I read an article about what cats do all day when their owners are not home.

The article stated that cats keep each other company. That is, they socialize with each other.

That is so much bull. I happen to be home nearly all day sometimes and I've gotten a first-hand look at what my cats do all day (after they eat breakfast).

THEY SLEEP. Ok, so two or three cats sleep on the bed. Just because they happen to be laying down in various places and positions does not mean that they socializing. They're sleeping. And one or two of them snore.

My cats may be the exception, but first-hand observation shows that they do not socialize when home alone. They sleep.

So much for studies.

Last Friday, I took Mimi to the vet for tartar removal. My vet said that this procedure had to be done right away. So Mimi went through a blood test, which turned out fine and was ready for the dental work.

I had to force myself to take her to the vet yet once again in two weeks. And I missed her after I dropped her off at the vet's office. Instead of heading to Micky D's for breakfast, I went back home and thought about Mimi. Was she undergoing that procedure now, or was she still waiting in the kennel? Poor cat.

I couldn't focus on my work or do any reading and practically counted the hours until I would be able to go and get her back.

That was around 4 pm. It took me only six minutes to get to the vet's office. After about a half hour or so, the vet's assistant bought out Mimi, who was growling. I was told that Mimi had an exposed root in one of her molars and that the tooth had to be extracted.

I only had to administer penicillin drops for a few days to the cat to ward off infection, but everything turned out fine. Mimi is fine now and her bahavior seems to have improved.

Sometimes I find it hard to resist playing with Mimi, my other calico cat, especially when she thumps her body down on the floor and tempts me to touch her. And I do, playfully, of course. I'm not worried about getting scratched because Mimi's previous owners had her declawed unfortunately. It's more like I'm worried about getting bitten too sharply.

Mimi's bites sometimes remind me of scratches. They're deep and are very painful. She bites me, or tries to bite, when I play with her.

Besides her bites, I'm a little wary of her wet paws. Sometimes her paws are wet because she has just finished grooming herself. Other times, her paws are wet because she just finished peeing in her litter box and didn't clean her paws or behind just yet. Can't say how many times I wound up with pee on my fingers because I wasn't aware of that fact.

According to one book, we can't think exactly as a cat would, but can come pretty darn close.

Cats do things that they know will benefit them, like running for a nice soft warm spot to sleep and eagerly eat a favorite food and intimidate an enemy and try to hide their crap. Whatever is rewarding to them, in other words.

Humans act instinctively as far as satisfying hunger and looking for safety are concerned, but in different ways.

I also think that our instincts play a huge role in our pet preferences. Somehow, many people, including myself, just know that a cat would be a great companion and friend and prefer a cat's company. We find that relating to cats is very easy. That doesn't mean that we can't like other animals, like dogs. Some of us own cats AND dogs!

Cat lovers, for the most part, hit it off right away. It doesn't matter if a cat lover is a long-lost cousin or not. There is so much to talk about, like our cats and their habits, intelligence, appetites, habits, and companionship. And you can really see the pride as some of them whip out photos of their cats.

It would have been nice to show my cousin pictures of my cats. She would have noticed how fluffy Adolfo's tail is and how overweight Waffles is. But she would immediately realize how much I love my cats. She owns two cats that she talks to all of the time and has even trained them to do tricks. And she rightly explains that many of our cats adopt us rather than us adopting them. My poor Columbus cat adopted me. He rubbed against my legs and purred when I pet him at the shelter. At that point, I was asked, "Do you want him?" I instantly replied, "Yes!"

Like many cat lovers, I never get tired of talking about my cats or hearing about another cat lover's cats. Much of the time, I pick up hints on cat care and training and benefit from another cat lover's experience. And I always remember to let another cat lover know how lucky his or her cats are to have him or her as their owner.