I suppose it is no secret to anyone visiting this page that the cat is my favorite animal.  However, I do know for a fact that no one knows why.  Several things come to mind when I hear the word "cat."  Firstly, I think of a sister spirit.  I identify with them so closely that it is hard to analyze them.  It is attune to analyzing myself, which I think I am not alone in thinking is pretty hard.  To make this easier on everyone, I will use quotes said by others to simply say what it is I am trying to express.  For this personal part, I will use this quote said by Ida M. Mellen to which I deeply relate:  "A cat, like the genius, draws into itself as into a shell except in the atmosphere in congeniality, and this is the secret of its remarkable and elusive personality."
     I am in no part claiming to be a genius; I claim only to have a method to an animal that is known as a mystery to many people, otherwise known as the cat.  To many, it is a domestic animal with wild instincts... an antonym for the dog.  What I believe to be the heart of people's problem in understanding the cat is misunderstanding.  Humans, by design are not solitary animals.  They are pack animals, and thus can relate to the pack instincts and behavior of the dog.  Cats, however are individuals, a quality humans supposedly admire, yet cannot recognize.  I will not turn this essay into a study on society, which it could be easily turned in to.  That is not my desire.  My desire is to let you, my visitor, read my thoughts about this amazing animal.
     Many people admire cats for their aesthetically pleasing qualities.  For this, I will use another quote excerpted from the June 1997 issue of National Geographic magazine:  "The cat, is one animal nature pretty much got right the first time around... the story of the cat, is ultimately a story about design."  I chose to use that quote in this passage because I think it perfectly expresses, physically, what they are.  They are skilled hunters, maternal mothers, intelligent thinkers, resourceful homesteaders, and clean hygienists.  Not to mention downright breathtaking to look at.
     So, you might ask, what is next?  I would like you to take a step inside the cat mind.  It does not have to be a wild cat, such as a cougar or a jaguar.  You could place yourself in the mind of an alley cat, or a comfortable indoor cat with a happy lifestyle.  Now, let your pre-conceived notions leave your body.  The stresses that you carried with you were human, therefore for now they do not exist.  Instead, you are in the world of the cat.  Let yourself feel the refreshing, non-judgmental thinking.  Feel the deep core of spiritual insight that they carry with them against their heart, like a well-guarded jewel.  Let your long, pink tongue lick each piece of fur into place along your graceful legs, and in between the powerful toes on which you sit.  Stretch your clean, sharp claws and imbed them into the object below you.  Now, you raise your head as you see a human approaching.  As you watch with wise eyes, you are thinking not of the stray hairs on their head, or the un-manicured nails.  You are completely accepting, ready to observe and then conclude on your findings.
     The cat is not arrogant.  The cat is not self-centered.  You must let these feelings slide from your body.  If you do not, you will never allow yourself to understand the cat.  They want to be understood... they are waiting for it.  You can answer their calls, or let yourself out of the situation by sitting back with a deaf ear to their cause.  The great awareness you can let them bring into your life will change you forever, as it has changed mine.  It is possible.  Never let anyone or anything convince you otherwise.
     If you are still not convinced of your ability to understand this magnificent creature, then perhaps you are not ready to.  Give yourself time.  If the timing is right, they will come to you.  You have only to observe and record your findings of them... as they do us every day.