Oh To Be A Cat! | Julie K Sings

Oh To Be a Cat!

One of my cats, Lizzy, is licking her paws in a cat bed under the table where I now sit typing. She hasn’t a care in the world. If my daughter forgets to feed her, I will. If her box is stinky, there are two other ones she can go to in the house. She gets cat treats regularly and pet often. She has it good!

She is an acrobat! And this cat can jump, too! -And knock bills and papers off tables very easily! And she doesn’t have to pick them up! She can walk on the back of a chair! She can climb the sound proofing in my studio! (Not without leaving nail marks!) And play the piano!

She plays with the bunny, plays with the plants, plays with the bean that I dropped while cooking dinner! I should play more!

Lizzy and Bun Bun

Lizzy doesn’t go to work or shovel the front walk or have to reschedule students when they are sick. She doesn’t do dishes or laundry or deal with leaks in the bathroom! She never offends anyone with auto correct on a post! (I don’t think paws work well on Iphones! But maybe better than my thumbs some times!) Yes, can’t understand why she ever complains! “Meow, Meow!”

And then there’s our big boy Archy! He acts like the king of the castle around here with his tough outdoor attitude! But he looks pretty happy curled up on the couch when it’s cold and rainy outside. We let him inside, outside, inside, outside all day long whenever he wants (Except at night).

And Man! cats have a long history of being cool! Think of the “Stray Cat Strut!” Archy has that jazzy swagger!

Archy at Christmas

MIt Mit the Queen Maine Coon

Finally, we have this persnickety old Maine Coon Cat, Mit Mit. She has survived baby twins and invading kittens, strays and moving from apartments to our house. But no matter how grouchy she gets, or how many times she pees on the carpet she still get cuddles in our bed at night and yummy wet food twice a day (Ok that’s one thing I am not jealous of- CAT food! Yuck!).

But then again, I Iike my freedom, don’t you? I like being able to open the door myself, feed myself… Noone locks me in a bedroom to keep me away from another cat, or shuts me in the laundry room all day by accident!

I don’t see the restrictions someone else is under; the chains they face in their lives; the doors that won’t open.

I am glad I don’t have to lick myself to get clean! And all that fur would be hot in the summer.

I want the easy way. Her life can look so much better than mine. “She’s got it good!” I think. But I don’t see her struggles; I don’t walk on her paws.

When Mit Mit lashes out and scratches someone visiting, she can’t tell them what made her mad. I like to be able to communicate, even though it sometimes gets me into trouble!

And I like to accomplish things! I would go crazy if all I did was play and sleep all day! I was made for greater things!

I am the caretaker, the cook and bottle washer, the dreamer, the artist, the mover and the shaker! I like my life!

Can a cat write a song or play the guitar? Can a cat drive my daughter to a birthday party, pick up my son from a church event, cook my husband’s food for work and come back to practice for a show coming up? Can a cat worship God with all it’s purry little heart? (Guess I don’t know that last answer.)

Can a cat have a deep talk with a friend in need, volunteer for a charity, get into a fight about politics? (Well, they may be better off on that last one!)

Could I have rescued Archy when he was a lost little stray and take care of all the cats (and kids) the way I do if I were a cat, too?

I guess I don’t really want to be a cat.

But I still can’t walk on the back of a chair! And I’ll never be as soft as Lizzy!