Guest Post - Cats show their love in the strangest ways!

Are you a dog person or a cat person? It’s one of the most common questions asked during any icebreaker or casual conversational between two people, and one that constantly divides pet owners. Of the two most popular pets in this country, cats are usually seen as the moodier of the two. Why so? I think it’s because unlike dogs, cats have a complex and nuanced way of showing affection and appreciation to their owners. They won’t just run up to you, wag their tail, and vie for your attention constantly.

Well, some cats do that.

But most cats do silly things that no other animal would do to be noticed. I have one particular story about my cat’s unusual display of affection that I’d like to share with you. This story is about my Russian Blue cat, Arthur. Arthur is a pretty laid back cat; he never really gets in my face for attention but he doesn’t disappear for hours on end either. He’s always around for me to give him an appreciative pat on the belly and he never fails to remind me when he’s hungry. You know, like a normal cat.

One day I was in my home office, doing some writing, when I heard a strange sound coming from the living room. No one else was home at the time; Arthur was the only one keeping me company. The disquieting noise sounded like a muffled rustling or flapping. Flap flap flap. Then silence.

Flap flap flap.

At first I ignored the sound, but it continued to the point where I had to do something about it or else I’d go crazy. Had Arthur grown wings or something? I thought maybe something was wrong with the one of the appliances in the living room or beyond in the kitchen, so I got up to go check out the sound.

I went into the living room to find feathers everywhere, and immediately I knew what had happened. Arthur had gone outside and caught a bird, and he was holding it inside. The house has a doggy door to the backyard area so he can come and go as he likes, but that runs the risk of him bringing something inside. He’d done this once before, and the results were just as messy.

I found Arthur behind a couch, innocently looking up at me like nothing had happened. There were feathers everywhere around him, but no sign of the bird. After some basic searching I found the bird in another corner of the living room, alive but rough-looking. I guess Arthur had just brought him in long enough for the bird to escape from his grasp and flap around the place. I locked Arthur up in the bedroom and spent the next hour trying to shoo the bird outside, and miraculously it was able to flap away. It sounds worse than it was, but it was certainly a weird enough experience to throw me off for the rest of the day.

I feel like Arthur brought in the bird as a token of his affection for me, to show that he appreciates that I take care of him. It’s a sweet gesture, but not one that a person needs in their house. If only I could tell Arthur thanks, but no thanks. Instead, I keep him around for company.

Byline:
This is a guest post by Jane Smith from background check. She is a Houston based freelance writer and blogger. Questions and comments can be sent to: janesmth161 @ gmail.com