Cats are the mammalian equivalent of Swiss army knives.
They are multi-faceted and fill niches in our world that haters could never begin to imagine.
At this writing, I had an 8.6 lb space heater on my lap. Meanwhile, another provided a beautiful balance to my home decor. Yours may be a momentary speed bump (ahem, Walter, please let me through the door), helping you hone your agility. Another could be acting as a yarn tangler (Divya loves a loooong bit of string).
Or, it could be the same cat on a different day. The same one that is the perfect grooming tool for your chip-dusted, salty fingers (Elijah, I believe this is in your wheelhouse, sir licksalot) may also be your most reliable alarm clock (fur…face…need…to…breathe).
Some of the roles cats fill might seem fanciful to the outsider, as if we cat fanciers attribute too much to our feline companions. Moreover, not every cat will fill each of these roles. Just like all of the different Victorinox Swiss army knives (or cards — handy, dandy little tools!), each cat has a go-to set of skills (very particular skills!) that they care to share.
Some cats are bigger, some smaller, but they are all wonderful to have at your fingertips, or feet, or draped across your neck, or even (grossly, yet adorably) kneading so close to your face in the morning that you end up with a case of paw-in-mouth (not enough mouth rinse ever!).
So, whether you have the greeter (Olive, always lovely to see you. Thank you for the warm welcome!), the paperweight (Thank you, Marjory, I’ll write later.), or the entertainer (Snoop, you adorably silly soul.), one thing is for certain.
When you spend time with a cat, you’ll get more than you ever expected and probably quite a bit more than you bargained for.
More than you bargained for! But oh – so wonderful!