Cat does, human follows. Good human. Have a treat.

Some kitties like the beach, and this boy probably does too.

Uh, dude, not sure about the amount of sticky stuff in your hair, but we must admit this cute boy is a pretty good cuddler.

Let’s face it. Nothing beats presidential kitties.

That’s right, cute boy. No matter how broody and handsome and badass and tatt-covered and amazing (you think) you are, bow to me.

Admit it human, you’re probably in the exact same chin-in-palm pose right now, like this listless cute boy with cats.

Homeslices stroking tiny kitties: the best thing on earth (after cat nip).

Oh look. It’s just a pink James Franco with a pink tabby. No big deal.

That’s right humans. That’s right. We determine when you get a say. Get used to it.

Liked these cute cat pictures with reasonably cute boys? Thought so. Tell all your friends (if any) and bring on the kibble!

Balancing act:

With our superbly agile bodies and impressive physical skills, all cats seem to have the extraordinary ability to squeeze our way through tight areas and overcoming mishaps. With these abilities, it’s not a surprise that many of us exceed the average lifespan of 15 years – some of us even get to celebrate our 20th birthdays.

Cat-o’-nine-tails:

A pin-perfect sense of balance helps us avoid and/or survive numerous perilous situations in life. It goes without saying that we’re among nature’s most accomplished tightrope walkers; we can easily walk along the slimmest branch or the top of a narrow garden fence. How do we manage, you ask?

Effective even when lounging

Well, humans, I’m afraid we have a far more superior sense of balance than you. We do this by means of unconscious information commands and signals that link our eyes, inner ears and brain. Furthermore, you might notice that our slinky tails also aid in balance – as a long pole would for high-wire human artists. We use our tail for counterbalance, although even tail-less breeds like the Manx can manage just as well.

Falling gracefully:

The splendid combination of our ears, eyes and brain is also crucial if we fall from a height. When these parts work together, they seem to magically compute and correct our falling body position so that our head, body and legs are very briskly aligned to achieve a perfect-10-worthy soft landing.

To answer the question above, we’re afraid to inform you that we don’t actually have nine lives. But these cat facts serve to prove that we are pretty amazing creatures with our balancing and falling skills and whatnot, and that’s way neater than nine lives!

1. Cat Collar

Believe it or not, a collar doesn’t serve a purely aesthetic purpose. A personalized tag on our collar might seem trivial, even unnecessary if we’ve been micro-chipped, but not everyone in the neighborhood owns a chip-reader. A plastic tag with our name on it works as well as an engraved, heart-shaped tag when it comes to helping other humans to identify us.

2. Cat Flap

Got a garden? We’ll want to use it. Especially if you expect us to relieve ourselves outdoors, a flap is an essential item, not an optional extra. Imagine us jumping on your face to get you to open the door if we decide to take a stroll at 3AM! Sounds like fun.

Chair? Chew toy? idk

3. Scratching Posts

Prevention is better than cure: if you’ve got expensive furniture around that you’d prefer not to be shredded in minutes, it would be a sensible idea to get us scratching posts/pads/pyramids. Thank us for the tip later.

4. In-House Entertainment

On the same note, being provided with toys doesn’t only mean that your chair is less likely to be mistaken as a chew toy; but it prevents us from becoming all sluggish too. Toys for a new and young kitten at home are essential to stave off boredom. Stringy toys are the best if you’re asking a cat, but never leave us alone with those because they might cause fatal entanglement.

5. Grooming Equipment

There are heaps to choose from: a fine-toothed comb, a hard brush, a soft brush, chamois leather, a hand glove brush, soft cloth, cotton wool.. you get the idea.

Got these kitten tips and 5 items down? Good. You’re one step closer to owning the perfect cattery. We’re not complaining.

1. Start early

Training us should begin as early as possible – as soon as we arrive in the house, in fact. Get us used to set routines in our daily life, and try to groom, feed and provide short training sessions at regular times during the day.

2. It’s all about personality

Human, when you attempt to train us, keep this in mind: the approach you take very much depends on our respective personalities. When you’re (we’re!) just starting out, you should aim to accustom us to playing with you and/or interacting with other humans. It should always be fun, not a chore whether for you or for us! A shyer kitten won’t respond to training in the same way as an outgoing kitten, and you must stop the training session if you sense that we’re stressed or in any discomfort.

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3. Positive and negative (but mostly positive)

Some training will be ‘positive’ – learning to use the kitty litter and cat flap and answering to our name, for instance. On the other hand, ‘negative’ training includes dissuading us from scaling the curtains or scratching up the sofa. Severe punishment never works with us however!

4. Cats are materialists

Unlike stinky dogs, we’re not interested in mere verbal praise from humans. We want material rewards, and that simply means food. So we’re materialists. What of it.

5. Patience is a virtue

Want us to perform tricks? Cool. But hold your horses human – wait until we’ve reliably mastered the basics before you even think about getting us to beg for treats! (We know you’ll give in anyway.)

So there, 5 basic steps to training cats. Have a look at our older posts as well – we’ve cat training tips aplenty!

If you’re a human who has had cats for a while, you’ll probably notice that we seem to know when it’s time to be taken to the vet, because we promptly make ourselves scarce. Maybe we do have telepathic abilities, maybe we not only overhear but also understand your appointment-making over the phone; who knows? Although we’re always snoozing on the radiator at noon, we’ll be missing on the day we have a visit to the vet scheduled.

Assuming, however, that we’re present and correct when the day comes, here are handy tips for a stress-free visit to the vet!

• Take us for short car journeys a couple of times before our first visit to the vet. This helps us to get used to the vehicle.
• Give us ample time to get used to the pet carrier or box that you’re gonna transport us in. Let it sit somewhere at home for a day or two so we can sniff around and get acquainted to it.
• Try to make an appointment at the clinic at a quiet time. If we’re not exactly fond of other creatures, a room full of other cats and dogs would be a nightmare!
• Alternatively, arrive the vet’s promptly and keep us in the carrier in the car until the nurse calls for our turn.
• If we’ve already been vaccinated, take our vaccination certificate along with you to the visit.

Maintaining cat health is simple enough isn’t it? Now go make vet-visits a little less terrifying for us!

Pedigree or crossbreed?

Unless you’re intent on parading us in shows and all that jazz, a crossbred kitty is just as delightful and interesting – sometimes even more so – than a pedigree. Crossbreeds will probably save you heaps of maintenance as well. Cat shelters and charities will have dozens of us adorable kittens you’re sure to fall in love with.

Upon visiting these shelters you may also come across some of us who aren’t as young and sprightly. We may be older and we may have had tough lives, but we need a loving home just as much as the young ‘uns.

How many is too many?

If you’re inexperienced we’d say one is enough to begin with, but if you have enough room at home for all the paraphernalia we’ll need, go ahead with two kittens. A kitten alone is likely to suffer from boredom, which can lead to unwanted behavior.

Is your home suitable?

Here are some questions you’ll have to consider before bringing us home:

• Is the garden secure to prevent us from escaping?
• Is there a garden pond that will require a cover?
• Will you need to have a catflap installed?
• Are there young humans or animals at home who might react badly to our arrival?

What equipment will you need?

These things are crucial before taking us home: a sturdy pet carrier, a litter tray and kitty litter, a bed, suitable food and some toys.

Things to consider:

• Has the kitten been vaccinated? Does he require further vaccinations?
• What has he been feeding on? Can you take a bit of his food home when you collect him?

Got these useful kitten tips down? Go get that kitten now, human!

1. Campbell soup can cat

Reddit humans found this fella stuck in a soup can, but metal object has since been dislodged from feline. Phew!

2. Japanese grandmother and her cat

We got this covered! This set of pics is sure to tug on some heartstrings.

3. I should buy a boat cat

But why, when decadence can be an end in itself?

4. Grumpy cat, Tard

You humans are quite messed up – seeing us grumpy makes you feel better? Get yourself checked!

5. Lil Bub

Huge, glassy eyes and a tongue that hangs out all the time – you humans have strange taste.

6. Colonel Meow

We’re quite sure you humans have a thing for felines that resemble people. Like people people. Strange, but okay.

7. Shishi-Maru

If we’re this cute, it’s not like we need to give you another reason.

8. 39-pound Meow

Apart from having anthropoid characteristics, the internet definitely has a thing for overweight cats. Meow whopping weight is said to be equivalent to a 600-pound human.

9. Invisible Cat

Another one of us that Reddit fell in love with. Squint harder and you’ll find the feline. (Disclaimer: This kitty’s superpowers only work on black bathmats.)

10. Henri, le chat noir

The internet is bursting at the seams with cats, and the navel-gazing existentialists (read: hipsters) love it. And which narcissistic human wouldn’t like seeing him/herself reflected in a black and white cat? Especially one who speaks wonky French?

11. “Stop Looking At My Girlfriend” Cat

i) The clingy girlfriend now has a male, feline counterpart

ii) See what we mean by you humans like seeing us act like humans?

12. Chris Hansen Cat

You humans do like us non-humans who act like humans.

We rest our case. In our opinion, 12 best internet cats – pictures from 2012. Now have an equally cat-filled 2013.

Shorthaired cats

1. Use a soft brush or hand glove to rid of any loose hairs on the surface of our coat on the head and back. Using a fine-toothed comb, groom in the direction of our heads to our swishy tales. Move with the lie of the fur: the direction in which our fur grows. Then change the direction and comb against the lie of the fur.
2. Carefully turn us over so that our head is on your knee or stomach, turn us slowly and gently by taking our midsection in both your hands. With emphasis on gently - you know you’re doing it wrong when you end up with scratches – then groom our soft underside as before.
3. Feel like giving us an indulgent treatment? Rub our fur with a damp cloth or chamois leather for a luxuriant finish.

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Longhaired cats

1. With a soft brush, comb our fur along our head and back, following the lie of the fur. Repeat a few times until hair feels somewhat smoother and untangled, then reverse the direction – moving from our tail towards our head. See any knots? Untangle them, with particular attention to fur behind our ears, tummy, underbelly and under our tail.
2. Turn us over carefully to groom our underside, following the brushing by carefully combing both with and against the lie of our coat. If you like, brush a tiny bit of talcum powder into our coat, and brush it out immediately.
3. Finish with a polish using a hand glove brush, damp cloth or chamois leather.

Handy kitten tips in 3 steps! If it’s your first try, good luck on not getting scratched, silly human!

• Indeed, not all of us enjoy being walked about: some humans have noted that certain breeds are more accommodating to lead-training than others.
• Apparently Persian types usually don’t give a rat’s ass about the endeavor, but many Siamese and Burmese kitties, in addition to the Russian Blue, happily oblige walking on a lead once they’re used to it.
• Scampering about the house with the harness is one thing, walks down the street and away from the safety of home is a different ballgame altogether. A sudden busybody of a dog might emerge, or an aggressive and territorial cat may cause a ruckus.

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• Before bringing us outdoors, make sure you’re ready for problems of this sort! If necessary, you may have to gather your kitty up in your arms.
• Short, casual strolls in a nearby park are the most doable because you can simply take the cat basket there with you. Should something undesirable arise, you can easily scoop your cat up and pop him into the basket.
• If we’re lucky enough to tag along on a short retreat or vacation, a lead will most definitely be quite useful for us to explore our new, temporary abode. This way, you can manage and avoid any of our risky bids for freedom when in unfamiliar territory, especially outdoors.

Cat training is not that difficult is it? Provided that we actually learn to enjoy walking on a lead, give us time humans, and everything will be smooth sailing form there. Happy strolling!

• Start early! If you decide to lead-train us, always begin early, while we’re still very much lively kittens. Unlike most dogs, the lead must not be attached onto our collar, but to a chest harness.
• Don’t rush into it: Let us get used to the feel of the harness by simply having us wear it indoors for short periods. Don’t put on the lead or try to guide us anywhere with it at this point.
• Once we’re totally unconcerned about having a harness – we don’t try to paw it off or struggle – you can attach the lead. When choosing the lead, use a thin, light kind that’s made specifically with cats or toy dogs in mind. Don’t get huge leather ones made for equally huge dogs!

UR DOING IT RIGHT. Photo: Suzanne DeChillo/The New York Times

• With the harness and lead on, allow us to move around the house, dragging the lead behind us. Make sure the lead doesn’t snag on furniture or get trampled by humans. Gradually extend the length of time the lead is attached.
• When we’re comfortable enough to tow our lead all day, begin taking hold of it; first around the house, next into the garden when the weather is fine.
• Never tug sharply at the leash, and never ever drag us! Sooner or later we’ll get the idea of how things work and, maybe, come to enjoy walks with you.
• If we’re showing signs of distress during lead training or if we’re frightened by the great outdoors, do not persist.

Tip: In any case, if this is what we end up doing, stop. UR DOING IT WRONG.

Human, that’s how you get us to get used to the lead! Now that’s easy cat training. Good luck!