vampyrichamster

You've heard me talk about my decadent cat-based lifestyle before, but how exactly does one achieve a decadent cat? It's surprisingly easy, assuming one isn't starting with, "First, obtain a cat." But even that is fairly simple to solve. Many fine organisations exist to help connect cats with safe, warm and caring homes. If you have space in your heart and a place for a cat, adopting one from a reputable organisation is the best thing you can do. Then, all you need to do is ensure your cat knows it is the most loved critter in all the world. Treats help. So do kisses on the head. As we know, cats who are insufficiently kissed on the head might go feral. If you do your job right, eventually, your cat will loudly berate you at inconvenient times, demand you follow its will and step on you whenever it likes. When that happens, congratulations! You have achieved a decadent cat.

Inside Voice: Hey, is it me or did we switch genres for a second?
Me: What. No, no, no. Absolutely not!

Cats are lovely little alien beings. They don't think like we do, which is what makes them so fascinating to watch. I see my cat as a curious, affectionate little murderer who just wants to help. He shares his kills from a place of love. My husband simply assumes all cats are adorable sociopaths and extrapolates their intent from there. Between the two of us must lie a perfectly reasonable middle ground.

Even if you cannot have a pet right now, whether or not that is a cat, you can still help a creature out there have the best chance at life. From dogs and hamsters to coyotes and pikas, there are an immense number of places and people who work hard to help those furry, scaled and slick. There's usually somewhere like that near where each of us live if we just look. Your nearest local organisation might even be the local animal care and control centre. The one in San Francisco where I got Moggie helps with both domesticated animals and wildlife that get entangled in urban settings. I saw a guy walk in with a box of kittens he found left in his neighbourhood. There was a room with rabbits and birds, and even reptiles. They liaise with Yggdrassil Urban Wildlife Rescue, which helps orphaned and injured wildlife from within the SF Bay Area. A friend of mine helps out there and it is a legit cool organisation. I went to a recent emergency fundraiser they had and met a really lovely little baby possum; bought a pretty T-shirt with a suitably in-theme Norse tree motif and had an amazing vegan cardamom jam cookie. I am told somewhere on their grounds is the roundest, cutest rescue squirrel around.