What Cats Can Teach Us

Fans of cats will have no difficulty in recognizing their traits.
The first characteristic of cats is their supreme confidence in themselves. They know who they are, follow the patterns of their species and expect the world to fall in with their wants. 


They move around with assurance. As a result humans become entranced by this if not slightly in awe. At first glance this is a selfish way to behave. Yet without being sure of themselves, a person is left floundering and wondering whether they are doing the right thing, whatever that is. Lesson number one is to believe in ourselves.

Cats' confidence comes from knowing what they want. While a cat's life is less complicated than a human's because they are unwilling to complicate what they have to do, humans can take this example of how to arrange their own lives. For humans having a dream and working towards it in manageable chunks is the second lesson. Knowing where you are going is much easier than trying to choose which path to take at every junction.

A number of human households have been adopted by an adult cat in spite of the people not encouraging the animal. Something about the way those people are offers the cat the sanctuary, warmth, companionship and above all, food, that satisfies the needs of the cat. In return they are offered affection, company, support when things are rough and frequently entertainment. 

Third lesson, choose friends and close people with care and thought. The rewards are greater even if that does appear to be selfish it makes life easier and allows individuals to be a peace with themselves. Peaceful individuals make good companions.
Having an ability to choose whether to behave as a mature adult or as a child is another characteristic of cats. Within the human household, cats behave as kittens often. 

Children and babies are universally catered to by humans with common sense and understanding. Cats don't seem to have to be told this they just know. Their patience with human offspring is amazing even though at times they will administer discipline in the same way they do to their own kittens, it takes a great deal of provocation for this reaction. Once out in the garden the cat enters the adult cat world behaving as cats of all species and sizes do. Fourth lesson is know when to stay adult and when to be able to play like a child and learn to find what you want.

Stubbornness and an inability to change their pre programming is an adverse lesson from cats. They will cross a road without looking assuming that cars will avoid them, they do not alter their habits even when they would benefit from doing so. This is the fifth lesson. Be aware of what changes, however uncomfortable, might make more sense to the way life is lived. Being rigid and repeating unsuccessful patterns goes nowhere.

One of the most charming characteristics of cats is their ability to persuade and seduce. Whether it is their ability to do the most inelegant activities, like washing awkward bits, or using different voices to plead for what they want, humans fall for their wiles most of the time, usually with a smile of self knowledge that they have succumbed to blackmail. Sixth lesson is learn how to be persuasive to achieve what is wanted. It usually works better than being a battering ram.

The more humans observe cats, the more lessons can be learnt. Which probably is the reason there are so many books, calendars and photographs of the cat family.