Author: Summer Samba

Even if you’ve never heard the phrase “cat distribution system,” I’m sure you know what it is! In fact, it has probably happened to you. Somehow, by some twist of fate, you ended up with a cat when you didn’t mean to get one.OriginThe phrase “cat distribution system” is still new. It first appeared on TikTok in November, 2022 when user @hermes.the.cynic explained it. For years, my human just referred to it as “the cat happening.” And that’s how she ended up with most of the cats in her life — including a couple she didn’t keep but ended up…

If there’s a cat in your life, you’ve probably wondered how they perceive you. Do they think of you as a parent? Another cat? Do they know you’re a different class? Despite many expert opinions, from cat behaviorists to anthrozoologists, there is really no consensus on how cats perceive people, let alone the people they live with. Why is this? Simple. Because no one thought to ask the cats.Of course, most people don’t know how to ask cats anything. But it’s simpler than you think. You just need to understand a little about how cats see the world around them,…

We ran out of food again, so I visited the pet shop again! I know, it seems like I’m running out of food! But there is a reason. Since I’m a small cat and I don’t eat a lot, my human buys every brand of my food at different pet shops. That way, he spreads out our visits to a variety of small local businesses. And I get more outings. So it’s a win for everyone.There was a big dog in the shop when we arrived, so we kept our distance until he and his owner left. While we waited…

We’re a little late in announcing this year’s Cat World Domination Day! It’s coming fast, just ten days from this post. June 24 is on a Monday this year, and of course there is a party!You may or may not know the history of Cat World Domination Day. It started in 2012, on the birthday of Sparkle, the founder of this blog. My man couldn’t come up with a nice gift for her, so he gave her a holiday instead. And it became an annual celebration.When I got here, it continued. My first was a fairly simple affair.But eventually they…

My human tried something a little different for my therapy cat visit at the children’s hospital this week. With all our needs, he packed my bell. So I have to call it for a couple of kids in the lobby. They loved it, and so did their parents. I did tricks for some patients, which always made people happy.There are many exam rooms to visit at this time, and many children in wheelchairs. As I’ve said before, you’re never quite sure what the patients are for here, and although the focus is often on orthopedics, that covers a lot of…

Do humans sleep better than cats or dogs? A recent study looked at people who held hands with their pets, and the results might surprise you! Although most people say that sleeping with their pets has improved the quality of their sleep, the truth is that it has been negatively affected! That is, if they slept on a dog. Sleeping with a cat makes no difference in sleep quality. Read the full study here.While that’s great news for cat people, I’m sure your nightly rest with your kitty could use a little improvement. Cats don’t always share the same sleep…

Want to know my most frequently asked questions as a therapy cat? When someone comes up to me and I raise my back, they ask, “Why did he do that?!” This is always a sign of someone who isn’t too close to cats because if they are, they know an elevator butt when they see one.But even many experienced cat lovers don’t quite know why we kitties raise our bottoms when our backs are patted. They just do it because we want it. At least sometimes we will turn our backs and bite the hand that also takes care of…

I will be honest, I kind of like being treated like a little human, even though I’m a cat with a cat’s mind and a cat’s instinct. I feel like I’m talking to people in their language. And my human understands cat language so there is rarely any confusion between the two of us.The only problem is that many people actually believe that cats have emotions and reactions that are really exclusively human. Yes, some cat behavior mimics human feelings, but it comes from somewhere else. And when people try to solve cat problems from a human perspective, it doesn’t…

Looks like you guys enjoyed my cat tarot card reading last month, so I thought I’d do it again!This time, I’m using the Mystical Cats Tarot Deck. My man got the deck and book when they first came out 10 years ago. (Note: we are Amazon affiliates and if you use these links to visit there, we get a small commission. Thanks for your support!)The art is pretty cool, and the symbolism is a little different, and more feline-centric than your average tarot deck. If you’re into the Warriors cat series, this is the deck I can imagine their medicine…

Sometimes the big hospital has a special visit request. It might be visiting a long-term patient somewhere we don’t normally go. Or it can visit a section of the hospital that specifically seeks pet therapy. Our presence was once requested at a memorial service by a doctor who loved animals. And our visit this week was one of those special requests.It was a fun one, though. Me and the other therapy cat, Josie, got to have a lunch visit with the resident physicians. They have a large meeting room set up for everyone to gather next to the cafeteria. They…