Kylee of our PoC family inspired this article with her comment about cat lovers, on another page:
‘It’s good when it makes you realise there are others like us out there’
She is right, it is good!
PoC is a wonderful meeting place for all of us who love cats but we also meet other like minded people in real life too.
The North of England is known to be a very friendly place to live and I’m wondering if other parts of our country and countries abroad are the same?
Here cat lovers are especially friendly people, almost always in the Pet Food aisle at the Supermarket someone strikes up a conversation:
‘I just don’t know what to buy for my cats today, they refuse everything lately that they used to like’
‘Oh I know, ours do the same’
‘How many have you got?’
‘Three, how many have you got?’
‘Two’
‘Oh I wouldn’t be without cats, I love them’
And so it goes on.
Then the checkout assistant:
‘My cats like this sort of food you’ve got today’
‘Do they?’
‘Oh yes, I have six, how many do you have?’
When buying cat food in bulk for local cats in care, it goes something like this:
‘Wow that’s a lot of tins, how ever many cats do you have?’
‘Only two, this is for cats in Sanctuaries’
‘What a good idea, I should do that, I’d love to have a cat but my hubby doesn’t like them’
In the vet’s waiting room people with cats tend to gravitate together, not only to avoid the dogs waiting too, upsetting the cats, but to admire each other’s cats.
A little ‘meow’ and others there with their cat baskets all look sympathetic and peek in at the cat and a conversation starts up:
‘What a pretty cat’ and ‘Hello and what’s your name beautiful boy?’
Cat lovers feel no embarrassment about talking to their own and each other’s cats.
I feel sorry for people without cats, they miss out on so much. Even more so for people who say they hate cats, what very inadequate people they must be to think that way!
We don’t expect everyone to like cats but to hate them is very unkind. Cat lovers don’t go around saying we hate dogs, anyone hating any animal makes me think they are a very pathetic person. I think cat lovers are mostly very tolerant people.
It does get my back up if anyone says nasty things about cats, stupid things like ‘I hate cats because they kill birds’. What an ignorant, blinkered opinion that is.
Whatever happened to tolerance of each other and of animals?
Ruth aka Kattaddorra
Please search using the search box at the top of the site. You are bound to find what you are looking for.
Love the poster.
Cat food aisles at Petsmart are like meeting places for a lot of us cat lovers. Many of us exchange comments and info. We don’t always know each other’s names, but we see each other often, know a bit about everyone’s cat life, and share laughs.
These “buddies” of mine always laugh when a newbie is in the aisle and asks me if I am stocking up for the month. One of them said one time , “No, she’s just trying to get through today”.
Thanks Dee, yes I can imagine you spend a lot of time (and money)in the cat food aisle in Petsmart.
I laughed at your ‘buddies’ saying “No, she’s just trying to get through today”
Even with only two cats we are constantly shopping in that aisle.
Oh yes this is spot on, on any trip to the supermarket, pet shop or wherever else we go to buy cat food you can guarantee that in the cat food aisle there will be someone with an anxious look on their face searching for something that their cat will approve of, someone who wants to proudly report that they have a cat in his late teens, someone who has multiple cats, someone who’s cat loved a certain brand of cat food until yesterday when suddenly she hated it and so it goes on, the pet food aisle takes the longest to shop in because there are so many people to chat to. I remember a few years ago when for a long while I shopped at Morrisons at the same time every Saturday morning and met the same lady every week who had found a feral cat living rough in her garden, Ruth and I were CP feral officers at the time and had trapped the cat and taken her to be spayed and then returned her to this lady’s home where she eventually, against her husband’s wishes, befriended her and brought her into the house to live. Each week she would give me progress reports on how well the cat was doing, what she liked to eat and how gradually she was winning the husband over, he would stand there patiently waiting while we chatted and other people hearing us joined in and learned how this kind woman had saved that cat’s life. I was very sad when eventually the lady died, but heartened to hear that the cat was still welcome in the home by the husband. What a legacy she left, she’d converted her husband from a cat hating macho man to a cat carer. These are the sort of stories that come about by cat loving people meeting and chatting, it’s a bit like the way parents share a special bond, you see strangers with kids smiling at each other sharing a special look that says “we have kids” well the same is true of cat lovers, we also have a special smile that we share with other cat people in cat related situations don’t we?
I love that thought Babz ‘we have a special smile that we share with other cat people’
It’s so true, we do!
I remember that lovely lady and she called the cat Ebony, we trapped her 2 kittens young enough to be neutered and tamed didn’t we.
I remember her saying Ebony looked for them for a while, so sad, but they went to a much better life and Ebony ended up happy too.
You got Ebony and her sibling really young I take it? It’s sad when cats look for their friends to no avail.
I like Babz expression too – “special smile” – it’s true.
Ebony was the mother cat (another Ebony not our own Ebony) and had 2 kittens who were young enough to socialise and find good homes for when we trapped them for neutering.
I think more than likely Ebony was a stray or had been abandoned, rather than feral as the lady enticed her into the house to live, a true adult feral would have been much more difficult if not impossible, to tame and be happy to live indoors.
this is amazing ruth it gives me such joy that there are so many of us out there. Same here in New Zealand we talk about the same things. Often when down the cat aisle there are others trying to decide what to get our pets. I just had today to get more Whiskas cat singles as my ozzie was complaining that werent any wet food left. Im pleased i gave you an idea glad to help. Im not looking forward to going away as it means leaving my boys with someone else. Im hoping they be ok, which im sure they will. They will be looked after by someone that already has a cat but its always hard to be apart from our family. Ive decided im going to start giving cat food to the local Spca, Got a reply that they glady have me once their shop is open in Town. So looking fwd to that.
I was glad your comment inspired me thanks Kylee, it’s usually De who says something that sets me off lol
Are you going on holiday? Yes your cats will be alright but if you are like me you can’t wait to get back home to see them again.
Is it a SPCA charity shop you plan to help in? I love those shops, the people in the animal ones are usually so friendly too.
We call in the PDSA charity shop when we go to town, one lovely mentally disabled lady is always just inside the door selling raffle tickets or doing a tombola, to raise more funds, her face lights up as she knows we won’t walk past her lol
yes over here in New Zealand Its Called Spca there are lots of places all over in new zealand the biggest one is in Auckland of course. Yea it be something to look forward to. Yes just going to a place called Manapouri which is in bottom of the South Island in Fiordland. Ill take some photos and post them. So you can all see what Some of our beautiful Scenery is like. Just going for a week. Its mostly a forest area. My partners parents live there so just going for a week for a break. The cats be fine im sure.
It sounds lovely, I love forests, hug a tree for me and have a good time and I’ll look forward to seeing your photos, yes the cats will be fine and you’ll have a great reunion when you get back.
You are wonderful Ruth. I love the poster. So true. That is why we hang out here on POC, eh? Like minded people.
Yes Dorothy like minded people in our own wonderful cat world here at PoC 🙂
Its so true Ruth its lovely when we meet cat people who are as passionate about their cats as we are! Only yesterday I delivered a rug I’d sold on Ebay to someone I’d never met before and before long we were chatting like old friends just because we’d both got cats!
I love going to houses where cats live, even with strangers there’s no awkwardness when cats are around, I’m down on the floor with them within minutes lol
OH ,I LOVE THIS ARTICAL..I HAVE HAVE MET MANY NEW FRIENDS IN THE CAT FOOD ISLE.
Me too Nancy, I think when shopping it’s the aisle we spend the most time in.
I spend time in the cat aisle but I haven’t run into many people who talk about their cats. I met a nice lady once who said I should give them a big hug on her behalf. I’d love to run into her again but I haven’t yet.
Are strangers friendly where you live Marc?
Yes, very much so. People here are generally very chatty and happy. People are happy here. It’s a little odd if you are used to a place like London where people are more anonymous and cold. I miss the anonymity of huge cities – the fact that nobody gives a damn what I’m up to or not up to is a good thing in a way, a freedom, but I also now appreciate Switzerland where I know my neighbours and talk to people in the store etc. It might seem superficial if you are a cynical person but I think people are genuinely happy and that is great. People are extremely helpful here too. They will go out their way to be nice and to help you with something if you ask. It’s one of the first things I remarked on when I arrived here. Usually people give you a minimum if you ask for help. Here not so. They will help and make sure you got it or whatever. I had an old man climb all the way back up the stairs just to show me how to use the ticket machine. It was the first time I took a train. I only asked him where the ticket machine was and he could see I didn’t have a clue. He came and helped buy a ticket right til I had it in my hand.
After living in the big city it comes as a suprise when strangers are nice and helpful by default and not just once in a while.
It sounds a really nice place to live Marc x
We just had a visit from an old friend on his mobility scooter with a carrier bag full of cat food for Marion CP because she has 17 new neglected cats in care now too from a closed down sanctuary, it’s heart warming how kind people can be.
Love this article Ruth because it touches a nerve for me. The events you describe happen to me. I have had lots of little conversations as you describe.
Thank you Michael, so it does happen in London too, cats lovers united lol