The age old question of how to get a cat to stop doing something you do not want them to do is back again. This time we are taking a specific look at how pawrents have put in place protections against their crazy cat kids clambering up on their kitchen counters. So let's dive in and see how these hacks have held up.

Some might say that Reddit's r/CatTraining subreddit is an example of trying to plug a hole in a dam with your finger. The fix works while you are there giving it your all but the moment you step away all heck breaks loose. But nonetheless cat pawrents still try to do their best to train their cats, even if the effects are only felt when their pawrents are around. And thanks to their insights we were able to make this helpful list of tricks to keeping cats off your counter.

Now, there are more than a few ways that the pawrents in this list have approached the problem. For some it is a training issue, meaning they advocate for the use of consistent commands and cues so that the cat child learns to properly understand they are being told what to do and not randomly yelled at. For some it is a reactive situation, these pawrents have given up training and believe that the only solution is to react when the event pops up. While others have chosen more practical options such as doors and baking paper. We invite you to settle into a comfy chair and have a notepad ready to jot down some of your preferred plans of action to try on your counter surfing cat at home.
 

How many ways can you prove that your cat is actually a cat?

Our feline friends just have the darnedest ways of getting themselves into sticky situations, and then leaving it up to us hoomans to get them out of it. And believe you me, I've seen a lot of absolutely absurd cat stories in my time writing for I Can Has Cheezburger, like when this wife found out her husband was role-playing as a cat for years online. This story, from Reddit's r/cats community (and X), might just take the cake for "most ridiculous cat story of all time". 

Felix Martinez got a summons to show up for court duty. The problem is, Felix Martinez is a cat. Somehow, there was a clerical error in the county's data and the summons got sent to Felix, and not his pawrent. The pawrent then spent 6 weeks trying to convince the court that Felix could not attend jury duty, all for very real reasons:

Felix has paws.
Felix does not understand human language.
Felix cannot comprehend legal proceedings.
Felix has no means of transportation, except for his hooman.

All of these reasons were rejected, including a medical note from Felix's vet proving his exemption. So, what was this pawrent left to do except show up on the court day with Felix in a carrier?

This goes a bit farther than your average "cat got stuck behind the wall" story, but it's hilarious all the same. It does, also, purrfectly point out just a few of the faults in our legal system, because if you can't prove your cat can't show up for jury duty because he's a cat, then how are you supposed to prove anything else?

Just another average day on the internet, if you ask me. What a purrfectly great day to be alive!

It's ameowzing how something so small can have such a huge effect on someone's life.

It's funny how life takes you on a roller coaster full of twists and turns, to your highest points, down to your lowest, and then back up again. It will throw you curveballs time and time again, and just when you think you've come back to an even keel, it will put another unexpected challenge right in front of you. But even after something as heartbreaking as a loss in the family, you can find hope. Sometimes it's in the form of a new, exciting job opportunity, or in our case, a smol pair of kittens.

Pratiti had just lost her cousin three days earlier when she found a tiny tricolored kitten outside the gate of her home. Seemingly abandoned, and knowing that she couldn't leave the kitten there, she took her inside and named her Toffee. She went back out and heard another weak meow coming from a nearby bush, and found Toffee's brother, 'Dark', and decided to take care of the two.

Just like life, though, this story doesn't go straight to a happy ending. 16 days after she found Toffee and Dark, Dark crossed the rainbow bridge. So soon after losing her cousin, grief overwhelmed her. But Toffee had a mission, and it was to help Pratiti recover through the beautiful bond they were forming.

Now, Toffee is a tiny, fearless explorer, a food-obsessed little menace, and one of Pratiti's favorite muses. After so much grief, Toffee became a daily source of laughter, hope, and joy. And, most impurrtantly, proof that sometimes the smallest life could leave the biggest light behind.

If there's a cat on a glass table, you already know what has to happen next.

The second a cat jumps onto a glass table, every cat person has the exact same thought: "I need to see the loaf from underneath." It's impossible not to look. You don't even question it anymore. You just find yourself crouching down to admire the tiny toe beans and the fluffy little paws smooshed against the glass.

Every cat somehow looks different from below. Some turn into perfectly round marshmallows with feet. Others spread out just enough to show off a full collection of toe beans. Then there are the fluffy cats whose fur goes in every direction, making them look twice their actual size. No matter what, the underside view is always funnier than anyone expects.

The best part is when they notice you. You look up. They look down. For a few seconds, nobody really knows what's going on. The cat has that classic "Can I help you?" face while you're trying not to laugh at their squished little nose and fuzzy cheeks pressed against the glass.

It's also the only time you really appreciate how weird cats are. From above, they're a perfect loaf. From below, they're somehow all belly, fluff, and mystery. Where did the legs go? How are they comfortable like that? Nobody knows, and honestly, nobody needs an answer.

Glass tables weren't made for cats, but they've accidentally become one of the greatest gifts to cat people everywhere. Every loaf deserves to be admired from every angle, especially the one that comes with bonus toe beans. Once you've seen a cat loaf from below, checking underneath becomes part of the experience every single time.

When does helping a cat become "stealing" someone's pet?

Over on Reddit's r/cats subreddit, one cat lover shared a story that quickly became much bigger than a friendly feline asking for a few pets. At first, the cat seemed like any other outdoor kitty looking for attention. He'd stop by for a few scritches, then disappear again. As the weeks went by, though, little things became harder to ignore. He was constantly hungry, eating every meal like he hadn't seen food in days. His fur was dirty and matted, and a wound on his ear never seemed to get any better. Soon he was waiting outside the apartment every morning and sleeping on the patio every night. When heavy rain rolled in, leaving him outside soaked and shivering wasn't an option. He walked inside, curled up on the couch, and slept for hours.

Hoping there was a reasonable explanation, the rescuer tracked down the cat's owners. Instead, they insisted he was "fine" and said cats are independent. That answer didn't line up with what had been happening every day. A trip to the vet confirmed the cat was underweight, needed treatment for his ear, and hadn't been getting the care he deserved. The rescuer paid for everything without hesitation.

These days, the cat spends almost all of his time with the person who stepped in to help, only occasionally wandering back to his original home. Some neighbors joke that the cat was "stolen." Others quietly admit they rarely saw him being cared for in the first place.

One thing is clear: the cat made his choice long before the internet was asked to make theirs.

What would you do if you went to the vet and they told you to give up on your cat?

Worst nightmare. Rescuing a kitten is an act so pure, so selfless, so kind. You would never imagine doing it - doing something so good - and then instantly feel like you're being punished for it. The 7-day-old kitten whose story was shared on r/cats seemed fine when her human rescued her. Yes, the kitten was weak and tired, and clearly she was abandoned by her momma for a reason, but it didn't look like the end. Her humans had so much hope when they brought her to the vet, hope for a long and healthy life. 

When the vet told them to give up on their kitten, it broke their hearts. They looked at the itty bitty kitty in their hands, so fragile and small, and took her home to consider what to do. It was the kitten herself who convinced them not to give up on her. Despite being so weak and tired, she herself was not giving up, drinking as much milk as she could every single time. And looking at her, her human made a decision to hold out hope just a little bit longer. 

It took feeding the kitten every two hours, dragging her to the vet every afternoon for a checkup and treatment, and it took it for days on end. But it worked. The kitten made it, and looking at her now, living in her furrever home with the person who saved her life, you would never guess what she had to go through when she was little. Sometimes, miracles happen. But we think that more often than not, these miracles are not random, but rather they are the result of people refusing to give up. 

If your cat doesn't like you, they will make sure that you know about it. 

When the CDS creates its pairings between humans and cats, oftentimes, it doesn't take into consideration silly things like… age and allergies and whether you like cats or not. The CDS simply makes the best pairing given the circumstances that it is presented with. Maybe you, in your corner of the world, are the purrfect cat owner, but a cat across the world cannot choose you. You're not an option. And we're sure that if it could, the CDS would have paired the sweet cat in today's story with its previous owner much, much earlier. Because that pairing was a purrfect one. The kitten was rescued, and her elderly owner loved her like a child. For as long as he could. 

As recounted on r/notmycat, the daughter of the previous owner is the one who got the cat. It's clear that the previous owner did what he could, trying to give his cat the best family possible. But his daughter didn't like cats, and you know what? The kitty didn't like the daughter back either. And so the CDS kicked back into gear one more time for this feline, and it led him all the way to his neighbor. And just like that, another purrfect pairing was made. The neighbors were happy to adopt the cat, and the daughter wasn't too upset about that. The CDS has done what it needed to do yet again. And although we are sure that his new family will never quite replace the old one, at least here, he is happy and loved the way that he is supposed to be. Here, he really is going to get the second chance at love and happiness that he deserves. 

It's summer, it's hot, but we're in need of a different kind of warmth. A cat memes kind of warmth. 

The heatwave may be behind us, but this summer is still one of the hottest that we can remember. Maybe it's just us. Maybe our AC is broken. But we don't think so. We think that it's everything else around us that is getting us extra heated. It's the stress of the news, of the timelines, of life. It's the fact that everywhere online that we look, we only see ragebait and negativity. We're not looking for this kind of heat in iur lives. We're looking for something different. We're looking for something that will warm our souls, something that we used to see way, way more of online. We're looking for as many cat memes as pawssible. 

In a world like this one, where the things that get the most clicks are the things that make us the angriest, we need funny cat memes more than ever. We need people to paws what they are doing, to stop getting angry and stressed, and to just look at some funny and cute cats. That's important. That's healing. That is the kind of warmth that we actually need in our lives. Soft, sweet, wholesome. None of the craziness. It used to be like this. The internet used to be a space filled with cats more than anything else. And although we don't think that we can turn the clock back quite that far, we do think that we can still have that kind of simplicity and goodness in our lives. Really, that's what ICHC is for. It's your cat internet capsule, where you can disconnect from everything else and just look at cats for a while. Purrfection if you ask us. 

This little orange kitty got a second chance at life when a kind man saw him in need. 

In Reddit's r/cats, there was a cat hanging around a factory. It was a shy and young orange cat who wasn't getting much attention, except from one man. He saw the cat in need and started feeding and petting him for months, which was difficult because the owner of the factory doesn't like animals and told him to put him to the streets, but this guy didn't listen. The cat was fine but then the guy started to feel bad for the cat. He had a cat who passed away a couple years ago and he thought it might be a good idea to take this kitty to the vet. There was another month that went by to lure the orange into a cage, but then he did and was able to take him to the vet. He had a long list of health issues, and after everything that happened he decided to adopt the little guy as his own. 

It wasn't an easy process. The orange was a bit on the shy side and had a slew of medical issues that made him even more skittish. He would hide in the corner of rooms and just be a bit frightened, he even didn't let the guy pet him anymore. After some time he ended up opening up and they got closer and the cat became more comfortable. 

Cozy up with your lover, partner, friend, mom, or friend's dad with these cuddly cat couples. 

We've all had our ups and downs with the year. It's halfway through and it feels like you could fit a lifetime in the last 6 months. No matter where you are in the world, what you do, or what your life looks like, you're probably wondering when you're going to feel normal again, or like the world is normal. A whole new set of prospects, goals, expectations, and experiences to have in the coming year, and to put this one away. We can all agree that the middle of the year has its marks in its own way, and that we all need a little extra boost of wholesome, heart-melting cat memes to get through it. 

From using your cat as an emotional support, to using AI as your phantom boyfriend or girlfriend, we all have our own ways of self soothing. Cat memes are the perfect way to self sooth, especially ones that tie the year up so perfectly in a pretty bow. What truly elevates these particular memes, though, is the sense of connection running through them. You can feel the affection radiating out of every post. These aren't just pictures — they're moments of real companionship turned into universal internet joy. They remind us how grounding it is to love something small and furry and unpredictable. They remind us of the comfort of being greeted at the door, of lazy mornings with warm paws tucked against you, of the gentle slam of a cat deciding your laptop is now its bed. That's why we've put these cat memes together of cat couples to make you smile amongst the chaos. There's nothing better than snuggling, and you don't even need a boyfriend or girlfriend! 

Cat math is different than the human one, and I'm all about counting like a cat.

People always say the two cats are better than one. And I can totally understand that - your cat gets a buddy, a fellow feline friend, a de facto sibling. There are plenty of studies that have gone through this topic - the gist of it is that cats are doing better in pairs, because it helps them regulate boredom, and it's just very understandable to want to have a friend. I get it, you get it, and your cat as well. They're very social creatures, despite their PR. But what about three cats? Well, u/regular_ginger thinks it's just the same as having two cats. She just needs to convince her husband of this truth.

I tried to bring my cat a buddy once, but this is an experiment that didn't succeed. A woman in my grandparents' village talked to me about a kitten in her yard she can't adopt. I went to see him, and he was the spitting image of my cat - completely black with green eyes, with small white patches on the stomach. It sent me right to when my Cassie was a wee kitten when I adopted her, so I took that little void kitten on the spot. Named him Nooka. But this was done on a whim. There are plenty of steps a cat pawrent should take to make sure to introduce another cat to the resident cat. Apparently, he was very dominant. My Cassie was actually scared, didn't come out of the blanket for days. So I did what was best - I took care of all his vet needs, like a good foster mom, and found him a loving forever home with someone sweet.

But if I already had two cats, like this one woman who shares her story below, I think I'd gladly take a third one if the Cat Distribution System threw one my way. Just so it's on the record - I think she's right. Her husband needs to get used to the fact that there's a third cat in the house now. Because if you have two, what's one more? Yeah, four cats is ideal. Everyone should have five cats with them. It's like we were always meant to raise six cats. Having seven cats in a home is written in the stars.

In the eyes of history, the internet is just in its infancy. But cats are furrever.

I've always been an internet dweller. Maybe not from its public inception (I'm not that old), but since I could get my hands on a computer - I've been logged in. And since I've clicked on that Explorer desktop icon (you know, before other browsers were an actual option), I've been exposed to the most common thing online… cat content, of course. What were you expecting there, huh? But the thing is, cats weren't popularized because of the internet. Sure, we at I Can Has Cheezburger owe our success to online cat connoisseurs - but that's all a spec of dust on the timeline of history. Humanity was always obsessed with cats.

The internet is merely another platform to worship cats, and a newer one. People have always adored their fluffy feline friends, and it shows. How does it show? Depends on the era. Cats were literally worshiped in ancient Egypt, and there are countless archaeological digs that find cat remains buried with their people. In later times, when lords and nobles had their portrait taken, some chose to commemorate their beloved cats in the frame - so we have much cat pawrenting evidence in museums around the world. And a little later? Well, we've had the camera.

Humanity now is not so different. My phone's gallery is filled to the brim with pictures of my cat, but even before this technology existed - people were documenting their cats on camera of the vintage kind. And these are exactly the pictures I want to show you here. Today, I want to take you on a journey to the past - a past filled with black and while pictures of cats doing their cat thing, even before your parents were born. Because that's just how timeless cats are.

Cats are furrever.

I cannot tell you how many times I changed my cat's litter for a million and one different reasons. Mainly because my cat is a little prince who is ultra particular. So I figured I would take the leg work out of this manic search for the purrfect cat littler by making this list of kinds of kitty litter that have been recommended and championed by feline pawrents and their cat kids.

You can imagine that the first place I turned to for this collection was Reddit's r/CatAdvice subreddit, a place where all kinds of cat pawrents congregate to ask and answer the most burning questions of the day. And to my delight I found a whole heap of answers to this age old problem of cat litter. Whether it clumps, whether it makes dust, whether it leaks, whether it becomes unscoopable, or whether your cat child simply hates it, there is always something seemingly amiss with our cat kids' litter. So I hope that with the 18 suggestions that other pawrents have proposed you might find a solution that works for you.

I made sure to include a wide range of options including kinds of litter that clump, kinds that don't, kinds that block odors and of course some natural options too. Now you might be asking yourself why I did not just focus only on the natural options, and I will tell you that I really wanted to. But the hard truth is that we can want natural products as much as we like for our purrincesses, but when they do not work well enough, or our fur babies decide they are not to their liking, we pawrents have to be reasonable and do what we can. So before you buy your 10th kind of kitty litter, take a moment to review the experiences of the feline pawrents who finally figured out their fur baby's litter situation.

 

Cats want kittens too!

Kittens are something no one can resist. In Reddit's r/CatDistributionSystem a lucky fellow is blessed twice by the system. Two years ago a stray wandered into his home when the door was left open. He couldn't find the owner so decided to make the guy his. He's all grown up now and likes to adventure outside during the day. He was playing outside and came back carrying a gift for his owner, a fresh and young kitten! The cat distribution system strikes again, but this time it's his own cat who brings the kitten. He couldn't find an owner or a mother even though he looked and posted. There was a bad storm the night before, so he knew he couldn't just let the kitten back outside. 

After bringing the kitten to the vet, he sees that the kitten is a male around 5 weeks old. The household decides to name him Niko, and he's the newest and best addition to the happy family. Read the story below and comment on how cute it is! 

Summer time is party time, so it's time to get in the pool with a cat. 

It's officially summer. The days are longer, the sun is brighter, the air is hotter, the barbeque parties are going off, and afternoons are spent at the beach watching the waves go in and out. Pool parties are all the rage right now, and it's the perfect thing to stave off from the unbearable heatwave. It's the season of flip-flops, cold drinks in hand, watermelon slices, and indolent weekends that make you feel like you're in a sunny dreamland. While most people may be inside sitting in front of a fan, you can feel free to party cat style with a pool party. Cats love the water (hehe), so that's why they've planned a pool party in the midst of summer. Beach time adventures with your cat are the best kind of adventures. Here at I Can Has Cheezburger we agree with the kitty pool party, it's the best thing you can do for yourself to cool down on a warm summer's day. 

Cats can be a part of every activity you do in the summer. A beach trip, pool party, BBQ, or picnic outside in the shade. Cats are well known for their enjoyment of the outdoors and people. They may not swim, but it's the whole vibe that they love and are drawn to. Cats love to take an afternoon cat nap, the window open with a breeze cooling them down. Birds chirping outside, humming them to sleep. There are adventures in the summer that make cats want to seize the meowment.  

No cat has ever accepted just one pet.

Cats always seem to know exactly when you're available to hand out scritches. You can be in the middle of working, watching TV, or getting ready to leave the house, and suddenly there's a furry little face nudging your hand like it's time to clock in for your shift. The job description is simple: pet the cat until further notice.

Every feline has their own purrsonal preferences. Some melt for forehead scritches. Others insist the chin is the only acceptable starting point. Then there are the cats who slowly lean harder and harder into your hand until you're practically holding their entire head up. If they could leave a review, it'd probably read, "Great effort, but keep the scritches coming."

Some cats ask nicely. A gentle head bump, a tiny chirp, or weaving between your legs usually does the trick. Others believe subtlety is overrated. They'll plop down on your keyboard, park themselves across your lap, or grab your arm with both paws like they're making sure you don't wander off before the cuddle session is over.

Petting a cat is never as quick as planned. One scratch behind the ears somehow turns into fluffing the cheeks, rubbing the shoulders, smoothing down the back, and telling them they're the cutest kitty to ever exist. By that point, the cat is purring like a tiny engine, making biscuits on the nearest blanket, and looking so pleased with themself that stopping almost feels rude.

Cats also have an impressive ability to keep the pets going. They'll walk away for a minute, then circle right back like they forgot one very important thing. More scritches. The shift clearly isn't over until the cat says it is. Until then, the purrs keep rumbling, the biscuits keep baking, and humans everywhere remain happily employed as full-time feline petting specialists.

Why do cats always show up exactly when we need them?

I know cats have a reputation for being independent, aloof, and occasionally a little dramatic, but some of the sweetest moments I've ever experienced with animals have come from cats. They have a way of showing affection that feels earned. Maybe that's why it means so much when they decide to curl up next to you, follow you from room to room, or quietly sit nearby when you're having a rough day.

A few years ago, I was going through a particularly stressful period. Nothing catastrophic was happening, but it felt like every day brought a new problem to solve. One evening I came home exhausted, dropped onto the couch, and just sat there staring at the wall. My cat, who normally preferred spending her evenings judging me from the top of a bookshelf, hopped down and climbed into my lap. She stayed there for nearly two hours, purring the entire time. It sounds like a small thing, but I still remember how much better I felt afterward.

That's one of the reasons wholesome cat content never gets old. Behind every cute photo or funny picture is a reminder of those quiet little moments that cat lovers know so well. The slow blink from across the room. The tiny head bump asking for attention. The way they somehow know exactly when you're feeling down, even though they spend most of the day pretending not to care.

I also love how different every cat is. Some are fearless adventurers who inspect every corner of the house. Others are professional nappers who consider moving three feet to be a major accomplishment. Yet somehow they all manage to be equally charming. Their personalities are so unique that it often feels less like living with a pet and more like sharing your home with a very opinionated roommate.

So if your day could use a little extra softness, you're in the right place. These wholesome cats are here to provide the same kind of comfort they bring to their humans every day. No complicated life lessons, no stressful headlines, just a collection of furry little reminders that kindness, warmth, and a good purr can still make the internet feel like a pretty nice place. 

This orange mama cat was running out of time.

Every mama cat deserves a safe place to bring her babies into the world. Over on Reddit's r/cats subreddit, one orange kitten came heartbreakingly close to missing that chance after she was abandoned on a dirt road in the countryside with nothing but a tub of food. At less then a year old, she was already carrying a litter of kittens and left to face the outdoors on her own.

When this family found her, they noticed her round belly and panting, making them think labor had already begun. Thankfully, she just needed a chance to catch her breath. Once she was inside, the frightened cat settled down quickly. She was given a quiet room of her own while the family prepared for the arrival of her kittens, expecting they still had at least a little more time.

They didn't. Just two days later, Sunny, as she'd been named, went into labor while the house was empty. By the time her rescuers returned home, the orange mama was already welcoming her kittens into the world. They stayed by Sunny's side for the rest of the birth, making sure everything went as smoothly as possible. Despite everything she'd been through, Sunny handled it like a champ, and before long she was curled up with her babies, who quickly began nursing beside her.

For now, Sunny gets to focus on raising her kittens. When they're old enough, they'll head off to their forever homes through a local humane society, and Sunny will be spayed. Just a few days earlier, she was alone on a dirt road with nowhere safe to go. Now she's surrounded by warmth, food, and people who showed up when she needed them most.

Another week, another cozy Caturday collection of whimsy and wholesomeness! 

Once again, despite not fully believing that we would, we have survived and made it to Caturday. Actually, yes. It happened. It's not just a dream. You can sit back, take a deep breath, and embrace the fact that today, you are allowed to do… absolutely nothing. It's not only allowed. It's actually encouraged. Today, all that you need to do is to take care of your mental health in whatever way works best for you. And if you are anything like us, then the best way for you to do this is to start the morning with a collection of purrfect cat content. This is what the weekly Caturday meowgazine is for. 

Everyone here at ICHC feels this way about Caturday morning. It's crucial to start it on the right paw. With a smile. With a laugh. With the best cat memes of the week, the most wholesome cat stories that have made their way across the web, and with the most viral Tweets that X delivered this week. Can't go wrong by starting your morning by scrolling through a bunch of pawsome cat content, and we all know it. Have an amazing Caturday, y'all! 

The universe has a way of rewarding us for doing kind things. 

Being kind to animals is one of the most selfless acts of kindness, because more often than not, you don't get anything out of it. The same is true in the other direction. Being cruel to animals is one of the worst kinds of cruelty because animals have done nothing to deserve it. And abandoning a cat after a breakup is simple cruelty. Maybe the breakup was justified. The story is told on r/CatDistributionSystem gives us no way of knowing. And it doesn't matter. Either way, abandoning the cat with someone who didn't ask for it cannot be justified. 

It's lucky that this man cared about this cat enough to keep him. That's not a given. It's not something we can take for granted. He didn't care for cats. He didn't want a cat. He just knew that the cat didn't deserve this. To be abandoned, to be tossed around from home to shelter, from stranger to stanger, in the hopes that something will stick. So, he kept the cat, and of course, he ended up falling in love. Only to have his heart broken once again when someone he trusted let the cat escape. 

But the universe has a way of rewarding people for being kind. And just two weeks after Oreo disappeared, this man encountered a kitten in need of help. And because he's kind, he stopped. He helped. And he took the kitten in, planning on finding it a home. A kitten who looks so similar to Oreo. Except that the kitten wouldn't let him go, and although it hurts to keep the new kitten, it's also helping this man heal.

Oreo hasn't come back yet after disappearing, but we still have hope. We've heard of people reuniting with their cats years after they escaped. It's been two weeks. Maybe he's lost hope, but we'll keep holding onto it until Oreo comes back.