So, there’s this online community—What’s Wrong With Your Cat?—which celebrates all things odd, crazy or just plain on “huh?” of the cat variety. And before you wonder, no, there’s genuinely nothing wrong with those cats. The cat.exe file is definitely not responding at that moment, but it’ll reboot itself (whether in time, or with a cat treat) and all will be well.

In the meantime, 728,000 members approve of the chaos.

Now, for the record, that’s not all that life with a cat really is. It’s much more normal (for lack of a better word) than this, actually. Folks on Quora have been sharing their takes on what life with a cat is like. And, if you ask me, it feels like a life worth living.

Cats make great companions. If you take care of them, they will take care of you. They will snuggle with you, play with you, and greet you when you come back home after a hard day's work. They will soothe and entertain you. And they will do a good job of it, too.

Another person illustrated this with some glimpses into the life of their cat: you can always find someone sleeping at your side… or on your side; they always say good-bye and hello when you’re going or getting back from work; they purr sweet lullabies when you go to sleep; and they’ll even strike a weird pose whilst doing so. Best part? They are always with you. In the form of hair on your beautiful clothes. All of them.

Now, what if you have multiple cats? One cat person explained that it’s like living with slave drivers and you’re the slave. Picture this: they demand you feed them at 6 in the morning, every morning. And they never stop chasing you until you do it. Then they go to sleep until they feel like asking for something more. Like cuddles or playing or whatever. And then they continue to terrorize you by disrupting your work or getting in your way. And why do you continue having cats? Because “we can’t resist.”

But all jokes aside, having a feline companion is a rewarding experience. They are loyal, loving, and affectionate creatures, ones who don’t demand your soul plus an arm and a leg as they are pretty self-sufficient given the possibility. All the while, they are great pets to have for you to build character—they require patience and understanding, which you will ultimately learn and will be a better person for it. You might also learn to be more disciplined and consistent to accommodate their needs.

By far, the best explanation for what it feels like to live with a cat comes from long-term cat companion Kuromi Jenkins:

“Have you ever met a toddler with a severe attitude problem? You know those parents who look frazzled in a supermarket? The ones trying to keep it together, who look like they’ve died a little on the inside and have truly lost the will to live, as they stand patiently waiting whilst their toddler from hell has the world's biggest tantrum in the middle of the supermarket because they wouldn’t let them eat the washing tablets and is now in the process of a full on snot, tears and carnage rampage that would impress even Godzilla? Yeah. It’s like that.”

Kuromi’s experience of a cat is akin to having a problem child. The cat they had was named Newton, and their cat was what the internet colloquially referred to as an a-hole.

Kuromi had ample negative experiences with Newton—from the little guy vomiting on someone or their belongings, dragging something that’s still alive into the house while guests are over or deciding to make a natural fertilizer of a statement on someone’s flower bed not 6 feet away from the owner.

But they still loved him.

Newton could be really nice at times, and even happy. Sure, it was usually when the critter wanted something, but Kuromi cherished those moments of affection and softness for they did not know how long it would last before the next. And while Kuromi’s work is pure satire, it’s based on real events—events that were still pleasant. Over 15 years of them, in fact.

Truth be told, Kuromi admitted that Newton was the most entertaining cat to write about. Considering that they had 9 cats and fostered 2 over the years, they knew cats better than the average Joe could ever, so they knew very well what they’re dealing with. And how to do it. “In fact I would gladly do it all over again, just to have him back,” concluded Kuromi in their post.

If you’ve enjoyed this, you might want to not lose your inertia and dive right ahead into your next cat listicle.

But if that’s not your forte, then maybe the comment section below will be? Share your takes, stories or anything that’s related to cats in the comment section below!