12 Lessons About Life You Can Learn from Cats
Any of you out there who live with cats know that they are not only fantastic pets but we can learn from them in so many different ways. By simply observing cats on a daily basis we can get a great sense of how we should be living our own lives. Of course we can also learn what NOT to do but that’s not what this article is about. This is about the positive life lessons that cats teach us. In the pages to follow we hope you enjoy these 12 life lessons that cats teach us….
1. Live in the Now. Cats have smaller brains than human beings do. While they can’t think and reason that we do, thinking less means worrying less. That also means thinking about the here and now, something we humans fail to do enough in life. So the next time you’re worrying about your future or past, remember your cat is just thinking about the present.
2. Be amazed by the little things. Just like children a cat might not necessarily care about a fancy toy you buy them. However they’ll play with an extension chord for hours on end. The point is, they, like kids enjoy some of the little things in life. We should aspire to do the same.
3. Cautious and Careful are Beneficial. Cats are great at judging what is safe and what isn’t. Granted they make mistakes like we do but often they learn from them. For example, cats jump from one place to another. But study how they do it. They’ll survey the area first before doing so.
4. Take what you get, live to the fullest, and don’t judge. There are cats with one eye, with one leg, with conditions we’d never want to get. But cats rarely complain. Cats aren’t down in the dumps. And cats don’t judge. They don’t care that their friend has one eye or one leg. They play with everyone.
5. Use caution and adjust to minimize risk. If a baby tries to reach something that isn’t safe you usually put that item out of reach of the baby right? Same goes for cats. What’s resilient about cats is that they’ll remember not to do something if you take action and help them out.
6. Get Your Rest. Cats take plenty of naps which is why when they are awake they are extremely alert. And it seems that cats are never tired. Imagine we got that kind of rest? Imagine our production.
7. Know your surroundings before taking action. Like with jumping cats are very cautious animals. They are big surveyors of areas they are about to enter. Like cats, we need to survey our areas and be cautious before entering.
8. Have courage in yourself and your conviction. Cats are very brave creatures. Often times when confronted by other cats that they don’t know they will stand their ground. Cats believe in themselves and are protective of themselves and their families. We should aspire to do that as well.
9. Embrace the Good things in Life. Cats like humans have favorite things in life. It could be a fun blanket to lie on or a chew toy that’s been their “go to” for years. The point that they enjoy these items and never taken them for granted.
10. Respect Yourself. Have you ever brushed your cat’s hair and hear them purr? It’s because they like being clean. They like looking good. And they respect their bodies.
11. Always have a sense of humor. Cats are humble and humorous. They like to have a great time like we do. They enjoy play fighting, teasing each other, surprising each other, you name it. And they do it each and every day. As adults we need to bring out that childlike side in ourselves.
12. Affection is usually a good thing. Nothing wrong with being warm to your fellow humans.
This article was inspired by Catster’s article on their lessons learned from cats.