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Cat People Share The Best Lessons They've Ever Learned From Their Fur Babies

MEOWWW!!!!

Pets are amazing. They are all so in tune to the ones that love them. And their love is unconditional. All they want is a hug, a walk and a treat. Except cats. Cats are a tricky bunch. You can't often trust them. They are way too smart and they know it. But cats bring joy... for a certain pet type. Some people love a woof and others love a meow. And all those meows speak volumes.

Redditor u/beachmargs wanted the kitty people out there to tell us all the stories they had about their little ones by asking.... What did having a cat teach you?

My Stories....

Giphy

One of mine would meet me at the door and start walking to the kitchen, making sure I was following him, because dammit, he was hungry and it was my job to feed him. Other times, he would be looking outside at the sunset and wouldn't even acknowledge me. It was like, "Don't bother me; I'm watching my show."

Victor_HardApple

Boops....

I have one very outgoing and friendly cat and one very skittish cat who likes hiding. Everyone assumes he doesn't like people and isn't affectionate, but damn if every single time I sneeze he doesn't come running to my side from anywhere in the house, meowing up a storm to (I assume) make sure I'm ok with head boops. That's love.

Or just weird cat behavior. Who knows.

ej8339

A Special Palette....

My first cat developed a taste for both canned vegetables and soup. I would have to let him sniff it to assure him I was not eating tuna (I always gave him the drained water from the can of tuna (and made sure to buy the type stored in water)). Eventually he decided to taste the contents of these not-tuna cans, and he liked them.

He mostly would just lick the canned veg (assuming he liked the salt).

What's worse is I let him do this because he would be at my mercy for a good petting session, which he normally wouldn't do.

KayakerMel

Cat Talk.

Giphy

You gotta speak the cat language and they will open up a lot more. I think many people think their cat is aloof just because they don't interact with their cat in cat language. Then the cat thinks you are just oblivious.

cirquemydirk

This! 

I cannot force someone to love me. :(

dolphin_penis

This! When I was younger I was so excited to have a cat that I chased him all over the house trying to pick him up and cuddle him, and he absolutely HATED it. Was always biting/scratching and running away.

Now that we're both a little older and wiser (he's 14, I'm finishing up my masters degree). I'm happy to live and let live, and now he follows me the house around waiting for me to sit down and so he can beg for cuddles and attention. Cats are contrary creatures but I love my little guy so much.

Midelaye

Sensory Gifts....

Giphy

Despite how crappy your day is and how non-affectionate the cat is on a daily basis, they will always sense when you're sad and then they decide to snuggle up against you.

At least from my experience.

Cheetodude625

Tatiana....

I communicate with my cat Tatiana the way cats expect communication. My fiancé does not. She always runs from him when he picks her up, but she's literally laying on my feet right now purring. Okay, she runs away when I pick her up more often than not, she doesn't like to be manhandled. But I realize that, and I let her come to me, he doesn't.

I communicate with my cats so effectively, I could tell when my last cat (who was hit by a car, sadly) wanted her food wet down. He thinks I have a psychic connection with cats, but I put a lot of research into understanding cat psychology, and then even more work into communicating with my cats, learning their boundaries, preferences, and cultivating their trust and respect.

hrobinhood97

Goodnight kisses....

Realizing how cats show they like you was a game changer for me. Slow blinks and hanging out around you is basically a declaration of undying love. My cat was cool around me, and I was cool around him. It was like having a roommate that never did dishes, but was a lot of fun to watch movies with.

Then my husband entered the scene and now several years of forced affection later we have a cat that won't settle down at night unless he gets his Goodnight kisses.

boomerxl

Dog Folk.

Giphy

I'm a cat guy and love dogs too it's just (some) dog people that rub me the wrong way. Like they're weirded out by the fact that not everyone loves dogs or an establishment says dogs (or any pets) aren't allowed. Then you have the women of tinder who will never love you as much as their pup 💁♀️.

phoqueface

All the Reasons... 

  1. That they really do love you and understand you if you do the same for them.
  2. That it's very lonely without one
  3. How much it hurts to lose them :( EatTh3rich

Where are you?

Giphy

They're not always so aloof and uncaring as you think. Mine would wait in the window for me to come home and run to the door when I came in.

dyslexiyeah

Assignments foe all....

My cats seem to have assigned jobs to themselves depending on what I need. They aren't the most cuddly by any means, but when I'm feeling physically or mentally ill, they'll cuddle up on me depending on which it is. One cat generally handles physical ailments, the other mental.

I spend more time with my cats, but one of them is particularly sweet on my husband. She has a little routine she'll follow each day that revolves around what he's doing at any given time. When he leaves, she'll sit by the door for at least 5-10 minutes and when she hears his footsteps outside she runs to the door. It's really cute.

StinkyKittyBreath

"yeah, this is my house now"

My cat was originally my great aunt's cat. The problem is my great aunt spent 9-10 months thinking she'd be able to go home. Bouncing back and forth between hospitals, rehab centers and nursing homes before finally being told she's gonna be living in the home for the rest of her life. So for those 9-10 months, the only human contact that cat had was my cousin showing up every few days to clean the box put some food out. They barely even saw her most of the time.

So anyway, they get the news she's not coming home, ask me to take in the cat. No problem, my roommate just left, and the landlady said I could have a cat (perfect timing). She took right to the place. As soon as I took her out of the carrier, she looked around, flopped down and was like "yeah, this is my house now".

I'm pretty sure because of that she's got abandonment issues. If she's alone in the other room, she'll yowl until you acknowledge her. If I don't pet her and tell her I'll see her tonight before I go to work, she will be right at the door when I get home.

puzzlemaster_oftime

Bolt! 

Mine sits across the room from me but one time a really bad thunder shook the house and she initially bolted to the bathroom but then came back and stood at the door meowing at me. I like to think she was telling me it wasn't safe and we should bolt lol.

She eventually realized there was no danger and hesitantly hopped back on her window perch.

_blemp_

The Food Serenade....

Giphy

Don't even think of using a can opener if it's not close to feeding time.

IrianJaya

Yes. I had to move the Nespresso machine to a table in the living room because I'm working from home now and every time I'd go for another coffee it was like leading the kitty parade to the promised land of food with a meow serenade.

johnnyhotel

Everything is NOT Mine!

I used to think if I spent 100+ hours hand-crocheting blankets, those blankets were mine by right. My cats have educated me and I see now that my assumption was deeply selfish.

MerylSquirrel

Same with furniture. That recliner you bought and want to relax in after work? It's the cat's now, when she wakes up you may sit on it. The scratch marks show ownership.

timesuck897

Love is Love....

Love isn't taken, it's given.

Respect, give space, be patient.

Never push someone's boundaries

Wake up everyday knowing what you want and demand it.

Love can be shown in many different ways.

Rageagainstmisogyny

cat-to-cat communication....

That you can imitate cat-to-cat communication, and that cats will respond to said imitations (e.g. higher pitched greeting, slow blinking, moving slowly, petting (reminds them of grooming),etc).

nonameasp0

Cat language is surprisingly easy to pick up! They're VERY communicative, and have their phrases. Also you musn't forget to learn body language, too. They tell you so much with their tails and faces.

Soggy-Job

4 AM Call! 

The line between cute and deadly is often blurred. But they're so cute, I'll take three of those tiny little murderers. Also, 4am is the perfect time to practice how loud as hell you can really get.

Juturna_

A few things...

A few things, actually!

Cats are more active at night, by nature, so more prone to kicking around when you aren't using the place.

If you are the sort with an open bedroom door policy for kitty, they might know that this sometimes gets the door open and a reaction. We keep the bedroom door closed - she is dramatic for a few minutes at most, but also will try to usher us into the bedroom if we are up 'too late' now, and cut into her time.

Sometimes they just miss you and, per the above, it could get a reaction from you. Attention is usually what they are after, whether it's good or bad.

Personal theory is that birds and small animals start to wake up before sunrise in some areas, so maybe kitty is hearing those and getting worked up.

brandnamenerd

The Hacker.

Giphy

That nothing will wake you up and get you out of bed faster than the sound of your cat hacking up something.

dkstr419

REDDIT

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People Reveal The Weirdest Thing About Themselves

Reddit user Isitjustmedownhere asked: 'Give an example; how weird are you really?'

Let's get one thing straight: no one is normal. We're all weird in our own ways, and that is actually normal.

Of course, that doesn't mean we don't all have that one strange trait or quirk that outweighs all the other weirdness we possess.

For me, it's the fact that I'm almost 30 years old, and I still have an imaginary friend. Her name is Sarah, she has red hair and green eyes, and I strongly believe that, since I lived in India when I created her and there were no actual people with red hair around, she was based on Daphne Blake from Scooby-Doo.

I also didn't know the name Sarah when I created her, so that came later. I know she's not really there, hence the term 'imaginary friend,' but she's kind of always been around. We all have conversations in our heads; mine are with Sarah. She keeps me on task and efficient.

My mom thinks I'm crazy that I still have an imaginary friend, and writing about her like this makes me think I may actually be crazy, but I don't mind. As I said, we're all weird, and we all have that one trait that outweighs all the other weirdness.

Redditors know this all too well and are eager to share their weird traits.

It all started when Redditor Isitjustmedownhere asked:

"Give an example; how weird are you really?"

Monsters Under My Bed

"My bed doesn't touch any wall."

"Edit: I guess i should clarify im not rich."

– Practical_Eye_3600

"Gosh the monsters can get you from any angle then."

– bikergirlr7

"At first I thought this was a flex on how big your bedroom is, but then I realized you're just a psycho 😁"

– zenOFiniquity8

Can You See Why?

"I bought one of those super-powerful fans to dry a basement carpet. Afterwards, I realized that it can point straight up and that it would be amazing to use on myself post-shower. Now I squeegee my body with my hands, step out of the shower and get blasted by a wide jet of room-temp air. I barely use my towel at all. Wife thinks I'm weird."

– KingBooRadley

Remember

"In 1990 when I was 8 years old and bored on a field trip, I saw a black Oldsmobile Cutlass driving down the street on a hot day to where you could see that mirage like distortion from the heat on the road. I took a “snapshot” by blinking my eyes and told myself “I wonder how long I can remember this image” ….well."

– AquamarineCheetah

"Even before smartphones, I always take "snapshots" by blinking my eyes hoping I'll remember every detail so I can draw it when I get home. Unfortunately, I may have taken so much snapshots that I can no longer remember every detail I want to draw."

"Makes me think my "memory is full.""

– Reasonable-Pirate902

Same, Same

"I have eaten the same lunch every day for the past 4 years and I'm not bored yet."

– OhhGoood

"How f**king big was this lunch when you started?"

– notmyrealnam3

Not Sure Who Was Weirder

"Had a line cook that worked for us for 6 months never said much. My sous chef once told him with no context, "Baw wit da baw daw bang daw bang diggy diggy." The guy smiled, left, and never came back."

– Frostygrunt

Imagination

"I pace around my house for hours listening to music imagining that I have done all the things I simply lack the brain capacity to do, or in some really bizarre scenarios, I can really get immersed in these imaginations sometimes I don't know if this is some form of schizophrenia or what."

– RandomSharinganUser

"I do the same exact thing, sometimes for hours. When I was young it would be a ridiculous amount of time and many years later it’s sort of trickled off into almost nothing (almost). It’s weird but I just thought it’s how my brain processes sh*t."

– Kolkeia

If Only

"Even as an adult I still think that if you are in a car that goes over a cliff; and right as you are about to hit the ground if you jump up you can avoid the damage and will land safely. I know I'm wrong. You shut up. I'm not crying."

– ShotCompetition2593

Pet Food

"As a kid I would snack on my dog's Milkbones."

– drummerskillit

"Haha, I have a clear memory of myself doing this as well. I was around 3 y/o. Needless to say no one was supervising me."

– Isitjustmedownhere

"When I was younger, one of my responsibilities was to feed the pet fish every day. Instead, I would hide under the futon in the spare bedroom and eat the fish food."

– -GateKeep-

My Favorite Subject

"I'm autistic and have always had a thing for insects. My neurotypical best friend and I used to hang out at this local bar to talk to girls, back in the late 90s. One time he claimed that my tendency to circle conversations back to insects was hurting my game. The next time we went to that bar (with a few other friends), he turned and said sternly "No talking about bugs. Or space, or statistics or other bullsh*t but mainly no bugs." I felt like he was losing his mind over nothing."

"It was summer, the bar had its windows open. Our group hit it off with a group of young ladies, We were all chatting and having a good time. I was talking to one of these girls, my buddy was behind her facing away from me talking to a few other people."

"A cloudless sulphur flies in and lands on little thing that holds coasters."

"Cue Jordan Peele sweating gif."

"The girl notices my tension, and asks if I am looking at the leaf. "Actually, that's a lepidoptera called..." I looked at the back of my friend's head, he wasn't looking, "I mean a butterfly..." I poked it and it spread its wings the girl says "oh that's a BUG?!" and I still remember my friend turning around slowly to look at me with chastisement. The ONE thing he told me not to do."

"I was 21, and was completely not aware that I already had a rep for being an oddball. It got worse from there."

– Phormicidae

*Teeth Chatter*

"I bite ice cream sometimes."

RedditbOiiiiiiiiii

"That's how I am with popsicles. My wife shudders every single time."

monobarreller

Never Speak Of This

"I put ice in my milk."

– GTFOakaFOD

"You should keep that kind of thing to yourself. Even when asked."

– We-R-Doomed

"There's some disturbing sh*t in this thread, but this one takes the cake."

– RatonaMuffin

More Than Super Hearing

"I can hear the television while it's on mute."

– Tira13e

"What does it say to you, child?"

– Mama_Skip

Yikes!

"I put mustard on my omelettes."

– Deleted User

"Oh."

– NotCrustOr-filling

Evened Up

"Whenever I say a word and feel like I used a half of my mouth more than the other half, I have to even it out by saying the word again using the other half of my mouth more. If I don't do it correctly, that can go on forever until I feel it's ok."

"I do it silently so I don't creep people out."

– LesPaltaX

"That sounds like a symptom of OCD (I have it myself). Some people with OCD feel like certain actions have to be balanced (like counting or making sure physical movements are even). You should find a therapist who specializes in OCD, because they can help you."

– MoonlightKayla

I totally have the same need for things to be balanced! Guess I'm weird and a little OCD!

Close up face of a woman in bed, staring into the camera
Photo by Jen Theodore

Experiencing death is a fascinating and frightening idea.

Who doesn't want to know what is waiting for us on the other side?

But so many of us want to know and then come back and live a little longer.

It would be so great to be sure there is something else.

But the whole dying part is not that great, so we'll have to rely on other people's accounts.

Redditor AlaskaStiletto wanted to hear from everyone who has returned to life, so they asked:

"Redditors who have 'died' and come back to life, what did you see?"

Sensations

Happy Good Vibes GIF by Major League SoccerGiphy

"My dad's heart stopped when he had a heart attack and he had to be brought back to life. He kept the paper copy of the heart monitor which shows he flatlined. He said he felt an overwhelming sensation of peace, like nothing he had felt before."

PeachesnPain

Recovery

"I had surgical complications in 2010 that caused a great deal of blood loss. As a result, I had extremely low blood pressure and could barely stay awake. I remember feeling like I was surrounded by loved ones who had passed. They were in a circle around me and I knew they were there to guide me onwards. I told them I was not ready to go because my kids needed me and I came back."

"My nurse later said she was afraid she’d find me dead every time she came into the room."

"It took months, and blood transfusions, but I recovered."

good_golly99

Take Me Back

"Overwhelming peace and happiness. A bright airy and floating feeling. I live a very stressful life. Imagine finding out the person you have had a crush on reveals they have the same feelings for you and then you win the lotto later that day - that was the feeling I had."

"I never feared death afterward and am relieved when I hear of people dying after suffering from an illness."

rayrayrayray

Free

The Light Minnie GIF by (G)I-DLEGiphy

"I had a heart surgery with near-death experience, for me at least (well the possibility that those effects are caused by morphine is also there) I just saw black and nothing else but it was warm and I had such inner peace, its weird as I sometimes still think about it and wish this feeling of being so light and free again."

TooReDTooHigh

This is why I hate surgery.

You just never know.

Shocked

Giphy

"More of a near-death experience. I was electrocuted. I felt like I was in a deep hole looking straight up in the sky. My life flashed before me. Felt sad for my family, but I had a deep sense of peace."

Admirable_Buyer6528

The SOB

"Nursing in the ICU, we’ve had people try to die on us many times during the years, some successfully. One guy stood out to me. His heart stopped. We called a code, are working on him, and suddenly he comes to. We hadn’t vented him yet, so he was able to talk, and he started screaming, 'Don’t let them take me, don’t let them take me, they are coming,' he was scared and yelling."

"Then he yelled a little more, as we tried to calm him down, he screamed, 'No, No,' and gestured towards the end of the bed, and died again. We didn’t get him back. It was seriously creepy. We called his son to tell him the news, and the son said basically, 'Good, he was an SOB.'”

1-cupcake-at-a-time

Colors

"My sister died and said it was extremely peaceful. She said it was very loud like a train station and lots of talking and she was stuck in this area that was like a curtain with lots of beautiful colors (colors that you don’t see in real life according to her) a man told her 'He was sorry, but she had to go back as it wasn’t her time.'"

Hannah_LL7

"I had a really similar experience except I was in an endless garden with flowers that were colors I had never seen before. It was quiet and peaceful and a woman in a dress looked at me, shook her head, and just said 'Not yet.' As I was coming back, it was extremely loud, like everyone in the world was trying to talk all at once. It was all very disorienting but it changed my perspective on life!"

huntokarrr

The Fog

"I was in a gray fog with a girl who looked a lot like a young version of my grandmother (who was still alive) but dressed like a pioneer in the 1800s she didn't say anything but kept pulling me towards an opening in the wall. I kept refusing to go because I was so tired."

"I finally got tired of her nagging and went and that's when I came to. I had bled out during a c-section and my heart could not beat without blood. They had to deliver the baby and sew up the bleeders. refill me with blood before they could restart my heart so, like, at least 12 minutes gone."

Fluffy-Hotel-5184

Through the Walls

"My spouse was dead for a couple of minutes one miserable night. She maintains that she saw nothing, but only heard people talking about her like through a wall. The only thing she remembers for absolute certain was begging an ER nurse that she didn't want to die."

"She's quite alive and well today."

Hot-Refrigerator6583

Well let's all be happy to be alive.

It seems to be all we have.

Man's waist line
Santhosh Vaithiyanathan/Unsplash

Trying to lose weight is a struggle understood by many people regardless of size.

The goal of reaching a healthy weight may seem unattainable, but with diet and exercise, it can pay off through persistence and discipline.

Seeing the pounds gradually drop off can also be a great motivator and incentivize people to stay the course.

Those who've achieved their respective weight goals shared their experiences when Redditor apprenti8455 asked:

"People who lost a lot of weight, what surprises you the most now?"

Redditors didn't see these coming.

Shiver Me Timbers

"I’m always cold now!"

– Telrom_1

"I had a coworker lose over 130 pounds five or six years ago. I’ve never seen him without a jacket on since."

– r7ndom

"140 lbs lost here starting just before COVID, I feel like that little old lady that's always cold, damn this top comment was on point lmao."

– mr_remy

Drawing Concern

"I lost 100 pounds over a year and a half but since I’m old(70’s) it seems few people comment on it because (I think) they think I’m wasting away from some terminal illness."

– dee-fondy

"Congrats on the weight loss! It’s honestly a real accomplishment 🙂"

"Working in oncology, I can never comment on someone’s weight loss unless I specifically know it was on purpose, regardless of their age. I think it kind of ruffles feathers at times, but like I don’t want to congratulate someone for having cancer or something. It’s a weird place to be in."

– LizardofDeath

Unleashing Insults

"I remember when I lost the first big chunk of weight (around 50 lbs) it was like it gave some people license to talk sh*t about the 'old' me. Old coworkers, friends, made a lot of not just negative, but harsh comments about what I used to look like. One person I met after the big loss saw a picture of me prior and said, 'Wow, we wouldn’t even be friends!'”

"It wasn’t extremely common, but I was a little alarmed by some of the attention. My weight has been up and down since then, but every time I gain a little it gets me a little down thinking about those things people said."

– alanamablamaspama

Not Everything Goes After Losing Weight

"The loose skin is a bit unexpected."

– KeltarCentauri

"I haven’t experienced it myself, but surgery to remove skin takes a long time to recover. Longer than bariatric surgery and usually isn’t covered by insurance unless you have both."

– KatMagic1977

"It definitely does take a long time to recover. My Dad dropped a little over 200 pounds a few years back and decided to go through with skin removal surgery to deal with the excess. His procedure was extensive, as in he had skin taken from just about every part of his body excluding his head, and he went through hell for weeks in recovery, and he was bedridden for a lot of it."

– Jaew96

These Redditors shared their pleasantly surprising experiences.

Shopping

"I can buy clothes in any store I want."

– WaySavvyD

"When I lost weight I was dying to go find cute, smaller clothes and I really struggled. As someone who had always been restricted to one or two stores that catered to plus-sized clothing, a full mall of shops with items in my size was daunting. Too many options and not enough knowledge of brands that were good vs cheap. I usually went home pretty frustrated."

– ganache98012

No More Symptoms

"Lost about 80 pounds in the past year and a half, biggest thing that I’ve noticed that I haven’t seen mentioned on here yet is my acid reflux and heartburn are basically gone. I used to be popping tums every couple hours and now they just sit in the medicine cabinet collecting dust."

– colleennicole93

Expanding Capabilities

"I'm all for not judging people by their appearance and I recognise that there are unhealthy, unachievable beauty standards, but one thing that is undeniable is that I can just do stuff now. Just stamina and flexibility alone are worth it, appearance is tertiary at best."

– Ramblonius

People Change Their Tune

"How much nicer people are to you."

"My feet weren't 'wide' they were 'fat.'"

– LiZZygsu

"Have to agree. Lost 220 lbs, people make eye contact and hold open doors and stuff"

"And on the foot thing, I also lost a full shoe size numerically and also wear regular width now 😅"

– awholedamngarden

It's gonna take some getting used to.

Bones Everywhere

"Having bones. Collarbones, wrist bones, knee bones, hip bones, ribs. I have so many bones sticking out everywhere and it’s weird as hell."

– Princess-Pancake-97

"I noticed the shadow of my ribs the other day and it threw me, there’s a whole skeleton in here."

– bekastrange

Knee Pillow

"Right?! And they’re so … pointy! Now I get why people sleep with pillows between their legs - the knee bones laying on top of each other (side sleeper here) is weird and jarring."

– snic2030

"I lost only 40 pounds within the last year or so. I’m struggling to relate to most of these comments as I feel like I just 'slimmed down' rather than dropped a ton. But wow, the pillow between the knees at night. YES! I can relate to this. I think a lot of my weight was in my thighs. I never needed to do this up until recently."

– Strongbad23

More Mobility

"I’ve lost 100 lbs since 2020. It’s a collection of little things that surprise me. For at least 10 years I couldn’t put on socks, or tie my shoes. I couldn’t bend over and pick something up. I couldn’t climb a ladder to fix something. Simple things like that I can do now that fascinate me."

"Edit: Some additional little things are sitting in a chair with arms, sitting in a booth in a restaurant, being able to shop in a normal store AND not needing to buy the biggest size there, being able to easily wipe my butt, and looking down and being able to see my penis."

– dma1965

People making significant changes, whether for mental or physical health, can surely find a newfound perspective on life.

But they can also discover different issues they never saw coming.

That being said, overcoming any challenge in life is laudable, especially if it leads to gaining confidence and ditching insecurities.