CHO: What we can learn from cats
Column: Mine to Mind
As someone who did not grow up with cats or many pets (except for a couple of gerbils here and there that belonged to my siblings), I never understood what was so great about cats.
I could understand the hype around dogs because they are friendly and loving to strangers. Most dogs come up to you and show you not just interest but love as if you are their new best friend. On the other hand, cats are rarely likely to come up to a stranger.
Do not get me wrong. I never disliked cats. But if someone were to ask me if I was a cat person or a dog person, I would have said dogs. It was just that I had never formed a bond with a cat before, and I did not understand why cat people existed.
Sure, cats are pretty athletic and agile. I enjoyed my fair share of cat compilations on YouTube. But if I were to choose between bringing a cat or a dog home, and I could only choose one, well, I would pick the dog.
When I met Max, it was not love at first sight, but eventually, I declared my love for him and told him that he was the love of my life.
Max is my partner's family cat, an old cat with long white whiskers, a brown coat and a white underbelly. He sleeps curled up with his paws holding his legs. He has a little tooth that sticks out and a love for face rubs.
Max is friendlier than most cats, admittedly. When we first met, he approached me curiously, exchanging greetings — I pet him, and he let me. He was the first cat I had regularly come into contact with, and I had to learn what Max liked and did not like.
Sometimes, I would pet him, and he would suddenly go to bite me. And as someone who could not read cat body language, all I knew was to make sure not to touch his belly.
After seeing Max regularly this fall, I found his presence healing. Spending time with animals can be therapeutic and emotionally supportive. But I had never expected to find Max so healing that seeing him in pictures and through video calls would bring me joy.
When Max sits down next to me on the couch and rests his head on my foot, I go still to ensure I am the perfect resting spot for him. When he stretches from his nap, I am amazed at how wide his jaws open and how his body shakes. It gives me a feeling that I am stretching out the tension in my body. When I lay on the couch and do homework with him, I lay one hand on his side and feel how his breathing goes up and down. Or he will sit between me and my partner as we watch TV.
There is a sensory aspect to him that I love. His fur is so soft, and he does not mind when I rest my hand on him. Even though I cannot speak to him and do not know what he thinks of me, whenever he walks into the room and sits down next to me, I feel chosen and loved.
Another aspect of cats I greatly admire is the sheer amount of sleep they get. We often feel that love comes from what we do, say and achieve, mainly through a monetary lens. When I see Max and how leisurely he sits in the house, doing nothing but finding comfortable places to nap, I can give myself the same kindness to stop for a moment and rest.
College life sometimes feels like one challenge, or rather like five, happening simultaneously. It is good to remember that as human beings, we do so much but are rarely satisfied. It is good to be ambitious, but there is also a serene quality in napping under the sun for a while.
As we head into midterms, I hope people do not get overwhelmed but challenge themselves, like a cat who leaps up to an exceptionally high ledge. To acknowledge the height we are leaping to, prepare for liftoff and trust that we will land on our feet.
Rachel Cho is a senior in the School of Arts and Sciences majoring in Korean and minoring in critical intelligence. Her column, "Mine to Mind," runs on alternate Thursdays.
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