12 Loving Cats Taught Me These Important Things in Life

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Also, nothing I say is medical advice. All photos are of my cats.

12 cats I’ve lived with and what I’ve learned

Hi, I’m a crazy cat lady.

If you’re here, I’m sure you are too. Welcome!

My goal here on Caticles is to teach you how to nurture your cats’ wild side so they can live happier and healthier lives.

I’ve lived with and worked with over 400 cats. So, I have a lot of experiences to share.

I’ve seen all types of personalities and needs, and I know this information will be helpful to you.

This listicle is here to introduce myself and my personal experiences with cats.

And also prove to you that I will always be honest and blunt because I truly care about the well-being of our beloved furry pals.

The picture (of two pictures) above is of me and the first cat I’ve ever had (left, taken around 2008) and the cat currently living with me (right, taken around 2018).

Can you tell how much they love me?

Below I’ll introduce you to all of the other cats that love me just the same.

1. Whiskas

My personal experience with cats started when I was four-years-old, back in 1993.

My mother picked me up from school, and I remember I was riding on my scooter. She told me she had a surprise for me, and we met with a family on the way home.

This family was looking for a home for their kittens so we adopted one. She was so tiny and cute. We curled up on the couch as soon as we got home.

I named her Whiskas—real original, right?

Whiskas and I had a really cute routine going. Cats love routine.

Every day she would meet me at the bus stop. She would hop up and rub on my hand when I hovered over her.

She moved indoors eventually, but because we had other cats in the house, she lived in my room behind a closed door.

It was great having her inside sleeping in bed with me every night.

Whiskas lived to about 16. She had a stroke and other heart problems.

Her stroke happened the day before I was supposed to go back to college. It’s a six-hour drive from my parents’ house.

I came back a few months later for the holidays, and Whiskas was still holding on.

A few nights later, I heard a loud shriek from under the bed.

The next morning, Whiskas wasn’t in bed with me.

I called her name and patted on the bed, but I knew what happened. I asked my brother to look under the bed for me, and she had passed.

I’m very lucky that she waited for me to say goodbye.

What I’ve learned: although cats pretend not to care, they do love us. Animals are very intuitive and will wait for us to say goodbye.

2. Chelsea

It didn’t take long for us to return to the farm to adopt another kitten, and we were lucky to get one of Whiskas’ sisters.

We called her Chelsea.

The sisters lived outside for most of their lives, and they loved to bring us ~~their dead prey~~ presents to the stoop.

Chelsea ended up getting worms and diabetes, and one day we couldn’t find her.

Chelsea needed her medicine at specific times so we were going crazy.

We found her trapped under the fence and quickly brought her inside.

She was meowing in pain, and she wouldn’t eat or drink.

Chelsea died in my arms, and she was under 10-years-old.

The experience was heartbreaking, and I had to play in my school’s marching band right after!

Whiskas was still alive when Chelsea passed, and she knew what happened.

She didn’t come near us for a while, and we could tell that she was sad.

What I’ve learned: cat illness is serious. If your cat has special needs, make a detailed and organized plan with your family.

3. Lucky

We ended up rescuing another cat shortly after the two sister kitties.

The daughter of this family was pregnant, and her family said they couldn’t keep the cat anymore so we took her in.

Of course, the family declawed her and still ended up getting rid of her. Ug.

When we brought Lucky home she was running all over the place. She was in and out of cabinets knocking out pots and pans.

After Lucky warmed up, though, she was the best cat.

Lucky was a Siamese so she was super needy and lovey-dovey. We had such a strong connection.

When we went on vacation she peed all over my parents’ bedroom rug. Take that mom and dad!

Lucky was taken by cancer around the age of 7 or 8. She had a tumor in her stomach area, and we had no choice but to euthanize.

What I’ve learned: declawing cats is insane. It is an amputation of the toe, not just the nail. The human version of this would be losing the first tip of the finger down to the last knuckle.

4. Milo

After Lucky, we knew we wanted more Siamese. I remember coming home from school, and there was a tiny baby kitten on the hallway steps. He was so cute!

Milo was a great cat because he was always in your lap, sucking up your warmth. He was so cuddly and playful.

We were lucky to rescue Milo’s step-brother (introduction below), and they cuddled with each other all the time.

It was so adorable how much they loved each other.

Milo lived to be about 17.

In the end, he had kidney disease, liver issues, was losing muscle and was just going crazy.

He was lost after his brother died. He’d moan and groan loudly in the basement.

If you’re familiar with Siamese then you know they are very vocal. Well, Milo was ten times that.

We decided the best thing to do for him was to say goodbye. I wasn’t able to say my goodbye face-to-face.

What I’ve learned: cats can learn to love each other when introduced properly. Respect your cat and be patient. Work with your cats for a loving household.

5. Cocoa

Cocoa was Milo’s step-brother. There he is cuddling Milo. I’d go to my mother’s bedroom and find them like this all the time.

Cocoa was very vocal too, and we would have conversations with each other.

He was overweight because he’d eat the dogs’ food too!

Cocoa passed away around the age of 10 due to dehydration. It happened very unexpectedly.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t home when it happened.

What I’ve learned: proper nutrition is crucial for cat health. Consider transitioning from kibble to canned and then from canned to raw. It will save you a lot of heartbreak.

Always transition your cat to new foods gradually. Switching foods too quickly will make your cat sick.

The cat’s gut is highly sensitive to change. The gut gets used to processing the same foods daily.

Any sudden changes, regardless of quality, can wreak havoc on the digestion system.

Use my diary log (it’s excel spreadsheet download).

All you have to do is put in the total amount that your cat eats in one meal. The table will autofill amounts for current food and new food over 20 days for you. This will make a smooth, appropriate transition.

I also recommend logging your cat’s behavior, eliminating, urine pH, and specific gravity. Monitoring your cat’s behavior and eliminating is your best tool when it comes to his health. I use these strips.

6. Silky

Silky was the most beautiful cat ever. We adopted her from a shelter, and at first, she didn’t fit in. She was scared and took a while to warm up to us.

My mother called many times for the shelter to come to get her.

We ended up keeping her, and we’re so happy we did.

Silky was a happy kitty, and she purred a lot. You’d look at her, and she’d start purring. She loved petting, and she would curl up next to us on the couch.

Around the age of 20 Silky developed kidney failure.

She lost a lot of weight, she was weak, and not eating regularly so we knew it was time to let her go.

I wasn’t home for her passing either.

What I’ve learned: cats need time to adjust. Give your cats a chance to acclimate before you give up on them.

7. Sh!tty Kitty

This guy was such a sweetheart. My mother’s coworker at the time brought kittens into work, and of course, my mom took one home.

I wanted to name him Walter, but my mom said that was a dumb name for a cat. He spent a lot of time in the s–t box so he got the name, Sh!tty Kitty.

So much better than Walter, right?

He was super soft and cuddly, but he always had sneezing fits.

The house is still covered with his dried boogers.

“Little” Kitty (as my mother called him at the vet’s) had seizures a few times too, but the vet couldn’t pinpoint what was wrong.

We tried a surgery that was supposed to help clear his sinuses of any blockages, but something went wrong.

The day after the surgery one side of his face blew up, and he couldn’t open his eye.

My mother tried natural approaches and traditional medicine, but he wasn’t getting better.

His quality of life went down significantly so we had to say goodbye when he was a little over 10. Unfortunately, I wasn’t home for him either.

What I’ve learned: even simple surgeries can go wrong. Don’t operate unless it is vital to the cat’s health. “Little” Kitty never seemed bothered by his sneezing. He’d sneeze and go back to what he was doing. Sometimes surgery isn’t worth the risk.

8. Griffen

One night I was in bed trying to fall asleep, and I heard the tiniest little mew. All of our cats were grown so I didn’t know where this was coming from.

My mother came into my room and explained that my brother just rescued this kitten.

My brother said he and his friends were driving and saw a box on the side of the road with kittens.

They stopped and didn’t see a mama so they took the kittens and each kept one.

I took a photo of the baby kitten, posted online, and went back to bed.

A few minutes later my mom came back to my room and asked me about a comment on the kitten post.

My friend commented, “Aw that was my son’s favorite kitten, but I’m glad to see he went to a good home.” Busted.

My brother didn’t rescue the kitten from the side of the road—our friend’s cat had kittens so he and his pals made up a sob story.

We kept the kitten, of course, and we still have him. Griffen is a silly cat.

He kneads our shoulders vigorously and tries to eat our hair. He likes to sleep with me, but he’s like a ton of bricks.

Griffen is insanely overweight. He runs at the sound of the auto-feeder dispensing food.

What I’ve learned: Griffen became stressed when we brought home a new batch of dogs (after our previous dogs passed). He’d hide in the basement, and he started ripping his fur out. Take your time when bringing home new animal friends.

9. Hemi

I’m so happy that we have this guy because he’s the most happy-go-lucky cat ever.

My mother went to check out the kittens at the shelter, and Hemi came right over to her purring and sitting in her lap.

My mom took a close look and saw fleas all over his ears so she took him for a bath (she’s a dog groomer and owns her shop) and then brought him home.

Hemi fit right in and had no issues warming up.

This could be because he’s partially blind. I noticed his pupils don’t dilate as quickly as they should.

He bumps into stuff and walks into you, but he’s a wonderful guy.

We found out that he’s partially blind because he has kidney failure.

Hemi loves to play, and as long as he can hear the toy, he’s all over it.

He also does this cute hop up and rubs on your hand then plops down and does a somersault. His treat for this trick is butt pats.

Hemi likes it rough, and his tail gets all poofy when he’s excited. It looks like a pipe cleaner—it’s adorable!

Unfortunately, we had to let go of Hemi at the young age of 3.5 years.

What I’ve learned: pay attention to the small details. Any behavior and eating changes should be inspected right away. Again, kibble kills cats.

10. Gracie

After Milo passed, my mother was on the hunt to find another lap cat. Griffy and Hemi weren’t so she went to the shelter and met Gracie.

My brother connected with her too so they brought her home.

Gracie has still not warmed up (it’s been about one year at the time of writing this) and only likes my father and brother.

To be fair, the house is pretty crazy.

We also have four bulldogs plus Griffen, Hemi, and Ash.

We know that Gracie already had a litter of kittens, and she’s only around one- or two-years-old.

She’s had a chaotic life so far so we’re being extra patient with her.

What I’ve learned: a cat’s personal history affects them. Gracie has had a hard life so far, and she’s overwhelmed with all the dogs. Before you adopt, ask the shelter about the cat’s history so you are more prepared.

11. Ash

Since Gracie stays in hiding, my mother returned to the shelter still on the hunt for a lap cat.

One kitty came to her right away and purred while she held him. She figured he will make a wonderful lap cat.

Ash is still a little timid because the dogs chase him.

But, he’s way more outgoing than Gracie.

He runs around with Hemi and loves to play.

Ash, Hemi, and Griff love to see me visit because they know they will get lots of playtimes.

What I’ve learned: cats remember everything. Make sure your new cat has positive experiences around you. You don’t want your cat to fear you.

12. Jericho

Jericho is my baby boy. Even though I’ve had cats since the dawn of time, he’s very special to me.

He’s the first kitty that I’m fully responsible for. What I mean is, all of the cats so far have been family pets.

My boyfriend and I have our own place, and we’ve lived together for a few years.

A few months after I started my cat sitting career, we decided to adopt our fur baby.

We are both too busy to care for a dog (at the moment) so we decided on a kitty cat.

Jericho was rescued from the streets by an organization. He was in foster care for about one month before I reached out.

The foster mom brought Jericho to our apartment, and he snooped around like he owned the place.

He was very social from the beginning and warmed up quickly.

What I’ve learned: what haven’t I learned with Jericho? I’m learning more and more from him every day. Street cats are special. If you’ve adopted a stray cat, read this post and this post.

I get all spectrums of personality with Jericho, and I see others in him too.

He purrs all the time just like Silky, he sleeps with me every night like Whiskas, he’s a lap cat like Milo, he’s vocal just like Cocoa, and he’s playful.

Jericho doesn’t let us forget he’s from the street though. He goes dumpster diving in our trash, eats sponges, and tells us “no” with his teeth.

In addition to all of these cats, we’ve also had 13 dogs, four of which are still with us.

My family’s house has always been full of animals so I’ve had a lot of personal experience with all types of diets, activity, and set up.

When I started my professional career with cats in early 2017, I realized that there is so much more to learn.

Even though I’ve had many cats my whole life there was so much I didn’t know, and I want to share that with you.

I want to help as many pet parents as possible with enriching their pets’ lives so they can live with us for as long as possible.