The backpacks are packed, the alarms are set, and students everywhere are already wondering when the next break starts.

Summer is coming to an end, which means it's time to trade sleeping until noon and having absolutely no idea what day it is for alarms, homework, and pretending you remember anything you learned last year. Cats might not actually go to school, but spiritually, they understand the struggle.

First comes waking up early. After months of perfecting the art of the midday catnap, suddenly you're expected to be awake, dressed, and functioning before 8 AM. Absolutely hiss-terical. Even the most ambitious feline would take one look at that alarm clock, knock it off the nightstand, and go back to sleep.

Then there's getting ready. You bought new notebooks, picked out the purrfect first-day outfit, and packed enough pens to survive the semester. By week two, you're writing assignments on random scraps of paper and hoping someone has an extra pencil. Organization had a good run.

Actually sitting through class is another challenge. The teacher has been talking for ten minutes, but your brain is already watching a bird outside the window. You're physically present, but mentally you're curled up in a sunny patch somewhere far away from algebra.

And homework? That's tomorrow-you's problem. There's plenty of time to finish it after dinner. And after one episode. And after checking your phone. Suddenly it's midnight and you're staring at an untouched assignment with the same panic as a cat who just heard the vacuum turn on.

At least there are friends, lunch breaks, and the occasional class where you can get away with doing almost nothing. Plus, every school day eventually ends, which means you can race home, throw your bag on the floor, and collapse into bed like you just worked a 12-hour shift.

Good luck out there, students. Stay pawsitive, take plenty of catnaps, and remember that winter break is only a few hundred assignments away.

Saying you're "definitely not taking in another cat" is basically an invitation for the Cat Distribution System to send one your way.

This hooman already had a void when they started hearing tiny meows coming from underneath their roommate's car. Sure enough, there was a big-eared kitten hiding down there. They had no intention of adding another feline to the family, especially while working abroad, so they started by putting out some food and water and hoping someone else might take the little guy in.

Then the heat became impossible to ignore. Temperatures were hitting 115 to 125°F, and after three days, the kitten was panting more and more. He'd also found himself a hiding spot underneath a water tank and still wouldn't let anyone get close.

Eventually, waiting him out wasn't an option. His future hooman crawled underneath the tank and managed to catch the escape artist. A call to their wife, who happens to run a cat rescue, meant there was no pretending this wasn't happening anymore. The kitten was set up in the bathroom while they waited for a vet appointment, then it was finally time to meet the resident void.

The two were a little unsure about each other at first, but that lasted roughly an hour. Soon enough, the new kid was happily terrorizing his older sibling like he'd always lived there.

By the time his hooman was moving back to the States, there was no chance this guy was getting left behind. The tiny kitten hiding from the brutal heat was officially family and coming along for the ride.

Now he's a whopping 22 pounds, a little bit of a troublemaker, and apparently a total sweetie when he feels like it.

So much for not taking in another cat.

It takes a special kind of purrson to adopt a senior cat. You know you won't have much time left, but what could be more meaningful than making a cat's golden years the most purrfect of their entire lives?

Everybody wants to adopt kittens. We get it - kittens are the most adorable thing to ever walk the planet Earth. But, kittens are also a handful. They're meowtrageously cute for the first 6 months, then for the next 1.5 - 2 years, they're like tiny velociraptors with no off buttons. They will climb and tear down your curtains. You will come home to find them hanging from the living room chandelier. They will stomp across your face and stomach at all hours of the night because of the zoomies. 

Adopting a kitten is not for the faint of heart, but adopting a senior cat is for everyone.

The problem that dissuades most people from adopting a senior cat is the little time you'll have with them. But even if you may not have 12+ years together, wouldn't 3 or 4 years of incredibly heartwarming love be worth it? Senior cats don't have the energy of kittens, they mostly just want to lounge around and snuggle. You don't need to entertain them or stop them from scratching up the furniture - they're purrfectly content just to curl up on your lap and purr all night.

Poe, our cat below from @hookedbythewook's Instagram video, shows us exactly that. Nobody wanted him, until she saw him. From the second she brought him home, he was nothing but grateful for her love, and they had some of the best years together any cat owner could wish for. He played, he took naps in the sunshine, he loved his hooman mom, and he expurrienced his best years towards the end. 

Nobody likes to say goodbye to their pets, but it will happen to all of us eventually. At the very least, you can give a sweet senior a chance to feel love in your arms in their retirement than the fear and isolation of an animal shelter.

Adopt senior cats. It's what Poe would have wanted.

We may be complaining about the heat now, but in a few months, we'll be complaining about the cold. So enjoy these sweaty days with the help of some hissterical kitties before you're all bundled up and wishing for a heat index of 100.

In the great state of Virginia, where I grew up, summers can be… unpredictable. One day, it's as hot and humid as a swamp in Alabama, and the next, it's raining harder than a monsoon in Thailand. The day after that, it can be nice and cool, followed by a day of hailstorms and subsequent sunshine. Even on those cooler days, though, you still woke up with 200% humidity, and just walking outside you'd sweat through your shirt. I used to despise summer for this very reason.

But then, in less than two months, you'd be bundling up in your sweaters and jackets, wishing for those warm, muggy days of summer. The grass is always greener on the other side, huh? Well, now that we're adults, we've learned to appreciate the small things a little bit more. And even though we may still suffer through the sweaty days of summer, we know that they are temporary, and we'll enjoy that glistening feeling caused by the sun before it all goes away. 

How does all of this talk about summer weather connect to cat memes, you ask?

Well, you may or may not have noticed, but cats have a lot of opinions about the weather. Cats truly enjoy the summer sun more than anyone… from the comfort of our homes while the AC is blasting. They love to sunbathe in the windows on sunny days, and watch the torrential downpours that are summer storms from the safety of the couch. Before it ends, we should all aspire to enjoy the last days of summer just like a cat: dry, cool, and purrfectly comfortable. 

If there is one thing that is universal to all lovers of cats, it is that no matter how many we have, there will never be enough.

Oh, you say the space in your house has run out, no problem you can pick up an outdoor cat. Oh, you say you've run out of money and can't get a loan? No problem, run out and grab a family of rats, throw them in your attic and let nature take its course. No matter the problem that might stand in our way there is always a solution to getting more cats into our lives. But seeing as that can likely be very annoying to those around us, we figured we could all keep our minds of getting another cat by looking at this collection of comedic cattos instead.

It might not be quite the same as scheming up ways to afford to bring new felines into your life, but it certainly is a delightful activity that leaves our feline loving emotional cups rather full and even overflowing with cat created joy. So whether you are a fan of felines who have a clawminal side and band together to loot whatever feline friendly products happen to fall off the back of delivery vans. Or you are one of those hoomans who simply has to see a weightlifting cat shatter all expectations and records. This hissterical collection of cats has got everything you are looking for and more. So go forth and try to keep yourself from adopting yet another cat before the day's end eh?
 

We frequently cover cat rescue stories on this page, but we can assure that none come close to the drama and almost catastrophe that went down here. This is the tale of a pair of plucky rescuers who arrived right on time for the rescue that would go on to change their pawception of hooman kind all together.

With most rescues we get to share with you the act of dumping a cat or kitten is a simple one. The feline is left somewhere, usually relatively public and at best with their belongings plonked down next to them. But our story today sadly begins in a much sorrier state. It begins with the faint meows of a littler of kittens that seemed to be coming from inside a bag of trash. But one rescuers rifled through the trash they did not find the kittens scattered throughout it as they had anticipated, they found something far worse.

These merely days old kittens who could not see, could not hear, could not even go to the bathroom by themselves were wrapped in a sandwich bag and knotted shut tightly. Likely in the hopes that much like a discarded sandwich, these kittens would not make any noise nor too much smell after a few days baking in the sun. a horrific thing to come upon and one that we are lucky to be on the rescuer's side for. For it means there is still hope that these kitties will live a life full of love. 
 

The hustle and bustle world we live in doesn't always allow for moments of peace, but it's important that we take them anyway. 

It's easy to go about our days not wanting to be inconvenienced. We already have to work day in and day out, commute, cook, clean, and take care of everything just to exist. Sometimes the burn out is so strong that you don't even notice the world around you, and that's when you know you need a vacation. But sometimes there are those who stop what they're doing just for the sake of another animal or person, like in the story here. This woman was stuck in traffic, and she saw something moving underneath the car in front of her. She followed it with her eyes, and realized it was a little kitten who was running in and out of the traffic. How terrifying it must have been for both the kitten and the woman watching everything go down. She felt like maybe the kitten was trying to get someone's attention, but everyone just continued on like normal and ignored her. This woman took the responsibility herself, and she decided to pull over near the kitten. 

As soon as she got out of the car, the kitten came running towards her and jumped into her arms. She took her home, and noticed she has a peculiar marking on her chin – a heart! The two have been together ever since, and the kitten is now a full grown senior cat, as the story took place 17 years ago. Enjoy the heartwarming tale below. 

There's something about the number 7…

There's a certain special place in the world for superstitious, spooky, macabre, cat loving people in the world. Superstitions go back thousands of years. Avoiding walking under a ladder, knocking on wood for good luck, carrying a lucky charm, or being afraid of black cats when they cross you are just a few of the many beliefs people have carried over the years that influence their auras. Even making a wish by tossing a coin in a fountain is its own way of being superstitious. Maybe you're really into the number 7 right now and think it holds some sort of value. Whatever is making you feel something in the air, we're here to show you some hilarious spooky cats along the way. They're in full spook, in possession and haunted, scary cats (just kidding). But seriously, cats are inherently superstitious. So no matter if you believe something or not, at least look at the cute cats. 

Nothing makes a cat want to enter a room more than hearing the door click shut.

Cats have a complicated relationship with doors. They want them open, they want them closed, and sometimes they just want their hooman standing beside one while they take several business days to decide. You might think a creature capable of launching itself onto the top of a refrigerator could handle choosing which room to sit in, but apparently not.

It usually starts with a closed door. Kitty scratches at it, sticks a paw underneath, and meows like they've been separated from their family for years. Whatever is happening on the other side is suddenly the most important thing in the world, and access must be granted immediately. Being the well-trained hooman you are, you get up and open it.

That's when the urgency completely disappears. The same cat who was just desperately begging for freedom now stands there staring through the doorway. They sniff. They think. Maybe one paw crosses the line before getting pulled back. You're left holding the door while your feline conducts a full investigation into whether they actually want what they spent the last five minutes demanding.

Eventually, they go through, so you close the door and sit back down. Within moments, the scratching starts again. Apparently, circumstances have changed and kitty would now like to return. Congratulations, you've been promoted to full-time feline doorman, a position with terrible hours and absolutely no pay.

The problem is that cats simply cannot handle knowing there's somewhere they aren't allowed to go. They might have ignored that bathroom, closet, or bedroom all day, but close the door and suddenly it contains secrets that must be uncovered.

Leaving every door open doesn't solve it, either. Your cat will simply sit directly in the doorway instead. Why choose a side when you can block both and inconvenience everyone?

You never know what life will throw at you. 

When we travel, our whole world can be reshaped and flip upside down. When that happens, it can be exciting and also scary. There's a big wide world out there, and no one really knows what they're doing. In this story, a military contractor is working a job in the Middle East. He was leaving a market and thought he saw a grocery bag against the inside of a roundabout. After doing another loop around he noticed it was actually a tiny black kitten! He put the car in the middle of the roundabout and went to save the kitten's life. Someone honked at him, and he yelled back because the kitten's life was more important. He didn't care what would happen, he took the kitten, drove away, and the rest is history. 7,000 miles and 7 years later and they're both living their best life. The kitten even has a brother now! 

Going from so malnourished the vet thought you were three months younger to being told it might be time to cut back on treats is one heck of a rescue glow-up.

Halmatro first arrived courtesy of the CDS back in January, when she showed up at her future hooman's partner's fire station during a storm looking for help. This tiny girl had already been through far more than any kitten should. She was severely underweight and had even survived a dog attack that left a puncture wound on her neck. Clearly, Halmatro had some serious fight packed into that little body.

Fast forward to now, and worrying about her getting enough food has been replaced by wondering whether somebody has been a little too generous at treat time. We'd call that the best kind of problem to have.

Her days of struggling outside have also been thoroughly replaced by the princess lifestyle. Halmatro has a big feline brother whom she absolutely adores, even if his feelings become slightly less enthusiastic when she helps herself to his food. Sibling boundaries are still a work in progress.

She's also become quite the traveler. RV trips mean prime bird-watching opportunities, and Halmatro is happy to come along for the adventure. Back at home, there are strict rules regarding affection. Walking past without stopping to pet her may result in being chased down and batted on the legs until the mistake is corrected. After everything she survived, we think unlimited pets are a pretty reasonable demand.

Her hooman calls her the best surprise the family has ever received, and it's easy to understand why.

From a tiny, injured kitten seeking shelter in a storm to a spoiled princess demanding pets and stealing her brother's dinner, Halmatro has officially mastered the rescue glow-up.

Reunions between cats and their owners are usually heartwarming. This one… is kind of hilarious. 

Having your cat run away is one of the worst feelings in the world. I know it because I've been there. Back when I was 17, when my cat was less than a year old, she ran away. She ran away for 24 hours before coming back and screaming underneath my window to come and get her. Those 24 hours were the worst 24 hours of my life. I was so lucky to be reunited with my cat so quickly, and I know this. But that only happened because she realized what she had. She was curious about the outside world, but she didn't quite understand it, and it seems that 24 hours were all that she needed to realize that it is much better to be a spoiled indoor cat than one living outside and fighting for everything. 

I can't imagine my cat making any choice other than coming back. I can't imagine her adorable chonky self living anywhere but with me. And you know what? I'm sure that the cat owners in today's story thought the same about their cat. This cat ran away 12 years ago. A long time. Too long. Had we been his owners, we would have lost hope long ago. We can only imagine their surprise when they got the call that their cat had been found. 12 years later, with arthritis, after having lived and thrived as an "office cat", this cat was taken to the vet and his microchip was found. The owners were ecstatic, emotional, sobbing, but the cat… well, this wasn't his choice, was it? It seemed that he was just fine with living in a garage and dealing with rats, and hilariously, he was quite grumpy about being taken to a warm home with a loving family. 

Caturday is here, and that means that it is time for your weekly cat content recap! 

I can admit, I am one lucky gal. Very few people out there can say that their job, throughout the week, is to keep up with all of the viral, adorable cat content online. This is what I do for a living. I know. Insane. I love cats deeply, and before this job, I was keeping up with as much of the cat content as I could anyway. Now, I just do it on company time. But I understand that this is special. I understand that most people don't have time to do this within their day-to-day lives. And that is exactly what the weekly Caturday meowgazine is for. 

In this collection, every single Caturday, I use all my cat knowledge to put together a collection of the best of the best of the week - for everyone who doesn't have time to keep up with online cats like I do. The most viral cat tweets and stories, the silliest cat memes that people shared and enjoyed. It's all right here, with no required effort from you guys. Just sit back, scroll away, and enjoy this beautiful Caturday meowrning!

He hired the movers. He took time off of work. He paid the first and last month's rent, and the deposit. All the moving boxes and furniture were inside, but the most important thing was missing - his cat.

If you have pets, moving becomes not only a physical ordeal, but also a mental and emotional one. First, you have to find a place that allows pets and sign your life away in case your cat somehow turns into an agent from the underworld and destroys the very foundation of the building (which is what it seems like every landlord expects your cat to do). Then, you have to help your pet adjust to the brand new space, which we all know can be harder than the move itself. Cats, and other pets, love consistency and routine. A new house throws all of that away and forces them to learn how to live their life in an unfamiliar place.

But, moving is a part of life, and just like all things, they will get through it… except in today's case, originally posted on Reddit by a cat pawrent in Ontario, Canada. Working with a real estate agent to find a new condo, he had finished the whole process, but literally saw some signs ("No Pets Allowed" signs) that made him question if everything was okay. After his whole life was moved into the new apartment, his realtor told him that they never checked the building's bylaws, and it turns out that his cat is not purrmitted in the apartment. Now he's stuck with his cat staying with a friend, thousands of dollars in the trash from moving, and an apartment that must remain cat-free. 

It's a good thing this didn't happen to me, because if it did, I would be on an unstoppable mission for payback.

Today's agenda was officially cleared to make room for cats whose only contribution to society is being adorable.

And I can promise you that you won't regret scrolling through this cute collection of cats. 

I've always found cat faces to be fascinating. I don't know if it's because of their bone structure or what, but they look so majestic… like they were perfectly made. Because of this, every good picture of a cat tends to be mesmerizing and so awesome to look at… sometimes it's hard to look away. And if you take a picture of a cat that knows that it's pretty and good-looking, then you'll be obsessed for life.

But besides how beautiful they can be, they are also wise creatures that are worth observing. Every animal out there lives their life based on their instincts and their short-term pleasure. That's why they will do only the things that they truly want to do, and leave no room for things that are time-consuming and not worth it. Although we are humans and we cannot behave like that, we can still learn from them how to appreciate life a bit more.

Yes, we have responsibilities and things we need to tackle, but that doesn't have to force us to live a life that is exhausting and heavy for us. I think the difference, and the way we can achieve this, is the mindset. We all have in our heads those things we want and need to do today. That being said, if it needs to get done eventually, why do we procrastinate on it? And why complain about it? Cats wouldn't do that.

If cats were more like people and had, indeed, a to-do list, they would first get done with the things that take the longest and are the heaviest to do, only for them to have the most amount of free time. And they wouldn't complain or make a tantrum because of them… so next time you're feeling angry, remember and ask yourself: what would a cat do in my position? And I'm sure you'll find your answer.

Every bodega has the essentials: snacks, drinks, household basics, and, if you're lucky, one extremely important feline employee keeping the whole operation running.

Bodega cats take their jobs seriously. While the hooman behind the counter handles transactions, the resident kitty is busy supervising customers, inspecting deliveries, and making sure nobody spends too long deciding between chips. There's no uniform required when you're already dressed in fur, and employee training seems to consist mostly of finding the best place to nap without actually leaving the sales floor.

Customer service varies. You might get a friendly head bump on the way to the register, or you might receive one judgmental stare from atop a stack of boxes. Either way, consider yourself acknowledged. Some bodega cats will happily accept pets between shifts, while others have important business to attend to and cannot possibly be disturbed.

Then there's inventory management. Every cardboard box must be personally inspected, every shelf climbed at least once, and any suspicious movement must be investigated immediately. Sure, the cans might already be organized, but has anyone checked whether there's enough room behind them for a cat? These are the questions management refuses to ask.

The benefits package isn't bad, either. Unlimited cozy boxes, plenty of people stopping by to admire you, prime window-watching real estate, and presumably a generous snack allowance. Frankly, plenty of hoomans would accept that employment offer.

The best part is walking into a random shop for a drink and discovering there's a kitty behind the counter. Suddenly, buying a bag of chips becomes the highlight of your day.

Forget employee of the month. Bodega cats are employees of the century, and we're just lucky enough to shop where they work.

Man plans, the CDS laughs, and suddenly there's another kitten in the house.

Back in March, this family intentionally adopted two adult cats from their local shelter. Kittens were adorable, but with a busy schedule, grown cats simply made more sense. Responsible decision made. Household complete. Case closed. At least, that was the plan.

Then June arrived.

While heading to dinner with their son one Saturday night, they spotted a small kitten sitting weak and alone in the middle of the road. He wasn't even weaned yet. A nearby house had multiple cats and kittens roaming outside, and a friend explained that the situation was an ongoing neighborhood problem. The cats reportedly bred constantly, seemed neglected, and were sometimes hit by cars.

Not that anyone needed convincing. This baby was already coming home.

Suddenly, the person who specifically chose adult cats was bottle-feeding a kitten and making vet appointments. The CDS must have gotten a good laugh out of that one.

His left eye was especially concerning. The vet initially warned that he might never regain vision in it. It remains partially cloudy, but his hooman can tell from the way he plays that he has at least some sight. Even better, the sick little kitten found in the road is now healthy and thriving.

The two resident boys weren't exactly rolling out the welcome mat at first, either. Once properly introduced, though, everything changed. They bonded with their tiny brother and started playing with him and teaching him the extremely important art of being an indoor cat.

Three cats definitely weren't part of the original plan, but neither was leaving a helpless kitten in the road.

What would a bunch of grown, manly construction workers do with a poor, helpless kitten stuck in one of their Komatsu vehicles? Rescue it, adopt it, and make it part of the family, obviously!

One of our furvorite categories of cat pictures is "big, manly guys smitten with teeny tiny kittens". There's been a stereotype going around for a long time that dogs are "boy animals" and cats are "girl animals", but that couldn't be farther from the truth. In fact, I've never seen a grown man not turn into a puddle of cuteness and go into a ridiculously high baby voice when holding a baby kitten. No matter what gender you are, it's instinctual. Their cuteness is universal, and also all-powerful. Even the most evil supervillain could be turned into a babbling ball of pawsitivity when holding a tiny, meowing kitten.

And that's exactly what happened in @riverreachconstruction's video on Instagram. After hearing this tiny orange kitten's cries stuck inside some heavy machinery, they got to work on getting him out. Unable to reach him from the top, they unscrewed a part from the bottom, et voila! The kitten literally fell through onto the ground like a snack dropping out of a vending machine. They cleaned her, fed and hydrated her, and promptly fell in love with her overwhelming cuteness. After getting him his own purrsonal-sized hard hat and safety vest, they knew he had to officially become part of the team.

Her name is Sue, and she's the internet's new favorite construction mascot. You can follow her journey purrmanently here, but for now, enjoy this rescue video and all the cute pictures of her below!

A lot of things may have changed since the 9th century, but one thing that hasn't is that cat people still think their cat is the best cat in the whole wide world.

History has never been my strongest subject. I just find it… boring. But maybe that's because I never learned about the parts of history that were actually interesting to me - until now. Did you know that there are many existing documents of famous people writing about their pet cats? From all different time periods and parts of the world, pawrents throughout history have written their private thoughts about their cats, but one thing connects them all: they all think their cats are the best cats, that they're the most beautiful things in the world, and they're purrfect pets. It's good to know that some things never change.

You might not have known this before, but Mark Twain was a cat guy. He stated that he couldn't tolerate being catless while traveling, causing him to "rent" kittens during his summer trips. Twain also famously once lost his cat, made posters offering a $5 reward (a lot of money back then), and when his cat was found, he paraded him around, imagining his many adventures. Now that sounds like our kind of guy.

Nikolai Tesla once wrote about his childhood cat, Mačak, calling him "the finest of all cats in the world" (sound familiar?). Legend has it that Mačak is also responsible for his life's work on experimenting with electricity. On a cold winter day, Mačak generated some static electricity because of the dryness of the air, sparking (see what we did there?) his curiosity and becoming one of his earliest memories of electricity.

And now to the story of the hour, posted originally by _voma, documenting the diary of a 22-year-old Japanese emperor and his musings about his black cat, who was gifted to him in 889 A.D. The words he uses to describe his beautiful black cat may be different from the ones we use, but the feeling is the same: his cat is meowgnificent, purrfection incarnate, and more entertaining than anything else in the world.

Do cats get more affectionate with age? 

This is a question that I asked myself a couple years ago. My cat had always been a scaredy-cat. Anytime a new person would come into the house, my cat would hide in any place she could find. Usually under the bed, sometimes behind the couch, every once in a while inside a closet. She had always loved me, but she was never friendly toward anyone else. And even with me, she was picky about when she wanted to be loved, to the point that I noticed a patten: in the summer, when she was hot, she didn't come to me, but in the winter, when it was cold out, suddenly, she liked to cuddle. And then, she turned 10 years old, and something changed.

Like any decent cat owner, I paid attention. Any changes in a cat's behavior can be an indicator that something is wrong. If your cat suddenly stops eating, or if your cat starts limping, you have to pay attention. And if your cat suddenly stops running when strangers come into the house and asks to cuddle every night, yeah, it's important to pay attention. But nothing happened. She's fine. She just got a little older and decided that humans and human affection are… kind of cool. Yes, cats get more affectionate with time, and as an ICHC writer, I knew that. And yet, I never expected to see that happen with my baby. So, I understand why the person in today's story asked this question. And although I agree with the warnings - do pay attention to your cats and their behavior- sometimes, they simply change with time. And we could never complain about our cats wanting to cuddle us more.