CAT "lovers" can be annoying, self-absorbed jerks. There, I said it.
Those who know me would balk at the statement I just made.
"How can she say that?"
"Isn't she a cat lover herself?"
"But her Instagram feed is filled with pictures of her cats. I'm confused."
Yes, I am a cat person. I wasn't always one but since the day we took in "Darth Vader" in 2017 along with her three children, "Obiwan Kenobi", "Luke Skywalker" and "Princess Leia Organa", I made a near 180 degrees turn from not even knowing the proper way to pick up a cat, to letting them sleep with me on my bed and use my arm as a chew toy.
(Just in case it isn't clear, apart from cats, I am also a hardcore Star Wars fan.)
My parents are the ones most shocked by this change.
"You used to put your legs up on the chair whenever a stray cat would roam near us when we eat outside. What happened?" they mused.
I had no pets growing up, not even a fuss-free little goldfish. No hamsters, no puppies, no kittens, no birds, no lizards, no sugar gliders. Nothing. I was easily grossed out by many things so having pets was never something I gave much thought to.
I liked cats but from a safe distance. I'd cautiously pet some on their heads, even held one in primary school, but that was it. I occassionally fed some strays that lingered near my apartment when I was living alone, prior to getting married. I briefly fostered one more than 10 years ago because he somehow took to me and parked himself outside my front door. I named him Garfield and cared for him for two weeks, while looking for someone to adopt him. My best friend's family took Garfield in, and that was the end, at the time, of my foray into the world of cats.
The Force is strong, I would say, because years later, Darth Vader entered my life and drastic changes followed suit, but not the kind of change that took place when Palpatine took Anakin under his wings. Although sometimes I do feel like my Darth Vader could be secretly plotting to take over the world, but I believe all cats do that. (One day it will be Skynet, or rather Meownet.)
Much like a fuss-free goldfish, Darth Vader, as my first ever official pet, is easy to care for. She was a homeless little furball who was bullied by the neighbourhood strays and took shelter at our home. Safe to say, she adopted my husband and I, and we wouldn't have it any other way.
Long story short, we now share our home with 11 cats.
Three are Darth Vader's children. Five are Princess Leia Organa's children; Rey, Jar Jar Binks (haters of episodes 1,2 and 3 are rolling their eyes right now), Chewbacca, Bugsy Siegel and Falkor, and two are kittens we rescued from the streets; Alley Beans and Zorro.
We are an "adopt, don't shop" household and we loathe breeders who breed cats and dogs for profit. We believe in rescuing strays and we hope to someday see the government taking steps to ban kitten and puppy mills.
Now back to the point I wish to make. That cat "lovers" are annoying.
When we were adopted by our cats, I was introduced to a whole new world. I started reading up about them and also scrolled through Facebook groups of other cat people.
This was when I noticed the annoyance. I realised that there are many cat "lovers" who appeared to have cultivated a habit of putting down other cat lovers.
While we may think of our cats as our children, I know I do, there is a need to realise that not everyone is able to understand that. Some may care for cats to a certain extent but when it interferes with their responsibilities for other human beings or their own lives, they may find no issues in finding a new home for their cats.
Some cat "lovers" will then attempt to impose their concept of caring for cats upon others.
I once saw a post on Facebook of someone who wanted to find adopters for her cat because the owner of her new home would not allow pets.
Someone then commented asking would she dump her kids if the owner did not like kids, insinuating that this individual did not love her cats as much as she should.
This is why I say some cat "lovers" are self-absorbed jerks. If we love our cats and can't possibly imagine parting with them no matter what, we need to understand that others may have obligations and responsibilities that require them to make a choice. And it is not wrong for them to choose to part with their cats, as long as they don't throw the poor felines out on the streets. There is nothing wrong in looking for a new home for them.
Then there are those who hit out at cat owners who can't afford to spay or neuter. They also lash out at cat owners who are looking to find new homes for their kittens.
In short, annoying cat "lovers" will never run short of things to hit out at when it comes to other cat owners.
It is different if we criticise people for not caring after their cats properly, for abusing them or abandoning them on purpose but to pick on every single thing and expect others to look at cats how we see them, will create an impression that cat owners live in their own weird little bubble.
As cat lovers, we have the upper hand of cat knowledge that should be used for good. We should try to educate people on the importance of saving strays instead of spending thousands of ringgit to purchase a cat from kitten mills.
We should show people how animal abuse is unacceptable, how caring for animals translates to a better world for our children. So many things that we can do, but we choose to reprimand people for not regarding their cats as human babies.
For me, my cats are my babies. They are my heart and soul and I cannot imagine what my life would be without them, but I try very hard to not impose my feelings on others. I am happy if people can just understand that I am a crazy cat lady but I am not offended if they can't comprehend why I treat my furbabies like I gave birth to them.
Cats and dogs, and any other domestic pets should teach us love and responsibility. Having them is not a ticket for us to feel superior over others.
So take it from this crazy cat lady that when she says there are annoying cat "lovers" out there, it just means she wants you to spread love, not a sense of superiority.
Afterall, if we really look at it, we don't adopt cats. They adopt us. So who are we to feel superior that we opened up our lives and homes to them. We are mere servants to these majestic felines.
The writer is an online editor at the New Straits Times, a Star Wars nut and a full-time crazy cat lady who gushes over her furbabies on Instagram at @starwarsfurballs in her spare time.
