I am clearly a cat person. I was recently reflecting on what it is that I enjoy so much about cats, and realized its the energy and vibe with which they move around the world that I perhaps appreciate most. Cats are so unapologetically themselves, it’s refreshing. They don’t care what you think of them or what the current trends are. They are always going to “do” and “be” themselves. “Their” people love them for exactly who they are, and if you don’t they go somewhere else and find someone who does…no big deal.
They carry an air of empowerment and self-confidence and, when you are willing to meet them with no expectations and take them for who they are, they are some of the most loving, loyal and caring companions. However, if you want them to change or you start trying to make them be different from who they are, they say, “no thank you,” and find another relationship (or scratch up the furniture, meow at odd hours of the night or pee everywhere).
Being in a relationship with a cat is clean. There is not a lot of space for codependency, and there are clear expectations: you do you, I’ll do me and we’ll meet in the middle where our worlds connect and it will be beautiful. (And yes, that means you’ll feed me at 5:30 pm daily when I ask).
They are also very playful, creative and goofy creatures, especially when they feel safe and vulnerable in their relationships and lives. They have a lot to model about the value of balance: relaxing and taking action. I sometimes think this is why they are so adept at walking all over computer keyboards…they are trying to tell us to take a break and put that screen down!
To sum it up though, the essence they carry of self-esteem and self-confidence is my favorite. They’ve got clear boundaries, don’t change themselves for you and also love you for as goofy as you are. Plus, they’re wicked smart. You might not be a cat person, and that’s fine. But maybe next time you come across one, tip your hat to their unabashed sense of self and know that they are giving you permission to be a little bit more like that yourself.
