can’t see him, when he makes noise, her ears perk up and she appears to be raptly listening.

I’ve read before that where you place your attention, determines how you live your life. If you pay attention to things that make you feel good, that have positive connotations, your life will feel better. I’m not sure Fionny and Lulu are thinking such deep thoughts but they certainly model attentiveness.

Make Time for Play

Boy do these two munchkins play! The entire apartment is their dancing ground and nighttime is peak activity. They particularly love tackling each other and rolling around on the floor. Careening across our bed as we’re trying to sleep is another favourite, as is messing up all the rugs, cushions and pillows in our living room. Lulu has lately taken to jumping into the bath if we leave the bathroom door open and she and Fionny play peek-a-boo. It’s the cutest thing to see her diminutive head sticking out from behind the shower curtain.

Napping Is Important

All that playing and paying attention can get tiring, hence the ‘cat nap.’ Much of their time is spent napping, curled up in all kinds of places, often underneath something or in a comfy sunny spot. Lulu favours a soft cat bed in a dark spot under a table when she wants a more secluded vibe. When she’s open to socialising, she has a favourite chair on the patio, perfect for catching some sun.

Serious nap time for Fionny means he sequesters himself behind some clothes and an old teddy bear in my closet. If it’s a more casual nap, he’ll either go in the sun on the patio, or find an open window to stretch out.

Whether it’s a deep dive into seclusion, or more of a ‘I’m disturbable if something fun or interesting is happening’, frequent napping seems to be a non-negotiable priority and an essential part of each day.

Remember to Snack

These booboos are not messing when it comes to their tummies. They like to snack frequently to supplement their meals. They are not shy about letting us know they need to be fed first thing in the morning, kitty yelps being their preferred means of communication. Lulu simply cannot contain herself as we get the bowls out and open a tin of food, she emits high-pitched yelps and rubs up against our legs. You’d have to have a heart of stone not to melt at the sheer need.

But snack time is just as important and they are not shy about circling their bowls, doing their screechy thing to let us know they need some snacks to keep them going through the day.

This is a great model for me. As almost anyone who knows me reasonably well will tell you, I’m a nightmare when I’m hungry. When the blood sugar goes south, I get cranky, so regular snacks are important. As I’ve got older I’ve become better about remembering to snack, but I still get caught out sometimes and it can be messy. Snacking is good, it keeps things steady state.

Cuddles Matter

The intrinsic cuteness of Lulu and Fionn, their little faces and soft furry bodies makes them cuddle magnets. I mean who doesn’t want to cuddle a kitten who’s almost a cat? When I see Lulu curled up in her bed, little legs tucked underneath her, I become all mushy inside. My heart melts and I kneel by her side and whisper to her while rubbing her little face. Soon enough she’s purring and lifting her chin for me to rub the soft place beneath. A moment or two of that and she’s in my arms while I tell her how much I love her.

In these moments, there is simply nothing better. It’s the same when they come on the bed at night and curl up around our bodies. Sometimes we’ll both be awake during the night rubbing them and talking to them in silly cat voices. But who cares? The cuddle effect is real and it melts my heart and makes me smile.

But they don’t want to cuddle all the time. They like to come close then move away…the importance of letting go. Profound spiritual teaching.

Good Grooming

Cats are prolific self-groomers. They lie around licking their paws and their coats, making sure they are clean and dapper. Whether it’s mealtime, naptime or playtime they never look shabby.

Who couldn’t stand to take care of themselves in this way?

Be Flexible

Cleaning yourself all over requires much suppleness when you’re a kitty cat. They have the ability to bring their legs straight up behind their heads and twist their necks so that no part of their body is unreachable. The yogi in me loves this. I enjoy putting my feet behind my head after all.

But their flexibility is more than this also. They seem to be able to curl up anywhere and move with stealth and purpose as they navigate new places. An important teaching no doubt.

Chill Out

Maybe the biggest lesson I’m getting from my cats isn’t really a lesson, it’s actually a healing. I tend to be quite anxious and that anxiety is correlated with certain small animals. They’re like mice only bigger and their name begins with the letter ‘r’. I have such fear of them that I cannot even write the name. I’m sure you’ve guessed it by now.

They are everywhere humans are and there is a kind that lives in trees. Over the years we have seen many in the trees around our patio and even a few on our patio. I can’t begin to describe the sheer terror this evoked in me. Stuff of nightmares. Might I be a little neurotic? Perhaps. Did this particular fear, or actually phobia prevents me from being able to relax while sitting on the patio once dusk set in and into the evening? I’ll bloody say.

Now that we have two cats prowling the patio and walking the walls leaving a trail of their feline scent I am so carefree. I am practically reborn and not afraid to leave the door to the patio open or be out there at night. I trust my kitty crusaders, to keep me safe and this has done wonders for my nervous system. My hypervigilance is way down and I feel much more relaxed and happy.

Truth be told my long-term anxiety has often manifested as a slightly maniacal insistence on keeping the house clean. Of course, it’s desirable to have a clean and sanitary home but I could sometimes go overboard on the handwashing and sanitising. I’m sure the pandemic exacerbated that tendency and the fact that we don’t have children played a part too. Keeping the place clean has been a control mechanism of sorts, a way to try and carve out my own space and have things how I want them.

Well, here’s the thing. Cats do whatever they want. Jumping from the patio walls onto trees, going up onto the roof, ambling around the back garden nosing about the plants and scampering around the fallen limes under the key lime tree. They have no qualms about going from a quick pee (or number two) in the cat litter to curling up on the couch, or snuggling in between us on the bed. They might even gently sniff my face with their soft little noses to say hi in the middle of the night before strolling behind my head on the pillow and taking position on the bedside table to purr away in the dark.

And all of it is fine. My neuroses fade away because I love these little autonomous beings. Their softness and vulnerability have completely won me over. Their velvet kisses and soft snuggles are simply too good to pass up. My cats fascinate me and enchant me. Quite simply, they have me in the palm of their paws.