Time Spent with Cats
© Time Spent with cats 2019
‘Time spent with cats is never wasted’, said Sigmund Freud…
And who are we to argue with the founding father of psychoanalysis? Besides, if you’re one of the 8 million people in the UK alone owned by a cat, you’ll already know that Mr Freud was absolutely correct. Time spent with cats is many things - relaxing, cheering, inspiring, joyful, enlightening, educational, entertaining, calming, reassuring, frequently bewildering and occasionally frustrating but it is never, ever wasted. Our cats are part of our lives and families and they bring us friendship, laughter, love, and unidentifiable dead things, and they do all of that without ever letting us forget that they’re the ones in charge. Another wise person, (possibly Mr Freud again, after an argument with his cat) famously put his finger on it when he said ‘Dogs have masters; cats have staff’. Sharing your life with cats is a pleasure and a privilege yet there’s no denying it can get you a certain reputation. The negative stereotype of the ‘Crazy Cat Lady’ persists even in our enlightened times. Men don’t get off the hook either and, unless you have an obligingly glacial white persian with whom you can do a ‘Bond super-villain’ double act, you’re viewed as a bit suspect and, it would seem, doomed to sit in your hovel wearing home-knitted cardigans while people swipe left past you on Tinder. ‘Sticks and stones…’, you may be saying; and you’re absolutely right. It’s not the worst thing in the world if people label you a ‘crazy cat lady or man.’ If that’s your thing, embrace it, and more power to you! In reality, though, cat people come in as many varieties as the cats with whom they share their lives. They are pedigree and mongrel, old and young, nice and nasty, handsome and ugly, clever and stupid, gregarious and aloof, cool and crazy, ordinary and extraordinary and everything in between. Time Spent With Cats aims to meet some of these people and their cats, hear their stories (because who hasn’t met a cat - or a human - with an interesting story to tell?), and get a brief glimpse into their lives. Maybe we’ll explode a few of those myths and stereotypes along the way, (or maybe we’ll just reinforce them, who knows?), perhaps we’ll encourage more people to invite a cat into their life, but most of all we’ll just share the simple joy of a bit of time spent with these most complex and fascinating of creatures and the humans who love them. If your cats (and you) would like to be featured, we would love to hear from you. Please have a look at the ‘How does it work’ page and get in touch!
Welcome!
Gil, Jess & Tia
@UKTimeSpentWithCats
Mewsings…
Anita, Terry, Spud, Kipps,
Jack and much, much more…
