The ancient Egyptians praised cats as gods because they were graceful, intelligent, and loyal companions. Today, cats remain companions, offering comfort, joy, and a bit of mayhem to their owners’ lives.
Many students have cats, and they all differ in various ways. From the way they appear to the way they act, there are no two cats alike.
Sophomore Carson Troyer loves his two cats, Oreo and Pepper. He appreciates their distinct personalities.
“Imagine an old man or woman who says, ‘Get off my lawn, ‘ and that’s Oreo. She is a black and white tuxedo cat. I have another cat named Pepper, and she is a cute little torbie who has black, orange, and white fur. She’s also very fluffy, and she is a silly little thing. She runs around the house sometimes, and she always tries to avoid going to bed,” Troyer said.
Freshman Brodie Neher has owned a lot of cats and found something unique about all of them. He described the cats he has now.
“I have had five cats named Tilly, Ellie, Binx, Toby, and Mia. Mia is a Bengal cat and is brown with black stripes. She doesn’t like being petted, and she climbs a lot because she wants to be at the top of everything. I don’t know what kind of cat Toby is, but he is gray. He is really scared of new people, so we called him Terrifying Toby. He is scared of his own shadow, and when I give him a treat, he can’t find it unless I shove it in his face,” Neher said.
Naming a bundle of joy is up to the owner, and the reasoning behind this name is typically one of three things: named like a human, named after its appearance, or sometimes named after an idol. A prime example of this is Mrs. Autumn Pasa’s, Spanish teacher, cat, who is named Taylor Swift.
“Both of my cats are black and white, and one has short hair and is skinny. His name is Tippy because the tip of his nose is black. My other cat is named Taylor Swift, and she has long hair. Taylor Swift is mean, and Tippy is adventurous. I name my cats after my favorite things, and Taylor Swift is one. When Taylor first came to my house, she let me hold her like a baby, and I would sing her Taylor Swift songs. She would purr while I scratched behind her ears. My past cats were outdoor cats and were named Pickle, Fluffy, Sparkles, Dou for Duolingo, Crackers, and aguacate, which is avocado in Spanish,” Mrs. Pasa said.
Mrs. Pasa shared stories. Some might say curiosity killed the cat, but fortunately for Tippy, he is an exception.
“My cats like to play under my car, and one time I thought that Tippy had gotten out from underneath my car, but he somehow got inside the underneath of my car, and he rode with me to my grandparents’ house two miles away. When I finally got there, he popped out from underneath my car and looked terrified. I immediately drove him back home, and on the way, he was on my lap stunned when he normally purrs. When we got home, he ran under my deck,” Mrs. Pasa said.
Pouncing is an ancient feline hunting technique that allows for quick and surprising movement on prey. Household cats use the same trait for other activities.
“Tippy and Taylor Swift like to play with grasshoppers. It’s fun to watch them shake their butt with big eyes and pounce on the grasshoppers, and the grasshoppers would jump away, so they would pounce around. They also like playing with each other. One of them hides next to the stairs so the other one wouldn’t see it. When Taylor Swift walks by, Tippy jumps on her. That makes me laugh,” Mrs. Pasa said.
A core part of the feline ancestry involves hunting and catching prey. These traits shine through most commonly in outdoor cats. Because Mrs. Pasa has all outdoor cats, she has experienced this hunting behavior before.
“One time, Pickles brought me a small dead bird. He brought it up to my porch and was really proud about it. I could tell because he was grinning and prancing around. He looked very happy with himself. It was a small bird, and I gave him a hotdog as a prize, although I then had to get rid of the dead bird,” she said.
Pickles may have unleashed his inner panther from time to time, but he is also very photogenic. He never missed an opportunity to look cute for the camera.
“Pickles would always cuddle up to the chair and let me take cute pictures of him. He would pose for me, and I would say ‘Pickles, smile’ as he purred into the camera,” Mrs. Pasa said.
Cats vary in the ways they play. Neher spends time with each of his cats in very different ways.
“My favorite thing about Mia is that I can walk around with her standing on my shoulders. Other than watching Toby run away from his own shadow, if you get to know him, he will lie with you, and I can use him as a pillow because he is so fat. Another thing I like to do is spray catnip on a toy and throw it at them. I think it’s funny how they act crazy and run around like weirdos. When my cat Binx was still alive, he would climb up ladders,” Neher said.
A topic that typically surfaces when talking about cats is which is better, cats or dogs? A few students with cats and dogs shared their opinions.
“The reasons I think cats are better than dogs are that they clean themselves, which cuts back on maintenance, they’re smarter, they give off more intelligence, and are less destructive because they don’t eat all your shoes. And their sassy nature is more interesting than dogs’ being permanently happy,” sophomore Lillian Hayslett said.
Whether that is how they act on their own or the way they behave around their owners, the nature of a cats’ behavior is often cited as a reason for their superiority over dogs.
“I have two cats, and they’re better than dogs. In my opinion, a dog will always love you if you just take care of it. But with a cat, you have to earn that. And if a cat likes you and lets you do things with it, that’s a testament proving you’re a good parent for your cat,” Troyer said.
