If you’ve checked out my previous Top 10 Things You Shouldn’t Use As A Bookmark post, then you’ll understand that this is a feature I like to run fortnightly. It hasn’t been as regular lately due to various unfortunate things, but, today, it’s back with my Top 10 Reasons Why Cats Are The Best Writing Partners. So sit back and relax whilst I count them down.
Are you ready…?
Top 10 Reasons Why Cats Are The Best Writing Partners
No. 10 : Thoughts On Progress
– To kick off my Top 10 Reasons Why Cats Are The Best Writing Partners is this little gem. When it comes to progress on your latest novel or novels, cats couldn’t care less.
They’re fans of your work, of course. I mean how couldn’t they be? You sit still for hours and that’s perfect for lap snuggles, right? But they’re just as happy as you are for when you finally reach the end of that chapter/book. And maybe that’s not for reasons related to literature (if you get up, you must be going to fill their food bowl, after all), but it’s nice having a fan that doesn’t make you feel too guilty for that smidge you stepped over your release date.
No. 9 : Purring
– The next purrrrfect reason for my Top 10 Reasons Why Cats Are The Best Writing Partners is exactly that. The best cats are little purrballs. I know mine certainly are. And as that terrible deadline looms, that’s exactly what you need.
A purring kitty companion is the best thing to soothe those deadline dilemmas. Their soft, mellifluous tones are enough to bring you down from panic and remind you that, slow and steadily, you will get there.
No. 8 : Toasty Companion
– I’m quite a cold person. Not emotionally, but physically. No matter the time of year, I’m pretty damn cold. Moreso, when I sit still. So, as you can guess, any time that I’m writing involves being cold.
Except for when my feline companions are there. Like little hot water bottles, their toasty tiny bodies curl around just the right parts of me to heat. Do they know that I am cold and need their warmth? Do they care?
Probably not. A cat, after all, is a cat. And choosing to sit on any of my cold extremities is usually because that is comfort to them.
No. 7 : Good Listeners
– Am I the only one that has a tendency to talk out loud when alone? I hope not. However, I know that, when I do, my cats do not complain. Usually they listen, watching me with serene eyes.
Sometimes they even answer, through body language or a chirp. Unfortunately, I can’t understand them, even if they can understand me. I just assume they enjoy all of my book ideas, which makes them my best buddies to bounce ideas off, which is why this is on my Top 10 Reasons Why Cats Are The Best Writing Partners! But let’s go deeper…
No. 6 : Unquestioning
– As I said, I tell my cats my ideas and they don’t shut them down or even raise them up. They also have no interest in questioning my methods.
If I’m up until dawn writing? They’re just happy to sleep on my lap whilst I type feverishly onto my keyboard. They don’t pass comment when, at midnight, I sit bolt upright in bed and start scribbling things down, unlike my partner, Mr Bear, who invariably thinks there’s a burglar in the room or some sudden calamity. They have no problem with copious amounts of tea. And vocalising imagined conversation between characters is as mundane as licking their fur!
No. 5 : Soft Taskmasters
– Unlike Greg Davies, the Taskmaster himself (and an unfortunate hater of cats), cats, themselves, are pretty soft taskmasters. They’re not going to tell you off when you accidentally pick up a book instead of writing that all important next chapter.
You know the one. The one everybody’s been waiting for.
With the important scene. The really important scene that must be perfect.
So perfect.
Oh god. The pressure.
Nor do they care that you’re ignoring the ending in favour of answering emails and checking your spam (because anything is better than finishing the book and having to say goodbye to your imaginary friends after so long).
No. 4 : Friends With Health Benefits
– There are other reasons why our purrball friends are therapeutic and so deserve to be on this list of Top 10 Reasons Why Cats Are The Best Writing Partners. Having pets is beneficial to our health. They can even improve your blood pressure.
That’s right, stroking your cat (even whilst writing) can help to lower your blood pressure. But don’t just take my word for it: Web MD.
No. 3 : Musically Ignorant
– I have to admit that my taste in music is fairly eclectic and that most people can’t cope with it. My feline friends, of course, don’t give a damn what we’re listening to as long as we’re snuggly. Which is great for writing.
Usually, I set up a playlist of a couple of songs relevant to the mood of my current work in progress and then I listen to them… on repeat… for hours. My partner hates this. My cats? They don’t care. So, as I tune out to the same music (over and over and over and over again), they remain as happy and contented as ever.
No. 2 : Not Fussed
– Critiquing is not something cats do in regards to written work. They’re much happier on your lap than poring over your manuscript marking your terrible punctuation and grammar with belittling paws.
If you need a writing partner that doesn’t lean over your shoulder every five minutes, pointing out your flaws, then cats could be your new best friends. They’re silent in regards to criticism, letting you berate yourself with no outside help. Which is why this comes as number two on the Top 10 Reasons Why Cats Are The Best Writing Partners.
No. 1 : Murder Is Second Nature
– You expected something less dark as number one? Well, have you met a cat before? They’re dark, murderous beasts, albeit in a tiny package. But try to tell a cat that they are just fuzzy, little lovekins and you’ll end up with the present I received the other day:
They’re stoic in the face of death. Be that real or fictional.
If you need to kill your darlings, your cat is still going to be there for you when you write that scene (and when you’re crying afterwards because now the character will never receive redemption in the arms of their lover… *sob*). And that’s why this is number one on my Top 10 Reasons Why Cats Are The Best Writing Partners.
I mean, don’t you want to snuggle up with a cuddly killer?
In Conclusion
– Cats make fantastic writing partners, there to sleep and snuggle through your biggest writing woes. They will be there for you with no pressure (except maybe at feeding time) and they can provide background purrs if your stereo of choice breaks.
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