What are Cats Good for Anyway?

The other day while I was perusing the cat food aisle at our supermarket, a stranger walked up to me and had the unmitigated gall to ask, “What are cats good for anyway?”

It was hard for me to believe that a cat hater had the nerve to approach me and attempt to cast aspersions on our beloved feline species. But it was obvious to me that this ignorant woman had no idea that she was decidedly barking up the wrong tree. I am sure that I seemed to be a crazy lady to her since my eyes were rolling and the color of my cheeks had turned a rosy red.

To say that I was thoroughly incensed by her question would be a huge understatement. It took me quite awhile to recover my composure. To be perfectly honest I was sorely tempted to punch her in the nose. But after silently counting to 100, I was sufficiently calmed down to ask her if she really wanted me to answer her question. And much to my surprise she answered in the affirmative.

How does one even begin to extoll the amazing benefits that we as cat lovers enjoy from being owned by kitties; especially to a self-proclaimed ailurophobe? Based on her strange demeanour, I wasn’t particularly motivated to make her into a convert. However I decided that I had to tell her that based upon her self-proclaimed prejudice against felines she was missing out on one of the greatest treasures in the animal kingdom.

So what ARE cats really good for anyway? I am sure that we as passionate kitty lovers could come up in a heartbeat with an extensive liturgy of what we appreciate about our felines. But I simply had no idea where to begin to sing the praises of what I consider to be just a few of the behaviors that endear our two Oriental Shorthair cats, Dr. Hush Puppy and Sir Hubble Pinkerton so deeply to me.

Fortunately I came up with a few important things to tell her in just a few seconds!

Let sleeping cats lay: They save you money! On those frigid Florida winter nights when the temperature drops down to a bone-chilling level, instead of having to use an electric blanket, the two warm furry bodies that snuggle so tightly against me is not only a pleasure, it certainly lowers our electric bill.

“I think that the most important thing a woman can have – next to her talent, of course – is her hairdresser” — Joan Crawford.

I happen to be fortunate enough to have a cat named Sir Hubble Pinkerton who believes that he is a masterful hair stylist. He loves to shampoo and style my hair into a punky spiked-out look. After he is thoroughly satisfied with the outcome, I am ready and rearing to go out dancing! And he saves me the exorbitant price of a fancy professional coif!

“It is good to have an end to journey towards; but it is the journey that matters in the end.” –Ursula K. LeGuin

Although both of our cats are not particularly enamored with riding in our car, they do thoroughly enjoy taking rides with me when I travel about the house on my power wheelchair. Not only is it comforting to have company sitting next to me even if we aren’t really going anywhere important – they remind me that the joy IS in the journey.

However, the most important thing that our cats teach me, which is the main reason that I love them so dearly, couldn’t have been put into words more beautifully than Henry Ford when he said, “My best friend is the one who brings out the best in me.”

Since it didn’t appear that I had made an impact on the cat hater, my final words to her was quoting E. B. White who said, “Prejudice is a great time saver. You can form opinions without having to get the facts.”

What do you think cats are good for anyway? Please share your thoughts in a comment.