Things I wish I’d known before getting cats
Cats are independent, low-maintenance animals. And yet… there are some aspects of being a cat owner I pictured differently. Or maybe even underestimated.
It’s now been a month since our apartment changed forever. With our cats Jasper and Joy around us, the place is homelier, livelier and a whole lot fluffier. Yep, this dynamic little duo of grey and white tabby and calico has really turned our lives upside down. And although I grew up having cats, some aspects of life with our new feline friends has been pretty surprising for me:
1. Tons of hair everywhere
Sure, barring some exceptions, cats have fur. But I had no idea how much hair two indoor cats would actually have… until I fired up my light-up cordless vacuum cleaner a few days after they moved in. My vacuuming session didn’t just expose the odd fuzzy tumbleweed – it uncovered an entire steppe of hair. Enough to leave even the likes of me (definitely not a neat freak) flabbergasted.
The hair I didn’t manage to hoover up is probably still stuck to my keyboard, sweaters and trousers. Now that I have cats with white fur, none of my black outfits look quite as classy as before. My lint roller, however, is my new best friend. I’ll soon be able to create a third cat out of the hair I’ve grabbed with it. Mind you, that would mean even more vacuuming!
Source: Darina Schweizer
2. No more lone, litter-free loo visits
I never would’ve thought I could go to the toilet with an entourage. These days, however, I’m escorted to the no-longer-restful restroom by two fluffy bodyguards.
Things get particularly exciting if I go to the loo during the night. Silently, like a ninja, I extract myself from the bed sheets and sneak my way over to the bathroom door. Unfortunately for me, two fluffy little nightwatchmen are slumbering on the sofa right in front of it. And since the toilet’s strategically located next to their command centre (the kitchen), they interpret my scurrying past as the starting signal for a food revolt.
By the way, the smell of fresh cat poo almost knocked me out the first time I smelled it. As did the slippery cat litter balls that managed to get under my slippers. Thank goodness for decent ventilation, cat litter bins and cat litter mats.
3. The kitchen’s a hotbed of activity
The kitchen door creaking in a very specific way makes our cats leap into the air as if a bomb’s gone off. For them, that creak can mean only one thing: dinner time! To my astonishment, they even react that way when I’m grabbing a glass of water, making tea, cooking, putting away the shopping or cleaning. In other words, always.
Jasper in particular comes shooting down the hallway like an arrow, spins around the left-hand bend and then bolts towards the food cupboard, yowling. At first, I couldn’t even fill the cats’ food bowl on the worktop without him jumping up and snatching food out of my hand. The only thing that helped was occasionally spraying him with water. Incidentally, I know that spray bottles are controversial. In fact, getting trigger-happy with my cats is yet another thing I never thought I’d do. But it’s the only thing that works without upsetting them. I’m also a big fan of slow feeder bowls. I’ll be going into more detail on those in a future article.
Source: Darina Schweizer
4. Dining table shenanigans are a test of patience
Besides the stove and kitchen worktops, the only other area off-limits to our cats is the dining table. Ever since Jasper and Joy moved in, we’ve constantly had to drag them away from these coveted vantage points, uttering a punishing «nooooo!» in the process. Sometimes ten times in a row. That – and a scratching post – seem to do the trick. These days, Jasper rarely casts furtive glances up to the edge of the table. Are cats trainable after all? Ask me again another time.
The exclusion zone around the table is temporarily lifted in just two situations: nighttime and the daily zoomies. If you’re unfamiliar, that’s when cats get a sudden burst of energy, awakening their inner lion. When our cats get the zoomies, they race around the living room, chase invisible ghosts, climb on chairs, sprint across the table, scale the scratching post until they reach the curtain rail, jump down – and pounce on each other. I initially thought they’d tear each other apart, but now it’s clear they just want to play.
Source: Darina Schweizer
5. Toys and sleeping spots are always in flux
Speaking of play, indoor cats need entertainment. Fortunately, I work for Galaxus, a shop selling over 2,700 cat toys. I thought if I just picked out a few, they’d keep Jasper and Joy occupied all day.
Turns out, it’s not that simple. Balls, feathers, mice and the like only whet their appetite temporarily. Once you’ve had the toys any length of time, the cats will at best shoot them a weary look – or ignore them completely.
The same goes for sleeping spots. While the sofa was initially a big hit, Jasper snubbed it a week later. Joy would only grace her basket with her backside in the beginning, but a short while later, it was the only place she was willing to sleep in. My office chair’s the only nap location to become a firm favourite. And the kitties never have any complains when it comes to food either. They’ll practically inhale any variety or flavour. The only question is: how long will this last?
Source: Darina Schweizer
All this aside, the thing that surprised me most about becoming a cat parent again was how quickly these two furballs scored a place in my heart. I can’t imagine life without them – and that makes every grain of litter scattered on the floor irrelevant.
Source: Darina Schweizer
In case you missed it, here’s the story of how I become a cat mum:
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Darina Schweizer
Senior Editor
Darina.Schweizer@digitecgalaxus.chI like anything that has four legs or roots. The books I enjoy let me peer into the abyss of the human psyche. Unlike those wretched mountains that are forever blocking the view – especially of the sea. Lighthouses are a great place for getting some fresh air too, you know?
