I figured it was about time for me to do a surprise post, and what better day to do it than on Caturday (even though this happens every week)? I’ve always had cats in my life, but it wasn’t until The Captain and I started our own little cat family that I realized how awesome these creatures can be, and how much my pets before didn’t quite live up to my expectations.

The Captain and I adopted Lenin in June 2013, just a few months after we started dating. At first, he was shy and nervous—as a lot of kittens are after going from a shelter to a home—but he got used to us pretty quick and become a lovable bastard.

We adopted Logan in June 2014, completely on a whim, and he was a little ball of energy from the get go. He was one of the most playful kittens in the bunch, and The Captain totally fell in love. He wasn’t a free adoption like Lenin was, but he was definitely worth the cost—even if he can be an asshole.

So here are nine reasons that I love my cats:

1. They’re friendly! Most of my previous cats would give me a bit of attention when they wanted it, but otherwise skulked around and avoided all human life. Our friendliest cat in the past was named Pumpkin, but she was eaten by coyotes and that was the last time we had an indoor/outdoor cat. Anyway, a lot of times Lenin will just meow and meow at me until I pet him or give him some attention. Logan is always waiting for me to get home and does this cute little noise to say ‘hello.’
2. It’s all about the kisses. Somehow, when Lenin was a kitten, The Captain taught him to give ‘kisses’. This is where Lenin will lean over and basically lick your nose with his sandpaper tongue until your skin has been licked off. It’s still awesome, but sometimes I’ll be working on something or trying to get dressed, and he demands the kisses. He will pull me to him with his claws and attack my nose. It’s cute, annoying, and I wouldn’t change it for the world. Teaching Logan kisses is not working, but I’m fine with that.
3. The annoying cat cuddles. I’ll be working on my computer, or even just surfing the Internet, and Logan will come on up, pat my chest a couple of times, and then promptly sit down on top of me—completely blocking my view of the screen. It’s freaking adorable because I love cuddles, but at the same time I want to push him off so I can get stuff done.
4. The sleeping arrangement. When I was growing up, on occasion, the cats would wander into my room and sleep with me, but never like Logan or Lenin. Since our boys are shut in with us during the night, they either end up playing or sleeping. More often than not they sleep on the bed with us. Logan will curl up at the foot of the bed, a nice little foot warmer. Sometimes Lenin will be there too, but since it’s summer and The Captain installed a screen in our window he tends to sleep up at the head of the bed. Namely, on top of my head. I spent half the night with his butt pushing me off of my pillow. Still, it’s love and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
5. Their relationship. I’ve only had a pair of cats one time before and their relationship is kind of an on and off thing, so I was surprised at how quickly Logan and Lenin started getting along. It was a rough couple of days when we first brought Logan home—as with all new siblings I think—but then they were playing together and all was good. Sometimes they’ll just spend hours grooming each other or chasing all over the house.
6. The stupidity. Logan is not the brightest crayon in the box. We figured that out real quick and it’s partly where his nickname of ‘asshole’ came from. He honestly doesn’t think things through so when he knocks over stuff or tries to climb over a giant pile of stuff it just all goes south. He also tries to pick fights with the mistress of our new home, Mika, a big, black cat that don’t take no bull. He still doesn’t learn.
7. The love. I can genuinely tell that our cats love us. They want to spend time with us, play with us, and be near us. They understand that we love them and return it a thousand times over. I haven’t felt such pure love for something in a long time. I can see why people say get a pet to practice for children, but they’re not the same thing to me. Yes, both depend on their parent to care for them, but the difference is that my cats will only leave the nest when they’re old and not when they’re off to begin their own lives. Our cats lives revolve around us, and we love them for that.
8. The patience. I have cleaned out litterboxes, cleaned puke out of my backpack, woken up in the middle of the night to fill their bowls, chased them down in the middle of the night when they get out of the room, tried to get Logan to stop chasing Stalin (the other cat in our house and Lenin’s actual brother), gave them attention even when I’m busy because they won’t stop meowing, deal with Logan meowing for no real reason when I’m trying to sleep…etc. I’ve learned a lot about patience since adopting these babies, and even when they’re driving me up a wall I can’t help but love them. And trust me when I say I’m one of the most impatient people in the world, and they have changed me (at least a little).
9. The cute! I take so many pictures of my cats, because they’re so cute no matter what they’re doing. I feel like this is a prediction for how I’m going to be with human babies. I’ve taken a bunch of pictures when they’re sleeping, playing, drinking, cuddling, etc. Every moment with Logan and Lenin is a Kodak moment. I want to fill entire albums with photos of them. At least once a day, The Captain or I will point at either cat and go, “Look at how cute he is.” For real, cats are adorable and ours raise the bar.

I love our cats, and I’ve loved them from the day that we brought them home. They bring such joy and laughter to our lives, and I hate going a day without seeing their adorable faces. We probably won’t be getting anymore cats for quite a while, but who knows? We might add to our family in the future with more furry companions. And Logan and Lenin will be here for many more years.