Love your neighbour like you love your cat

Lessons in unconditional love brought to you by my kittens

As I am writing this, I am joined by Gizmo, my cat, who, after walking around me in circles for five minutes and rubbing his head against my laptop twenty times, has finally decided to curl up in my lap.

I was gifted two kittens in 2012, the day I turned 11. Both of them have urinated on a wide variety of my personal items, given me scratches that will probably scar for life, destroyed a fortune worth of furniture, and have repeatedly attempted to escape the vicinity like this is some sort of high-security prison as opposed to a loving home in which they get to live an atrociously cushy life.

So, as I slave away cleaning the littler box under Gizmo and Louis’ watchful eyes, or get up for the third time in the middle of the night to open the door for them, I can’t help but wonder why we humans keep on loving our felines (and, obviously, many other pets). Just the obnoxious way they are.

Honestly, it feels unfair: Why do I feel the need to work myself to a certain standard in order to be worthy of others’ love, while Gizmo, just by existing, gets cuddles from every stranger who enters our house? Every time he stretches and spreads out his toe beans in the process chases after a fly, or naps in loaf-position, a collective “aww” can be heard throughout the entire house.

And what gets me the most is that every cat is a copy-paste job! Sure, pets can have vastly different characters, but in effect, they all do the same four things: eat, nap, poop and throw up some hairballs. They’re all the same, and we still fall for everything they do, on repeat, every day.

Why don’t we love each other like that? Why don’t I look at my sister with goo-goo eyes every time she yawns, become overjoyed when watching my dad take his fourth nap of the day, or feel like taking my colleague out for lunch after fifteen minutes of listening to him tapping his pen against the desk?

What would happen if we started giving each other the type of love we reserve for our cats? Loving your best friend unconditionally, even after the fifth unreturned phone call. Being selfless and caring when your siblings forget that thing you needed from the grocery store or when your parents refuse to help you with your homework—giving your daughter a tight hug, even if that pile of clothes still hasn’t vanished from the floor.

I think I’ll try showing ‘my humans’ some love, purely because they exist in this world. I say this because I think that sometimes we don’t even realize how much we crave to hear: “You exist, and I love you for it.”

Have a lovely day!

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