The Fool On The Hill

Cancel the summer plans and grab the biggest cup available because pumpkin spice latte season has officially entered the chat.

There's something about that first PSL of the year that makes fall feel real, even if it's still suspiciously warm outside. One sip and suddenly we're mentally wearing sweaters, watching leaves fall, and curled up on the couch with a cat purring beside us. Is it dramatic? Maybe. Are we ordering another one tomorrow? Absolutely.

Cats fit perfectly into pumpkin spice season because they already understand the assignment: get cozy and stay cozy. While we're sipping our overpriced autumn-flavored coffee, they're settling into our laps and making sure we can't get up until the mug is empty. Honestly, it's a pretty good arrangement.

Of course, our felines don't understand why their hoomans suddenly become obsessed with pumpkin spice every September. As far as they're concerned, we walked into the house carrying yet another drink that isn't tuna flavored and therefore has absolutely nothing to offer them. The whipped cream might get their attention, but otherwise they'll stick to their regularly scheduled treats.

Still, there's no better PSL companion than a cat. Coffee shop run complete? Check. Favorite blanket acquired? Check. Kitty curled up nearby looking extra fluffy? Now we're officially feeling fall.

So bring on the pumpkin spice lattes, cinnamon everything, cooler mornings, cozy evenings, and excuses to stay home with the cat. We waited all year for this, and we plan on enjoying every last basic sip of it.

The PSL is in hand, the cat is on our lap, and suddenly leaving the couch feels like an October problem.

A hailstorm was evaded, but the storm of raising a tortie cat has just begun for this family.

There are not many cases in which such a tiny kitten is saved in the face of raging weather. But some do. These are the lucky ones for whom the Cat Distribution System succeeds in getting their human match to them right on time. Imagine getting the exact card you needed in your hand to complete a series in a card game, but with the life of a small cat on the line. So, you know, one major difference. But when a cat's life is saved, it always makes us happy, so we're here to share that happiness with the rest of the online feline-loving community.

But the thing is, the Cat Distribution System doesn't just affect the cats in need. They also have this special unit (probably) to make sure the intended person for the cat adoption is ready. And that's how a person who didn't want cats, like this one mom on Reddit, got the "maybe one more cat is okay" software installed in their heart as soon as she laid eyes on the small kitten. And that's what we call love at first meow.

Cats are absolved from mistakes and faults just inherently. 

Everyone makes mistakes. A day of purrfect ease could be ripped under you in the blink of an eye. You stroll along and suddenly you find that you've said the worst thing at the worst time. You never really know yourself until you're met with the moment where intention and impact accidently miss each other, and all you can do is stand there, replaying it in your head long after the moment has passed. We carry these moments like weights at the gym. We analyze them, assign meaning, and build narratives around them, whether they're true or not. Our narratives dictate our whole world, and let us decide our thoughts and actions. A single mistake can cost a whole relationship, job, or your sense of self. 

But cats? Cats never feel the shame, the guilt, or the pressure that humans feel. We're so riddled with lamentations and struggles from the slightest things, while cats could maliciously destroy a prized possession and just go to their couch throne for a nap immediately afterwards. And it's not that they're truly malicious, mean, or have ill-intentions. But their whole system of life is built around them – you're merely the plaything in the corner of their life that feeds them and lets them have the comfort they deserve. Cats live completely unburdened by this internal trial. A cat can knock a glass off the table, stare directly into your soul, and walk away without a shred of remorse. Not because they are careless, but because they do not equate mistakes with identity. The action happens. The moment passes. Life continues. There is no moral residue.

Cats play the victim, they play docile and delicate at the times when they know they've done wrong. They look at you with big eyes, airplane ears, and a sense of innocence after they just knocked your keys off the table, broke your favorite mug, and destroyed all the toilet paper on the roll in the bathroom. And what are you to do? You have to just let them do their implicit apology, their feigned sadness, and their adorable manipulation on your heartstrings. 

We all want our cats to live furrever, so here are some foods to improve their diet and longevity. 

Cats aren't just internet trends, memes, or hilarious furballs of fun to make us laugh when we get home. There's a serious side to them that we always need to remind ourselves of, and that's their health. Some cats are naturally bigger, or smaller, but the point is that since our cats mean so much to us, it's always of utmost importance to remember to not just keep them happy, but to keep them healthy too. Here are 5 nutrient-rich foods safe for cats that you may not have known about. Just remember that none of these foods should replace your cat's normal eating routine or cat food you normally buy. These should be used sparingly. 

Just when they thought their cat-rescuing days were behind them, the CDS sent assignment number four.

After three cats and more than two years away from fostering and rescuing, this family had officially decided their household was full. Three kitties were plenty, and adding another was definitely not part of the plan.

Unfortunately, nobody informed the Cat Distribution System.

A little kitten suddenly appeared at the husband's workplace, and no one was quite sure how she got there. They suspect she may have hitched a ride with a trucker or possibly been dumped. Either way, after a month of searching and finding no owner, it became pretty clear this little girl was on her own.

At first, she kept her distance. But slowly, she started warming up to the husband, and naturally, he started falling for her too. It probably didn't hurt that his wife began sending him to work armed with cat food. Nothing builds a feline friendship quite like becoming the person who brings dinner.

Eventually, he announced that he was going to try catching her. The next day, he simply scooped her up and brought her home. So much for that break from adopting!

Even with three resident cats waiting at home, the approximately 4-month-old kitten fit in almost immediately. After just one night, her new pawrent was already declaring, "Yeah, this is my baby." Once those words come out, there's no pretending this is temporary anymore.

The little newcomer is now fully vetted, preparing to be spayed, and officially part of a four-cat household that was absolutely supposed to stop at three.

This also happens to be the fourth time the CDS has made a delivery to this family, so maybe they should stop acting surprised.

The Cat Distribution System saw two experienced rescuers taking a well-earned break and decided their application for retirement had been denied.

If cats can ignore you when you want to pet them, then you can ignore a yucky Monday morning.

We learn a lot from cats when you have one enter your life. When you adopt a cat, you essentially let a creature control every part of your existence - and happily doing so. And by doing that, by accepting a feline overlord unto you, you learn from them. And there's a lot for a cat to teach. For example, when your cat decides it's nap time, they nap. It doesn't matter what's going on; they take time for themselves to relax and recharge - and that's an important lesson.

So when they ignore you when you call them just because you wanted to pet them at that very moment, it's a lesson to be learned about Monday mornings. Nobody loves a Monday morning. The workweek is starting, the coffee always feels stale, and you have to leave your cat behind at home while you go to work. It's all very meh, to say the least. But then, at times like these, you can remember your cat choosing actively to ignore you, still facing away and using one ear as a satellite dish to turn your way, only to turn it away again - and ignore everything annoying about a Monday morning. Why? Because. That's the cat way.

Traveling with cats on an airplane can be a headache, especially when your cat demands first class, but you only buy them an economy ticket. 

Unless you can afford a $6,000+ private pet airline ticket, traveling with any pet is an arduous journey. Cats, simply because they're generally smaller and can come with you in the cabin of the plane, are generally easier, but it still adds stress and extra planning to any plane ride. You have to buy a pre-approved travel carrier (and you know each airline has different requirements), pack some litter to make a portable litter box when you can find time to let them use it, hopefully get them to eat something, and somehow find a way to keep them calm from the time you leave home to the time you arrive at your destination.

In general, I think most people choose to leave their cats at home when traveling simply for these reasons. But, there are those who insist on taking their cats with them, and for the most part, all I can say is, "More power to you." I'm always happy to see a cat in a carrier on a plane, but not if it's mine. I'm already an anxious purrson, and I'm pretty sure I would be more nervous to fly with my cats than they would be to fly themselves.

Mostly, I would want to break the rules to take my cat out of the carrier and comfort them. I wouldn't be able to resist trying to make the situation better, and one of my cats would definitely make a run for it as soon as I opened the carrier, like the cat from @islswj's post on Threads, Instagram's text-based social media platform that is similar to X.

The owner and their cat were on a United Airlines flight when their cat escaped, snuck all the way up to the front, and scratched a fellow passenger. With all the chaos that followed, the aircraft was forced to return back to the airport while the flight attendant scooped up the cat, and attempted to return it to its owner. I'm pretty sure it was just trying to sneak into first class because it wanted the tuna option for lunch.

Can't blame a kitty for trying, right?

Another week, another purrfect collection of cat Tweets! 

Monday meowrning is a battle every week. And every week, our winning strategy against this battle starts with a purrfect collection of cat memes and pictures. Except this is not just any collection. This is our weekly collection of the best and most viral cat Tweets of the week. It's simple, but it's effective. We can scroll through this collection while we are still in bed, trying to remember who and when we are. But after we finish scrolling through this adorable cat content, we can finally face the world. 

Cats are quite often found wandering around industrial areas and so this story's feline who was found by a factory is no special case. But what is special is the lengths that one factory worker went to in order to ensure the feline's safety from his cat hating boss. Eventually causing them to seal the deal with an adoption that would prove to be more complicated than expected. 

Cat rescues really do come in all shapes and sizes, colors and creeds. But perhaps the hardest ones are when a cat finds itself in a pawsition where they are being actually threatened by a hooman. In this story it is the factory owner who instructed his employees to boot the cat as far away from their facility as pawssible. A completely unnecessary instruction and one which caused one cat loving factory worker to stand up and attempt to push back the rising tide of feline hatred. Day after day this man dutifully fed the feline in secret. Doing what he could to make sure that the cat would not be seen all too often by the owner or the other workers of the factory.

But one day, enough was enough, caring for this cat who had become quite at home in this man's soul was becoming tough in the industrial environment and so the decision was made to move him home. This part of the story tells a different kind of tale. One which shows just how hard and confusing it can be for everyone involved when a stray cat is brought into their first home. But most of all it is a story that reminds us that sometimes less is more and when we let things breathe, our issues can often settle themselves.

Sundays, coffee, and cat memes just makes sense.

Sundays are such a restful day. Who doesn't love the slow-moving energy, the silent streets, and your kitty cat simply sitting on your lap while you rest for the week ahead? Sunday is when time slows down just enough to savor your coffee, scroll endlessly, and, of course, indulge in the best part of the day: cat memes. It's not everyday you can dedicate to a mindless scroll, and afternoon tea, or a cat-tastic day of rest with yourself. 

The internet worships cats, and for good reason. Ancient Egyptians worshipped cats too, so don't go blaming it on modernity or anything like that. Cats, as any loyal admirer knows, have an uncanny ability to make the mundane magnificent. They turn cardboard boxes into fortresses, countertops into balance beams, and your neatly folded laundry into a throne. So anyone who's anyone will be pleasantly surprised at this cat meme Sunday surprise to get into full gear for the week ahead. Cat memes are more than just memes. They're like a window into our soul, a way to relax before a stressful work week, or whatever else is planned. Cat memes are hissterical, expressive, and make us feel like they're meant just for us. How could we take the day seriously, with discomfort or pain if we're laughing about orange loaves, catGPT, and the classic grumpy faced cats?