Kelsee Brady, Campus Carrier managing editor

Cats are the best species, hands down. From their physical appearance to their individual personalities, these four-legged felines have so much to offer. 

Let’s start with the physical appearance. Unlike dogs, which have wildly different fur textures and lengths, most cats have relatively the same soft, fluffy fur that we know and love. The length only varies slightly; however, thickness can vary tremendously depending on the breed. For example, Ragdolls have very fluffy and thick fur year-round. 

If you have never seen the iconic paw pads of a cat, you are severely missing out. Their perfectly-shaped toe pads are either a beautiful, rosy pink or grey-tinged black. Feline tails are also unique to each cat. Whether long, short or bob-tailed, each tail is slightly different. The coloring, fur length and tail length are all unique to each cat. Another great feature are cats’ noses, which if you haven’t noticed, are almost exact replicas of the Tesla logo, and now, you’ll never unsee that. From the tip of their nose to the tip of their tail, domestic cats are the living embodiment of stuffed animals. 

As an animal science major, I also have to point out that when cats in the wild were domesticated, they chose to live with humans. Other animals were domesticated by humans or by choice, but it came from a place of need for food and shelter and they rely on humans now in a more dependent way like dogs who need their owners to feed, water and walk them. Cats have never solely relied on humans for anything unless their owners chose to keep them exclusively indoors. Essentially, cats don’t need us; we need them. 

There have been a fair share of people in my life who were wary of cats, but almost all of them have been converted to cat lovers. For example, my stepmom used to be terrified of cats. Since marrying my dad, she has seen the light and is now a cat lover. Currently, my dad and stepmom have multiple cats in their house, and she actively seeks out other cats to adopt despite my father and I telling her that we have plenty. 

Despite being slightly allergic to cats, they are by and large my favorite animal. I love all kinds of cats, although I am still unsure about the hairless cats like the Devon Rex. Large or small, domesticated or wild, calico or solid gray, I haven’t met a cat that I didn’t like, and I work at a vet clinic. I have met my fair share of cats who were not fans of being at the vet and/or being handled, but you have to realize that animals like children are a product of their environment and owners. Usually, cats are aggressive due to being the only cat in the household or from being improperly handled by their owners or small children. 

Just because one cat was aggressive towards you doesn’t mean they are all terrible creatures. The majority of them genuinely enjoy humans, and they actually only meow so we can understand them. So, anytime that they are meowing around the house or following you around, know that they genuinely love you and want your attention. I understand that this is extremely annoying at 3 a.m. However, most of them just miss you and want your attention. Cats can be very affectionate and enjoyable creatures, but at the end of the day, just like people, we have to respect their limits.