10 Reasons Why Cats Are Good For You

Cats have been my favorite animal ever since I was little. Even after one of them scratched me at the tender age of 3 or 4 years old, I still love them. No one in my family has a soft spot for animals then, but my heart literally soars every time I saw a cat. I didn’t even know them that well.

Cats have taken the world by storm since thanks to the popularity of cat videos, but the world can always use more compliments for cats.

Paige and Kanga (left and right respectively) are the family cats I left behind physically – part of me is always in Singapore with my loved ones. 🙂

Paige is 6 years old, Kanga is 4 years old.

How time flies. My parents, being traditional, sees pets as a burden and always wonder why we’d subject ourselves to the extra work and expenditure. But my sister, her kids and I, love having these babies around.

They’re a responsibility, but they’re also so much more. In the last 6 years, they’ve proven themselves to be pawesome furmily members.

This post, my friends, is a tribute to cats. Also because I miss my cats so much. You’re about to find out why they’re good for you – if you don’t already know.

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1. You can walk cats, but they don’t need to be walked

If you’re lazy like me, this is perfect. Of course, you can choose to walk them, but they’ll be perfectly fine staying at home all the time.

Just like an introvert.

2. Cats teach you how to handle rejection

You’re giving the cat a nice little head scratch, she seems to enjoy it. Out of a sudden, she gives your fingers a little nip. You withdraw your hand and look at her, confused. Both fingers and ego slightly hurt.

After a while, you learn that that’s a feline response to overstimulation, and instead of never petting your cat again, you learn to watch her body language better next time.

That’s how you learn to cope with rejection and not take them personally.

3. Cats are role models on how to be elegant

From the dainty way they sit with their paws neatly folded beneath them to the languid stretches and the perfect sashay, cats are so effortlessly elegant. Even supermodels learn from cats, why else would they call it a catwalk?

4. But they also show you that image isn’t everything

They may be elegant, but they’re not uptight or self-conscious. They’ll never sacrifice their comfort or character for fear of judgment. That’s true confidence. Learn from them.

Never let the fear of judgment get in the way of your self-expression.

5. They teach you that you don’t have to be perfect to be loved

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Cats aren’t perfect, and they don’t want to be.

You can go a day without seeing them, but the next thing you know, they’re trying to share a cup of water with you.

At night, they do zoomies, running from room to room while you toss in bed. In the morning, they’ll touch your face with their jelly-bean studded paws at 6 AM. If you ignore them, they may proceed to meow in your ear. Loudly.

They won’t hesitate to interrupt you as they deem fit. You could be sitting on the toilet, or reading a book. They’ll be there if they want to be.

They don’t try to please us, and their universe doesn’t revolve around us. But hey, we still love them.

Cats are the best example of “be yourself and you’ll be loved for who you are”!

6. They’re unpredictable, and hence, entertaining

You never know what they’re up to. Sometimes they want to pick a fight.

Sometimes they want to scale new heights.

7. Cats can help us relieve stress

If you have a cat or a dog, it can reduce your risk of stroke or heart diseases by a third. This is because petting them lowers our cortisol levels, thus offering stress relief.

Although it’s thought that cats purr to promote their muscle and bone healing, their purrs are calming to us too.

Have you ever met someone who’s so calm, you feel at peace around him or her? That’s the case with cats. They’re so chill you can’t help but become cool around them. Especially when you also pet them and hear them purr.

They’ll introduce peace into your life. Be like a cat, don’t be frazzled.

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8. They don’t treat you like you are everything to them

Some people may not see this as a good thing, but it’s good in my opinion, because I’ll be heartbroken if I died and my furry friends can’t move on. The thought of an animal standing by the door waiting for me to return home when I’m dead, or away for extended periods of time, is just too much.

Cats do get attached to their human, but they’re usually not so attached they’ll wait at a spot for years for someone… Gee, I’m sad just thinking about that.

We all know the pain of missing someone. I’m happy just being loved when I’m around, and overlooked when I’m not.

9. Cats are affectionate too!

They may not always show their affection, or they may show it in a different way. But they definitely can be affectionate.

Paige isn’t a lap cat, but she hangs out in the living room with us when we’re watching TV. Kanga, on the other hand, loves to sit right next to us. Sometimes he’ll be on one of our laps.

10. Sometimes they stare at you for no reason

That has to be love, right?

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See, cats are good for you. They’re easy to take care of and wonderful to have around. Thanks to their sweet and goofy ways, my sister’s family and I have tonnes of fond memories of them. Even writing about them makes me smile. I hope you’ve enjoyed my cats’ pictures.

I love dogs, and a bunch of other animals too, but cats will always have a special spot in my little heart. Now that I know them better, I know that it’s a well-deserved spot too.

What are your thoughts about cats? Do you have pets? Do share your experience with our furry friends in the comments!

All pictures in this post by Julie Xu for Dark Blue Journal.