My cats are beasts. Absolute beasts. They are grossly overweight, shed more hair than is physically possible, and they take up a LOT of room in my apartment! I never thought I would be a “cat guy”. I grew up with a wonderful German Shepherd named Brandy – the best dog in the world. I loved having her, and she was my companion. And yet, I ended up with cats. You know what? I love them. They’re not perfect, and they can drive me insane, but I do love them. They keep me company as I sit in front of my computer during the day, and there’s nothing like taking a nap with one of them purring on your stomach.

But as my mind wandered trying to decide on what I wanted to write about this week, I looked at them and thought, What can we learn from my cats? So today, I will share that knowledge with the rest of the world. But first, let’s meet the players in this story:

Chandler. I’ve owned this giant since he was a little kitten in November of 2005. He enjoys eating at great length and knocking things off my kitchen table.

Rusty. I took Rusty from my brother and sister-in-law when they developed an allergy to cats. I’ve had him since March of 2008. He enjoys uncomfortable-looking sleeping positions and climbing into my lap at the least convenient times of my day.

There. Now that you know who’s who, let’s dive in to the 9 life lessons we can learn from my cats.

1. You will fight your friends.

One of the reasons I was willing to take Rusty is that he and Chandler seemed to get along. They liked to play around with each other (and they still do). Yet, every few days, I get to enjoy a little feline UFC battle as Rusty attacks Chandler for no other reason than he may be just in a lousy mood. I once heard a loud “MRRREOW!” in the closet where I keep the litter boxes, and I ran to see Chandler standing in the litter and Rusty next to him with black fur falling out of his mouth. They bite and claw at each other regularly.

Is there anyone who has played a significant role in your life that you haven’t had an argument with? Now, I hope you don’t try biting them while they are on the toilet or anything, but if you’ve got a close friend or family member, you’ve had your differences. My girlfriend and I don’t always see eye-to-eye. My best friend in the entire world and I argue on regular occasions. And don’t get me started on my family! Arguing with loved ones is normal. It’s a part of life! As long as they don’t devolve into personal insults, they are a healthy part of every relationship. Don’t bottle up your feelings just to avoid a fight. Have the fight and move on.

2. If you want something, go get it.

In this apartment, my cats are the squeaky wheels, and I’m the grease. They want attention, and they want it NOW. That means they want me to play with them, pet them, or just let them lie in my lap. If that’s what they want, they go for it. Rusty likes to play, and he will sit and meow until I do it (or until I smack him on the butt to leave me alone). Chandler will follow behind me all over the apartment and meow until I show him some attention. It drives me crazy.

But why aren’t we like that more often? How many times do you think about wanting something, and then just reserve yourself to the idea that you’ll never have it? We need to meow more often in our lives. That doesn’t mean whine and complain! That means take action! Figure out what you need to do to get the life you want. Want to start your own business? Start working it on the side and build it up. Want to get a date with that hot girl? Go strike up a conversation and get over yourself. Stop accepting your life the way it is. If you aren’t happy, fix it.

3. Enjoy the fine art of doing nothing.

This is the hardest one for many of us to do. During the day, it’s not uncommon to watch my cats just flat-out doing nothing. They’re not looking around or exploring anything. They’re not sleeping. They are just sitting there – doing nothing. If I say something, they look up at me, and then they go back to doing nothing. I understand that, as a cat, there isn’t much to do. But they seem to really enjoy just doing nothing.

I wrote recently about having fun versus wasting time, and I like to make the argument that your enjoyment and mental health is good for you. Having fun is a part of that. So is doing nothing. I’m headed up north this weekend to go camping. I’m looking forward to hanging out with my girlfriend and her family. I can’t wait to see nature in all its splendor. But I absolutely love just sitting around a campfire and doing nothing else – allowing my brain to just relax. It recharges the batteries. Go do nothing and recharge yours.

4. Prioritize sleep in your life.

If there’s one thing my cats know how to do, it’s sleep and sleep well. Most nights, they sleep. Most days, they sleep. All they have to do is find an open area, stretch out, and drift away for a few hours. Rusty makes it an art form. They revel in their sleep, and they are healthier for it.

Do Americans know how to get a good night’s sleep anymore? It’s healthy, prolongs your life, and makes you a more pleasant person to be around. When I talk about getting my 8 hours of sleep in every night, I get plenty of people who look down their noses at me, as if to say, EIGHT hours?!? You lazy bum, why don’t you do something with your life?

Come on. Are we really THAT busy? I know we want everything done right now, and we all have things we need to do. But sleep is an extremely essential part of our body’s health and longevity. Rest is a way for our body to shut down for a handful of hours and give it a nice break. Just like you don’t want to work for 24 hours straight, neither does your body. It’s earned a break – give it one.

5. No matter what you do, you will always leave something behind.

I have all hardwood floors and two cats. You do the math. You know what’s a fun game I like to play? I count how many steps I can take in my apartment – in a row – without stray cat litter sticking to my feet. I can never get past two. Or, after I wake up in the morning, standard protocol states that I immediately get the lint roller and head to my recliner, because there will be a substantial amount of Rusty hair waiting for me there from the overnight sleeping.

I am just amused beyond belief at the people of this world that think that they can just do whatever they want and it only affects their lives. “It’s MY body…” or “It’s MY money…”, etc. Heck, even a simple smile can change someone’s day. Unless you have alopecia or something, you’re not leaving your hair behind everywhere. But the way you drive, the way you talk, the way you act can all affect other people. Be mindful of that as you go about your day.

6. Love the people that are close to you.

When I come home, Chandler always greets me at the door with a pleasant meow. He will then follow me to my chair and start rubbing all over my legs. If I lean over to pet him, he sits patiently and then really leans into it with a big purr. If I take a nap on my bed, both of them come in to curl up with me. It’s like a big hug sometimes.

Yes, that’s kinda cheesy, but when you live by yourself and work from home, you take what you can get.

Think about the people around you that you care about: do they know how much you appreciate them? Do you show them that you care and love them? Do something randomly nice for them. Give them a hug the next time you see them. Give them a gift that tells them that you were thinking of them. Just do something. Stop going through life randomly being around people without showing them that you appreciate that they’re there.

7. Seize the day!

My cats don’t sleep in the bedroom with me. When we moved, I made it a rule that they could not sleep in my bed with me at night. I grew tired of the hair, and Chandler penchant for laying on my pillow and pushing my head out of the way, or pouncing on whatever area of my body I want to scratch. So I shut the bedroom door at night. But by 8:00am, they are pawing at that door and meowing loudly – it’s daylight out, their energy levels are high, and they want to start doing something with the day.

Do you jump out of bed in the morning? Do you feel invigorated and ready to really attack the day? No? Well that’s pretty lame. What’s the point of getting out of bed at all then? If you prioritize sleep (which we’ve already discussed), you can feel well-rested, and start the day with a healthy attitude. When you seize the day, seize it from the moment you get out of bed. You’ll be surprised at what you can accomplish. Never mind that my cats wake me up so that they can sleep on the bed all morning…

8. Find your own quiet place to spend some alone time.

Rusty, as pictured here, sometimes likes hanging out under the rug. Or he finds a nice spot where the sun streams through the window. Chandler, as I type this, is trying to go into my bedroom and shut the door so that he can sit in the dark and sleep. They like having their own little spots throughout the apartment: where I’ll leave them alone, and where they can leave each other alone.

It’s great to be social. It’s great to work well within a group. It’s also great to take care of your family. But an important part of the “winding-down” process is taking some time for yourself. Stop and read a little bit of a book. Sit with a glass of wine (or a beer, fellas) and enjoy a half-hour sitcom (do they still make those?). I’m not saying you need to be some sort of anti-social hermit. I’m just saying that it’s really nice to just enjoy being alone once in a while. Enjoy the company of yourself, away from the rest of the world. It will do you good.

9. Looks can be deceiving.

I get a lot of weird looks when I try to explain that my cats are lightning-fast. They look like they weigh 87 pounds apiece, yet they can tear through this apartment quicker than I can. Without a running start, they can jump on top of my refrigerator or kitchen counters. If you get them all riled up, they can be faster than you think. Just because they’re fat doesn’t necessarily mean they are slow and lazy.

I hate that I even have to say this, but just because somebody doesn’t look the way you want them to doesn’t mean they are bad people. Regardless of the way they are dressed or their skin color, you can’t judge a person unless you get to know them. By that same token, you can’t judge a situation without all the proper details. My business is tanking right now because I hitched my wagon to certain people that looked really promising on the surface, but fizzled out. Now I have to rebuild my business all over again. Stop looking at first impressions and take the chance to get to know whatever it is you’re trying to judge. You might be surprised.

My cats are little professors now! Look at all they’ve taught. Is there any lesson that an animal has taught YOU? I, along with everyone else, would absolutely love to read about them in the comments! Let’s hear your story!

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