As a budding writer, this poet is quickly baffling all his friends. He doesn't want praise, or criticism, but a secret third thing that even he isn't sure about. 

Going to your peers for help with your writing is a solid idea. There are classes for it, actually. At a lot of them, you can bring a work in progress and read it aloud for a group of other writers. Everyone then gives their inputs, shares their favorite parts, and gives a bit of advice on aspects of the piece they'd tweak. 

This is subjective, though — everyone has different tastes when it comes to the writing styles they personally enjoy. 

You might have thought that the Cat Distribution System does not accept requests, but after reading this story you might find yourself writing intent-filled notes to the CDS in hopes of a delivery.

Ok, well maybe writing the CDS a note is a little too exaggerated, but the point still stands that more often than not, a pawrent is simply delivered a kitty, not of their choosing. It is a get what you need, rather than a get what you want type situation with the CDS. but in this story we are delighted to find a cat lover receiving the exact kitten they had always wanted, quite the departure from the usual story and wholesome one at that.

So if you had always hoped that cat wishes and dreams will come true for you, you will want to spend some time trying to figure out what this hooman has done in their life to deserve such a glorious gift as the tortoiseshell kitten the CDS brought them. If we had to guess we might put it down to good karma, but who is to say. 
 

Oscar campaigning requires a delicate balance between shameless self-promotion and humility. 

It's a counterintuitive tightrope to walk. You have to want it enough to stay in the race but not too much to torpedo your chances. In this final stretch of awards season, the contenders who have emerged as frontrunners in the acting categories are not the ones who have been campaigning the loudest. Rather, the likely winners on March 15th are the nominees who opted for a softer approach on the campaign trail.

Nothing exemplifies this phenomenon more than in the races for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor. Just a few weeks ago, Timothée Chalamet seemed all but assured to win the former prize for his performance as table tennis champion Marty Mauser in Josh Safdie's Marty Supreme. After all, he earned rave reviews, won a Golden Globe, and ran a full-fledged campaign that was hard to avoid on social media. However, in this latter phase of the season, Chalamet's chances at winning the most prestigious award in Hollywood significantly declined after another contender, Michael B. Jordan, took home the Actor Award (formerly known as the SAG Award) last Sunday. Unlike Chalamet's campaign, Jordan's was less aggressive and far more focused on the film for which he is nominated, Sinners, than his own career. 

Meanwhile, in the Supporting Actor race, Sean Penn emerged as the late frontrunner for his villainous role as Col. Steven J. Lockjaw in Paul Thomas Anderson's likely Best Picture winner, One Battle After Another. Unlike his competition (Stellan Skarsgard from Sentimental Value and Jacob Elordi from Frankenstein), Penn has been largely absent this season. Many folks consider that to be classic Sean Penn behavior, but it's also a campaign strategy in and of itself. Penn must know he is a controversial figure. Staying out of the spotlight just might be the best path to his third Academy Award. 

Although Michael B. Jordan and Sean Penn have vastly different personas, their successful Oscar campaigns were both quieter than those of their competitors. This season, that approach seems to be the way to go.

As any cat pawrent will tell you, a cat child rules and dominates your life, putting you firmly within their control. So we wanted to take a moment to awwpreciate some of the cats who control the world's most well known celebs.

It is quite the thing you know, no matter how we look at it cats do have quite the significant amount of control over our lives. Sure they might not actively be able to influence our decisions but in their sneaky subversive ways they are more than capable of controlling what we do in many areas of our lives.

Say for example your cat does not like a particular piece of furniture in your home, there is little you can do to stop your crazy cat child from ripping it to shreds, forcing you to buy a new one. Another example could be if you bring home a significant other to meet your cat. If your cat does not approve then we all know what will happen to the SO who has been hissed at. So you have to wonder in what ways did the cats of these celebrities influence their decisions and shape them to be the influential figures that they have become. 
 

We love the results of a good Trojan cat story. They're mostly fluffy, cute, and very smol.

Seriously, kittens can make anyone's heart melt within minutes, like ice cream in the summer. But these kittens here were born in the height of winter, during an ice storm. Luckily for them, though, the Cat Distribution System sent them as an unborn delivery right on time to not meet the extreme cold as soon as they'd have been born. This is the meowgic of the Trojan cat - she comes in looking to be adopted, but she carries a sweet surprise. And as we said, kittens are a sure way to melt anyone's heart - and getting some as a surprise, in exchange for rescuing the mama, is an adorable situation to find yourself in.

And that's exactly what happened to this one pet-friendly family. They were already pet pawrents, so the CDS truly knew who they were sending the precious pregnant cat to. They thought they were saving one cute cat, but got three extra smol surprises as an additional gift. We're low-key jealous.

Some people just have a lifelong subscriptoin to an imaginary Emotional Debt Collection Agency. They keep a running mental ledger of every favor they've ever done, ready to pull it out like it's a tax record the minute you look mildly successful

You could donate an organ and they'll remind you two years later that you never said thank you properly.

Tune in, it's cat time!

There is a specific, unbothered frequency that only the cattest of cats can tune into, and it usually involves staring directly at a blank wall for three hours. Being unapologetically cat is a full-time commitment to the bit - it's about having a designer bed but choosing to sleep inside a discarded cereal box instead. These feline icons don't just live in our houses - they graciously allow us to pay the mortgage while they perform high-stakes gravity experiments on our favorite coffee mugs.

Embracing this peak cat energy means leaning into your most stubborn, sassy, and meowsterious instincts. Whether they are performing a midnight parkour routine across your sleeping body or demanding "the good treats" with a twitch of a whisker, cats are the undisputed masters of staying true to their brand. They are messy, they are majestic, and they are absolutely done with your nonsense. It's time to celebrate the glorious chaos of creatures who are simply too busy being cats to care about anything else.

Cats are early risers… and masters of manipulation. If your cat cries for you to wake up before your alarm, these expurrt cat owners are here to help you have a more peaceful meowrning.

Dog owners may have to take their pets out multiple times per day to let them get out energy and do their business, but at least they let you sleep in in the mornings. Cats, on the other hand, are the best (or worst, depending on how you look at it) alarm clock in the universe. If you want to remember to do something at a specific time every day, give your cat a treat during that time. We guarantee you that your cat will remember the exact time within in a few days and will nag at you daily around that same time for you to give them their daily treat.

Our pawrent's problem today is one that most of us cat owners expurrience: getting woken up at the crack of dawn by your tiny, screaming fur baby. Cats are typically active during dusk and dawn, so cats are known for being extra vocal during these hours. And when you just want to sleep in past 6 AM once, it can be a nightmare (because if you didn't know, cats are very purrsistent). Her cat continues to wake her up very early and it's driving her crazy, sound furmiliar?

Well, our trusty cat community came to the rescue. With tips and tricks that worked for themselves, we're sure this pawrent is going to get a full night's sleep soon. And if not, well, there's always earplugs.

The better you perform at work, the more responsibility you get. And no, you won't get paid more. 

Hard workers get more work, while slow, lazy workers keep the same amount. It's one of those unfortunate paradoxes of the office, and it's an easy way for the best and brightest workers to burn themselves out. 

This is something that people often find out early in their careers. If you complete your daily tasks by 11 AM, and you inform your boss of that, they won't give you a pat on the back and a smile. They will frown. Then they'll give you plenty of work to keep you occupied for the rest of the day. You'll certainly grow to resent this additional work, because they won't be giving you any extra money for your extra work. 

Treat cats nicely. They have feelings too. 

We know that for some people, that is difficult to believe. There is so much stigma about cats being aloof that people who have never experienced cats actually believe it. They don't understand that cats bond with their humans incredibly hard. They have never experienced having a little fluffy cat follow them around the house, meow a whole conversation with them, cuddle with them in bed. They don't get it. When we say that abandoning a cat is one of the worst things that you can do to it, we mean that. When you do that, you break their hearts. 

At least, we thought that abandoning your loyal cat is up there with the worst things that you can do to it, but this person somehow outdid that. They have three cats, but they are moving, and for some reason, they can afford to move two, but not three. And instead of looking for a new home for the cat - which would be difficult enough for the kitty - they decided to give the kitty up. But there was no room in the shelters. And that left them with only one solution, a solution that was unacceptable to their coworker, who saved the cat and gave the cat a true forever home. But the cat is still heartbroken, and the new owner turned to the internet for advice. 

Unless stated otherwise, parking lots are on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Now, stop standing in the parking spot that doesn't belong to you. It's over.

Scroll below to read about an entitled dude who chooses to put his life on the line (kind of) so he can reserve a parking spot at the mall. Spoiler alert: He's in the wrong, and the police agree.

Watching cats react to new things is one of our favorite things ever. 

We try to do it essentially every single day with our cats. We let them sniff basically everything that we bring into the house. We do it not even because we're trying to learn new things about them, but just because we kind of want them to experience as much as they pawssibly can, especially considering that they are house cats. 

We bring mirrors down to our cats' level so our cats can see themselves in the mirror for the first time. We attempt to bamboozle our cats with optical illusions, just to see if it would work on them the same way that it works on us. We play bird videos for our cats and watch their adorable confusion as they try to figure out the concept of screens and videos. Anything to make their lives a little more exciting. And we think that we have found the next thing. 

We don't know how we never thought of blowing bubbles next to our cats, but if their reaction is going to be in any way similar to this orange cat's reaction, then it is going to be wholeheartedly worth it. And apparently, catnip bubbles exist? Yeah, our weekend plans are set. 

Ignoring repeated technical warnings, a manager forced an engineer to complete a client integration by escalating their refusals to comply with company executives. Their predictions came to fruition, resulting in $228k in overcharges when the system failed to respond properly. 

Some lessons you need to learn for yourself. It won't matter how many warnings you were given or how many times someone tells you not to do that thing because it's going to turn out that way; you just have to do it and see it happen in real time.

This homeowner figured out that the head of his local HOA was trying to get him kicked out of the neighborhood for no justifiable reason. What the board member underestimated, however, was the homeowner's ability to fight back.

Starting a new job is supposed to feel exciting, but sometimes the reality doesn't match the expectations. One employee found themselves questioning their new role just five months in, feeling drained and unsure if sticking it out was worth it, especially when the fear of how quitting might look on their resume started creeping in. 

Unsure what to do, they turned to the internet for advice, and commenters quickly reminded them that protecting your well-being and knowing when a job isn't the right fit can be more important than staying somewhere that makes you miserable.

 

Kitten season has just begun, and it's time to let our feline funnies fly.

Did you know that kitten season is technically from March to October? That means that there is a higher-than-usual number of kittens born between now and then! The bad news? A lot of kittens will be brought to the shelter to hang out with one another. The good news? There are so many cat lovers out there, like all of you, who are intent on giving them the furever homes of their dreams. One kitten? How about two, three, five! The sky is the limit, hoomans. Scroll below to get the good vibes rolling before you head over to the kitten room for some kitten lovin'.

A fluffy feline is like a warm hug in early spring.

That's why we at I Can Has Cheezburger love to surround ourselves with as much cat content as pawssible. If you can't hang out with fuzzy, furry fellas on the clock, you might as well look at cute pictures of them! We do what we need to do to survive and thrive, fellow hoomans.

Since spring is right around the corner, the good vibes are already tiptoeing back into the picture. Until then, we're "awwing" at cute cat flicks and pawing at our spring wardrobes! Scroll below for some sunshine in the shape of feline comedy!

Sometimes the (cat) call comes from inside the house.

When a cat lover meets a friendly stray cat, there is always the question of whether or not they should do something about it. Can you afford to have another cat? Do you know someone who is currently looking for a furry feline to adopt? What will happen to this awwdorable baby if you do not take it home right now? There are so many questions you could ask yourself, and you never know the answer to them. All you can do is take a leap of faith and follow your heart.

But sometimes, you don't even have to do that. Even if you decide it is not the time for you to get a cat, or you decide that you would rather keep your newfound feline relationship strictly outside your house, you might still find yourself welcoming a new fluffy friend home regardless. We often forget that these fluffy friends also have a say in where they end up.

When the hoomans in the sweet story below started feeding the stray cat outside their home, they thought they had only made a new friend, and maybe found themselves an outside cat that they occasionally see. The cat, however, had another idea in mind. She saw her new hooman friends and decided that they were her new pawrents, and she was ready to be a part of their household, no matter what.

It wasn't long before she found a way inside their home, and boy oh boy were they surprised to see her there. Luckily, they recovered quickly, got her out of the vent she climbed into, and allowed her to stay in their warm home for furrever.

No one waited for the cat distribution system to make its move. This awwdorable adoption story happened all thanks to a determined kitten with a mind of her own.

Keep scrolling to read the full story, and make sure to scroll all the way to watch the original video and the update that followed. After that, check out these hissterical cat memes for an instant mood boost.

Just the thought of an adorable feline waiting for them at home makes any cat lover rush out of work. 

Cats are sweet little furry beings that guard the house while we're away. While cat lovers still aren't entirely sure of the hijinks and the mischief that cats juggle when the hoomans are away, we're pretty sure that they nap, cuddle, bask in the sun, and generally live out a peaceful life. How nice. As if the royal members of the kitty purrlament need any more envy-worthy lifestyle additions, cats await the infinite affections of their human companions when they return home from work. 

Nothing beats the reunion of a happy cat lover and their reluctantly snuggly feline. 

Sometimes the right cat finds you exactly when your heart needs it most.

Little Cecil has only been home for a little over 24 hours, but he already feels like part of the family. The moment his photo popped up, there was a pull that couldn't be ignored. A trip to the shelter confirmed it. Love at first sight is real, especially when it comes with soft fur and curious eyes.

The sweetest part is how quickly he opened up. The shelter staff were surprised by how affectionate he was, since he had been shy and nervous before. Somehow he knew he was safe. At just five months old, he is already handing out cuddles and settling into his new space like he has always belonged there.

It is amazing how fast a small kitten can change the feeling of a home. The quiet corners feel warmer. Ordinary moments feel softer. In just a day, Cecil has brought that spark of joy that only a cat can bring.

This is only the beginning, but it already feels special. Here is to many years of love, comfort, and a whole lot of purring.