In it for the Squee

A screaming little stranger ran out of the cold and picked a family.

A tiny black kitten came running out of the cold and announced himself at full volume. He sprinted straight to this pawrent's husband, yelling and trying to climb his leg like he'd already decided this was home. With temperatures dropping into the teens overnight, there wasn't much debate. The kitten was coming inside.

He was set up in the home office, safely separated from the two resident cats, and immediately proved he was built for indoor life. He's friendly, trusting, and runs on nonstop purring. The other cats are curious but calm, watching the situation unfold without much fuss. For now, the office is his base camp, and he gets regular cuddle visits because being alone is not his favorite activity.

He's been temporarily named Tux, which suits a small black kitten who arrived dressed for the occasion. He's estimated to be around six months old, still young enough to shout his feelings and demand constant company. A vet visit and microchip scan are lined up just in case someone is looking for him, though he doesn't look like a cat who's been cared for recently.

At the moment, he's warm, safe, and loudly appreciative of both. He showed up yelling and settled into purring, which feels like a pretty clear sign he landed exactly where he meant to.

"There is no means of testing which decision is better, because there is no basis for comparison. We live everything as it comes, without warning, like an actor going on cold. And what can life be worth if the first rehearsal for life is life itself? That is why life is always like a sketch. No, "sketch" is not quite a word, because a sketch is an outline of something, the groundwork for a picture, whereas the sketch that is our life is a sketch for nothing, an outline with no picture." - The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Milan Kundera 

Now that we have your attention, thinking about human existence can make the mind go in various directions, awry with wonders of what could be, why, and what to do with it. Philosophers from ancient Greece got only so far in giving humanity solace for these pressing questions, these existential pleas. There's really one answer, and it's simple: cats. 

Cats give lightness to life, they exist as posits of joy and escape. We live with them, dine with them, and love them with all our hearts, and they simply sit there begging for more tuna and meowing. Instead of crying into the night's sky with your fists in the air, wondering why we're here, why life is suffering, and where are we left to go, scroll these happy and lighthearted cat memes to omit the heavy burden of life's pressure. 

"Jingle bells, cold stings like nails, let me in right meow!" 🎶

If your cat loves the snow, you probably won some life lottery. Because most cats hate the snow, they despise it. And honestly, a lot of people do, too. Sure, the snow might look beautifully dreamy, like a Disney movie, but it's also freezing cold, slippery like a life hazard, and some people think it's funny to take balls of it and throw it at you. Snow is dreamy only in dreams. But we have to admit, when a cat goes outside in the snow and discovers they like it, it's probably the cutest thing to witness.

Cats who jump in snow as if they're a bird flying through fluffy clouds is the wholesome side of this season. Winter can be harsh to cats, but when they accept it, snow really does feel like a Disney movie for a second. Magical.

But even if your cat isn't a wintery fan of the current weather, we have to appreciate the people going out and building snowmen - but specifically snowcats. Looking at a snowman, but in cat form, is like looking at more cats - and that's never a bad idea in our humble opinion.

Whose cat is it, anyway?

If this question is applicable to a cat, you know they roam the neighborhood like they own it, as if they run it with an iron paw. Some people are sure their cat is their cat, until they find out the family's feline was two-timing them all along. But even a cat has double the family, usually their original humans know what's up, they're aware of their cat's doings, and it's ok that they're ok with it. But some people just let their cat roam, and that we, admittedly, don't really understand. It can lead to some complicated situations, such as a cat stuck outside in the snow, which is a literal hazard. There might always be kind neighbors to take these cats in, but what if there aren't enough nice people around? What if there are other dangers outside, that even the kinderst of people can't help prevent?

All of these questions popped into our heads when we read about Salem, the roaming void cat whose owners don't seem to look for during an entire night. He was taken care of, for sure (and we're happy he had a safe and warm night), but really, it begs the question - whose cat is it, anyway?

If there's one thing dads and cats have in common, it's dad jokes and naps, but that's two things and it's clear that we're no meowthmetician. These memes are so stoopid you won't be able to resist saying "That's a real knee-slapper!" and then slap your knee.

Cats are often purrtrayed as feminine, but really, they're all just middle-aged dads at heart. They have a disdain for trying new things, love their routine, enjoy nothing more than a good nap in a comfy chair, and they both love to pretend that they don't like affection. But most of all, they love to tell a stoopid joke. A joke that's so bad you laugh out of pity, a joke that's so bad you want to wipe it from your meowmory with disinfectant. They're so bad that you can't help but laugh at them, that they've rounded the corner from bad to good by being so purrfectly idiotic. We know because cats have been using terrible puns in their memes since the beginning of meme history, and also because our cat always laughs at our dad jokes. 

So, the meme wizards here at I Can Has Cheezburger whipped up some original feline funnies this week that are just awful. Terrible. Horrific. But they're also so bad that you can't look away from them, you have to keep scrolling out of a pawsitively silly desire to know if they're really as bad as the one before. They're purrfect for cat owners because they're made by feline fanatics who love cats almost as much as we do. 

We're sorry, but also not sorry, for sharing these with you. It's Furiday, so we thought you could use a hearty laugh, and this is the best we could do on such short notice. See you next week!

If your cat approves of your partner, they will make sure that you know about it right away. 

And that's important. It's actually necessary. Because if your cat doesn't approve of your partner, that is something that you should listen to. Cats know good people, and if they don't like someone, it usually happens for a reason. The way that people interact with cats is a huge sign. There are people who are are jealous of their partner's love for their cat. There are people who humiliate their partners for missing their cats when they run away. And then there are people who, behind their partner's backs, do everything that they can to bond with their partner's cats. And the cat then shows its appreciation and approval. 

It can go in either direction, but if a cat approves, you will know it. And the cat in today's story made sure that his owner knew that he approved of the girlfriend very, very quickly. For 12 whole years, this cat refused to sit in his owner's lap. Despite their bond, despite the fact that his owner wanted it very much. But the second his owner's girlfriend moved into their home, the kitty - just like that - decided that his new favorite spot for cuddles was her lap. And the owner's response… adorable. 

In a world as hectic as this one, all we crave is some pure wholesomeness in the form of cat memes. 

Everything moves so fast around us nowadays. Our jobs, the people we know and love, the news cycle. Everything seems to be moving too fast. Only one thing in our lives remains steady, and it is the only thing that really matters. It is our escape from the real world. Something positive - purely pawsitive - that takes nothing and only gives. We are, of course, talking about funny cat memes. 

If there is one thing that we can count on when it comes to the internet, it is a steady supply of hilarious cat memes. No matter what is going on in the world, no matter what is happening in people's individual lives, they will always - and we mean always find time to make memes and share memes. It is the best thing about the internet and probably one of the only reasons that we haven't completely lost our minds yet. We are simple people, craving wholesomeness in a world that sensationalizes everything but, and scrolling through silly cat memes on the internet is where we get our fix.