A Tiny Buddah, Covered in Fur.

Let us be clear: I truly love ALL the creatures of the world. The rodents, the reptiles, the fish and the fowl.


But it's no secret:


I LOVE CATS.


Like.... a lot.


Not just love them; I revere them. Respect them. Adore them. Learn from them, every day.


I love their grace, their innocence, their elegance, their wisdom.


I love their little faces, and the moods they reveal. Naughty and mischevious; content and loving; sweet and apologetic; bright and inquisitive; surly and irritated; to downright ghetto-fabulous. I love their smiles, and the heat of their little furry bodies when they lay in the sun.


I love all the different shapes, sizes, colours and coats cats can have. From slender and slinky to furry and fat;  from the wee little babies to your dog's worst nightmare.


I love their little quirks and eccentricities - like an obsession for licking patio stones, scarfing butter with both paws, or being slinky on the stairs(link to come!). You can identify a Katzendame (German for Cat Lady) by her ability to rattle off (in detail) these strange habits of all her furry children, and her expression of overwhelming joy as she does so. Potentially for hours.


She may also have specific songs she sings to them, which they in turn, coo and mrow along with. Like, "Do the Bearcat" to Smokey Bear, or some operatic rendition of "Baby Got Back" to Tiny Baby. (Yes, I do this. Loudly.)


Now you may be saying to yourself, "This woman is clearly a few kittens short of a litter, why should I listen to these delusional rants?"


To that I say:.....




........ well, nothing. I'm not here to convince you of my sanity, but merely show you how sunny life can be on the "crazy" and furrier side of this fence. It's no secret that animal companionship provides benefits far beyond the warm and fuzzy. Studies have shown that having a pet can lower your blood pressure, reduce stress, and improve healing. Pet owners are also more likely to pull through when faced with a serious illness or health issue (such as a heart attack). 


Although pertinent, these facts are not why I have pets. I feel there is something so pure about our animal relationships. Think of all the drama you encounter with other humans. Think of the stress and anxiety these relationships sometimes put on you. There are so many negative and complicated emotions that come with human relationships, and while this complexity is part of their appeal, it can also be... well, frustrating. 


Betrayal, secrecy, manipulation, spite, hatred - these things do not exist with animals.

There is a quote from Mark Twain that I think sums is up quite perfectly: 

"If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man."

Nothing done by an animal is done with malicious or vindictive intent. When a dog pees on your rug, it is not because he likes to see you angered. When a cat scratches at your drapes, it is not because it is part of a larger, intricate plan to make your husband leave you. When your ferret hisses at or bites you, know that she is not trying to swindle you out of 50 bucks. When you feed and brush and nurse and fully love your animal, you can be sure that the only thing you will receive in return is reciprocated love and gratitude. A lick on the nose, a rub on your leg, a smile through the whiskers. 

Now, some of you may still be rolling your eyes, but the Katzendames and other pet lovers are nodding their heads. They know this pure and simple love, and its ability to stretch like a freshly woken tabby into the corners of our lives and change the way we view the world. They show us why simple love is the best love. Not just with animals, but with everything and everyone in our lives.

So perhaps instead of the regular rigmarole of pet toy reviews and LOLCATS pictures (although there is certainly a time and place for both, and they may make appearances here if the situation calls for it), we will use this blog as a place of celebration for the simple love our animals bring to us, and the lessons we can learn from them.

Also, in attempts to provide each furry-burry with an opportunity to find their destined human companion, I will use this blog as an adoption hub, and will feature profiles on animals from shelters, foster houses, barns- where ever they are- in order to give them a voice. Maybe the right person will hear it.

If you have an animal that needs a home, drop me a line.

Until next time:

Purr on, kittens.

- Katzendame