Life Lessons from A Cat

On December 3rd, 2024, I lost my cat, Scarlet O’Hara, after almost nineteen precious years of having her.

It was a tough blow, yes. One that was not unexpected: She had been ill for a while.

Still, even one year later, it humbles me how much she taught me about life, but more importantly, how to live it.

Yes, a cat taught me as much [about life] as most humans I have come across.

Weird, huh?

Perhaps.

Maybe not.

After all, animals embody a pure, unadulterated essence that is often missing in most human beings.

Here are some of the “life lessons” that owning a pet taught me:

Live in the Present

If you want to meet a creature that is pathologically stuck in the present moment, then look no further than animals. Animals are in a constant state of vigilance, for the most part. They are concerned only with a few things: food, shelter, water, survival, and procreation.

That’s it!

Even your house pet, be it dog, cat, rabbit, bird, mouse, whatever, shares this same universal mindset:

They live in the present.

They do not dwell on the past.

They are not worrying about the future.

Yes, your house pet has a much, much simpler life than you do.

They do not have to pay bills, go to work, put food on the table, drive kids to soccer practice, etc.

Still, they do one thing that humans should learn from:

They do not dwell.

They do not obsess about what was, what is, or what is to come.

They are present in life, rather than desperately clinging to a past they miss or a future they desire.

They live in the moment.

Honestly, how else can ANY species live but in the present moment?

The past is past. It is over; it is not coming back.

No amount of wishful thinking, praying, or doing can change that honest fact.

The future has not happened yet. Obsessing about it will not make it better. It will only further entrench us in fantasy.

A playground for your imagination:

A conceptualization of mental images that don’t even exist.

That is what worrying about the future does.

Scarlet, like all animals, was hyper-present. She didn’t sit there and dwell on someone who stepped on her tail five years ago. In fact, according to science, cats usually have a mental recall of only about ten minutes.

10 minutes!

Although, to be fair, current scientific research has re-evaluated this assessment to identify the length of a cat’s short-term memory to extend to up to sixteen hours.

In fact, if one were to discuss the length of a cat’s long-term memory, then one would be looking at a period of up to three years.

How many years back can you recall any event in your life?

Ten?

Twenty years?

Thirty years?

Forty?

Fifty years?

More?

Can you imagine what it would be like if humans possessed such a limited mental anamnesis?

What if humans could only recall events for up to three years?

Yes, that could be problematic for advancing our species towards greater endeavors.

What about for our emotional well-being?

Wouldn’t it be great not to have to think about a painful childhood, a horrific injury, an abusive spouse or loved one, a brutal job loss, or an accident?

Wouldn’t it be wonderful not to have to be mentally reminded of life’s sorrows and instead focus on its possibilities?

Welcome to the inner world of your house pet!

Practice Gratitude [for the simple things]

Do you remember the last time your pet displayed gratitude? Honestly, it probably happens so often that you don’t even realize it.

Why?

They are grateful!

Yes, your dog or cat is abundantly grateful when you fill its bowl with delicious food.

Or give it fresh, clean water to drink.

Your pet is incredibly grateful to you for taking the time to strap a leash on them and go out for a walk around the block.

They are incredibly thankful when you dedicate a little time and effort to petting them and playing with them, not ignoring them, while you endlessly scroll on your smartphone for your next little hit of dopamine.

An animal is forever indebted to you (in their hearts and minds) for merely having a roof over their head and somewhere soft and warm to lay their weary head down to sleep.

Are you noticing a pattern here?

Animals organically spread gratitude.

Not for large, flashy, expensive items that humans admire.

No, simple things: Food, shelter, water, love.

That’s it!

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if humans could pause occasionally and consider all that they have, i.e., food, shelter, water, love, etc., rather than constantly chasing what they don’t have?

Animals show gratitude naturally.

Why can’t we?

Show Love (Always)

This last point is the most crucial to understand. It also coalesces with the point that was previously mentioned.

Gratitude is downstream from love.

Instead, it is an extension of it [love].

If there is one trait that animals absolutely have down to a natural science, it is the art of giving unconditional love to their human family or to persons that they meet along the way.

Yes, unconditional love.

Honestly, your pet genuinely loves you with every fiber of their being.

YOU are the center of the universe (although this can often be a bit of a reciprocal relationship between owner and pet).

Their love is genuine.

It is not a love that is forced.

It is not a love that is only displayed when they want something from you.

It is a natural love.

An innate love.

Because a pet, in my view, is a physical manifestation of pure love, in a little furry body with perky ears and a fluffy tail.

Animals are the embodiment of LOVE.

LOVE is the most powerful, most abundant, most organic energy that exists in the infinite universe.

Love is the lifeforce of all LIFE.

Why do humans invest so much emotional and psychological capital into their pets?

Pets are love.

Humans survive on love.

Without it, we crumble; we decay; we turn towards the darkest, most contemptuous proclivities that human nature can exude on others and onto the rest of the world.

The absence of love is the absence of life; of growth; of progress; of meaning; of purpose.

Love is in the air we breathe; the words we speak; the actions we do or do not do; the sky we stare at glaringly; the ground we hastily trample over; the house we come home to, after a hard day’s work.

Love is everywhere, in all things.

Pets merely teach us this inexorable fact that we all know, on a soul level.

A paramount certainty that we have grown increasingly detached from, as the years rush by us so very quickly. As we become further conquered by the ceaseless imperial march of time.

My family has shown me unconditional love.

But my cat, Scarlet O’Hara, taught me unconditional love.

Our pets so often do.

Final Thoughts

Like raising children, caring for our little fur babies brings out the best in us.

Pets, like small children, practice a native mindfulness, grounded in the warm bisque of natural love.

Although my cat is no longer physically here with me, her undying love never ceases to depart from my presence.

We can all internalize the lessons that our pets teach us.

We can act more like them when it comes to how we interact with other people.

We can live more in the present.

We can divorce ourselves of longing for the past and apprehension of the future.

We can show more gratitude and appreciation to our fellow man.

Most importantly, we can demonstrate unwavering LOVE.

We can be love.

That’s what Scarlet O’Hara would want from me.

That’s what I think our pets instinctively crave for us to become:

Love.