You won't believe what you can find in a basement nowadays. 

Maine Coons have their stereotypes, just like every other breed. Though they're absolutely massive cats, they're commonly known for being "gentle giants," and are some of the most gentle breeds out there. They're outgoing, and referred to as the golden retriever of cats. So if you're a typical introverted cat pawrent then you might not want a loud, talkative Maine Coon. And oh yeah, they're meowing up a storm most of the time! They're also outdoor cats by nature, so be prepared for that. But when it's -25 degrees outside, outdoors may not be an option, and that's exactly what happens in this story. It's freezing harsh winter weather in Kazakhstan, it's the morning, and it's -25 degrees outside. A woman goes out for something in the freezing cold, but hears a cat meowing loudly. She finds this beauty in a basement! She immediately takes her home, and the gentle girl doesn't bite or scratch, she just purrs and loves. Everyone deserves the warmth of a home, and no kitty should be left out in the cold. 

How many students are too many for a first-year teacher?

Teachers are heavily underpaid and underappreciated. We send all of our children to be with them for most of the day; they are responsible for keeping them alive and untraumatized, educating them, and keeping them healthy and happy. They have to plan how to teach each individual class and student, because everyone is different. They even sometimes have to get their own school supplies for the class with their own paycheck. When are they expected to have time for their own life, mental health, or happiness? 

A first-year teacher is struggling with this exact dilemma, and the school year has only just begun!

Sometimes being honest works against us

I can't believe this employee wrote an entire post without realizing he is the one who's in the wrong. I can't believe that being morally correct isn't always the best. Being honest is absolutely a virtue, but one has to have enough malice to understand whether it works in our favour in a specific scenario.

Through experience, one understands that managers and bosses won't always reward us for finishing our job in less time; even more so, if they find out we do, they'll likely cut our wage as well because it is proven that it's not worth as much.

Maybe this employee still has to find out about this. Bosses are not that bound to their employees. They are most likely looking to earn more and spend less on them, and if they voluntarily say their work can be done in much less time than they thought, they will pay them less as well.

I guess if he doesn't care to earn less, he will have 2 free days more per week to find another job. Can you imagine getting paid the same as if you worked the entire week for only working three days? If that happens, this employee would be living my dream.

Could it be that he didn't understand that work doesn't work like that in a capitalist society? How did he manage to get through school without knowing this?

I think he is going to be really surprised by what his 'very thorough documentation' actually produces, unless he is looking forward to getting more tasks a day or less pay.

Amazed at how some minds work.

Sometimes the best medicine to a hard day is a hug and some wholesome cat memes. 

Life isn't always sunshine and rainbows. Sometimes, it feels like everything goes our way, like everywhere we go we're blessed with an aura of luck, serendipity, and radiance. And some days, we feel so overwhelmed or out of emotional shape that the simplest thing can happen and it sends us spiraling. These are the days we do cry over spilled milk, and that's okay. It just means we have to know how to handle ourselves and how to cheer up naturally, and that means cat memes. cozy

A gentle purring is enough to soothe anyone from stressed to sedated. Let these little purrs of cat memes fulfill that part of you that just needs a hug, because everyone gets like that sometimes. Small stresses, responsibilities, conversations, expectations, and worries begin stacking on top of each other until everything feels heavier than it should. You wake up tired, already behind, already carrying more than you can quite name. It's not dramatic, it's just life. In these moments, you could feel like you could easily lose yourself. You're supposed to answer messages, finish tasks, show up, be present, and the world doesn't care or pause when you can't join them. It really just means you're human, that you need a break, a hug, and a gentle purring of cat memes to soothe your soul. Enjoy these kitty cat memes and imagine you are getting that well deserved hug from a furball, a meme, or a person.  

Some recipes are better left to the professionals…

You know that I love talking about cooking fails and bad food because I think it could be used as a good metaphor for life. Yes, maybe I'm getting a bit far from the topic, but hear me out: when it comes to cooking and making food in general, there are certain people who have the skills, and others who just… do not. That being said, you don't have to feel discouraged if preparing a delicate recipe is not your game. Why would there be something wrong with that? 

We all have different talents; we just have to find them. I think cooking is a bit different than others, though, because we need to eat to live, basically. And maybe, if we're not the best at cooking, we'd feel like we're going to spend our life eating the same thing. But let me tell you that I'm the worst cook ever, and I don't eat the same thing every day. It's really up to you and how much you can learn. You don't have to go to culinary school or learn to cook the most complicated dish ever… just learn to prepare some simple dishes you can vary throughout the week, and you'll be fine!

That being said… I find cooking fails and bad foods to be hilarious! I think it's because I feel so related to them. After all, all of that mess could have been mine! Actually, in many of the pictures you'll find below, there are some that look exactly how my kitchen ended up the day that I was trying to cook some spinach crepes… somehow every part of it looked like taken out of the Grinch! That was the last day I attempted to cook something new… and since it was a massive fail, I now rely on my basic and easy recipes that go through every week.

'Don't you get tired?', you may ask… No, I do not! And if I were, then I'd DoorDash or have my boyfriend cook that night. See how simple I fix that?

What better way to start the Fall season than by remembering why we love and cherish orange cats everywhere?

Orange cats are unique amongst cats, and animals in general. From personal experience, we can say they are absolutely unpredictable creatures, and it's almost impossible to figure out what goes through their little beautiful heads half the time. Who knows why they end each day by running around the house, pushing stuff off tables, and biting on new curtains. Who knows why they wake you up at 3 AM demanding a fresh bowl of food, and proceed to ignore the serving altogether after you've already served it to them. There is no explanation behind their incessant need to bite your hands and feet at random moments of the day. One thing is true, though: never a dull moment when it comes to orange cats. 

What is there not to love? They are energetic, friendly, creative (too creative for our own good), and you can spot them anywhere through their bright, sun-like fur. They will jump on your back when you bend to pick up something you dropped, and they won't come down for a while. Instead, they will cuddle up in a ball, and you will have to get used to walking around like that for a while. They will sweetly bite your nose as a good morning gesture, and they will steal your favourite scrunchie, just to hide it for months under the couch. With this collection of unmissable photos, they will become the perfect complement for your fall inspiration mood boards. Fall is most definitely their season. Not only do they fit the color palette perfectly, but they also love to play amongst fallen leaves and relax on warm benches as the weather gets a little chilly.

So, as you recover all your stolen goods that are unexpectedly being found alongside that one scrunchie (which probably had nothing to do with your orange friend), let these cuties earn a place in your heart. As crazy and silly as they are, we love them twice as much for that. A collection that will remind you why fall is an elite season and why orange cats are simply purrrrrfect. 

Do you check your paychecks for random deductions? 

You might think you're financially responsible, but are you really crossing all your Ts and dotting all your Is? Do you pay off your whole credit card at the end of the month every single time you use it? Do you refrain from buying a Gatorade on your way home from work because you know that it's not in your budget? Do you max out your Roth IRA every year, even though you'd much rather use that money to go on vacation? If you do all these things, you still might not be as financially responsible as you think. 

One essential step is to double-check that your paycheck is correct and that you're not having anything deducted that you don't want. It's normal to trust your employer to pay you properly, and if you're getting paid the same amount every month, you might not think there's any reason to double-check your paycheck. Still, you want to make sure that your company isn't ripping you off. I'm not saying you should sign up for the cheapest health insurance, because that might end up costing you more. But if your company is charging you for food you don't eat and parking you don't use, you need to get that sorted out with the payroll person. 

Why must the performance of productivity be more important than the actual results?

At whatever point in capitalism we exist in currently, most people have figured out that much of workplace culture is a sham. Who you know is more important than what you know; if you're too good at a job, you can count yourself out of being promoted out of it, and few people are as busy or productive as they like to make out. There are some who believe in the charade, of course, but plenty of employees are just going along with it to ensure that they get paid.

As the quiet quitting phenomenon has proved, companies that push too hard for their workers to put up this facade may not get the level of personal investment that they are hoping for. It is also a recipe for high turnover and being forced to invest much of those hard-earned profits into the difficulties of the hiring process. 

Unfortunately, giving employees that work-life balance that so many covet can feel like a step too far for some employers. They worry about it not bringing them the results that they hope for, even if they get proved wrong. As a result, the performance of busyness can sometimes be prized over the actual results. They think that this is the important part, even though that could not be further from the truth.

Cats know that we have a weak spot for their cuteness, and they are not ashamed to exploit it. 

We are weak when it comes to cats. If you haven't guessed it by our jobs - what with us writing about cute cats every single day - then we're telling you right meow: we have a weakness for them. And we know that we are not alone in this. Many of you guys - the people in our audience - face the same issue. You're walking down the street, you see a cat, and everything else around you disappears like meowgic. You must stop, you must attempt to pet that cat. If you don't, you don't know what will happen, and truthfully, you don't intend to find out. 

Cats, over the centuries, have realized this about us. They know. They know that it takes one itty bitty meow, one slow blink, one roll onto their back to show us their fluffy belly, and we're doomed. Just like that, we're ready to give that cat a home. And we're not just saying that. We've been there. We've done that. That's how we have the cats that have. Because we are weak, and they know it. And they use it. Beginning-Try6882 on Reddit found that out the hard way.

They thought that they were simply saving a cat stuck in a tree. A classic. A bonding moment. This wasn't a simple rescue. It took time and effort. There was risk involved. And as a reward, they thought that they were being this kitten. She walked into their home, made herself at home. Everything seemed purrfect, until she disappeared. For two days, she was gone, and when she came back, it was with clear evidence that she belongs to someone else. 

See? She likes this new human because he saved her. And that's cool. But the previous home was feeding her too. And if they are both dishing out snacks, why not make the best of it? Cats don't simply know that we have a weak spot for their cuteness, they know how to exploit those spots in the ways that benefit them the most. And honestly? We love them all the more for it. m

This young woman has worked for the same family since she was 17, developing a close relationship with the children and continuing to nanny during college breaks and summer vacations after becoming a teacher. But now she considers whether or not she should tell the family why she is leaving or, simply, quietly disappear.

If you saw a cat in the middle of nowhere, would you stop, give up on the plans you've made, and do what you need to do to help?

It's a question every cat person asks themselves at least once a day. Because as cat people, we all know we love cats to the moon and back. But loving cats isn't the same as getting into the mess of saving a stray kitten at the side of the road, in the middle of nowhere, with no mama cat (or anyone, really) in sight. Just imagine the situation - do you picture yourself stopping in your tracks, disregarding whatever you had planned, to help the little cat in need? Would you later commit to nursing them back to health, dedicating your time, energy, and money to the process?

That's exactly what one family on Reddit had to grapple with. And honestly, we can't imagine what was going through their minds at that moment, because all of that happened to them. They had to stop in their tracks after a Labor Day vacation, in a rural area, because a hungry kitten needed help. But as it is with cat people, their meowternal instincts kicked in, and they knew exactly what they had to do. Not just stopping to see if everything was alright - but doing the needed thing and giving the kitten a forever home. Their home.

When adoption stories like this surface, we're sure it's the behind-the-scenes work of the Cat Distribution System. You can just feel that a cat is adopted right to the people who could give it all to them - a purrfect match. Like it was destined. Well, we don't know about destiny, but the Cat Distribution System keeps on doing its work and… it's working.

Why did he feel the need to always be watching?

While few jobs are ever going to be totally supervision-free, one of the supposed benefits of working remotely is that an employee has a little more freedom with how they approach their workday. So long as they get done what they need to get done and look suitably productive to management, they can enjoy the peace and quiet of not having a nosy colleague breathing down their neck (and maybe put on a load of laundry between meetings, too).

This is also a big reason that many companies don't like to let their employees work from home. They want as much control as possible over what they are doing, and that is a lot more difficult when they aren't all coming into the office. 

Still, in this modern world we're living in, more flexible working arrangements are the future. Even the more traditional parts of the corporate world have to make some concessions. However, these usually happen with specific terms and conditions attached. They don't want their workers to get too relaxed or forget that they should be switched on and contributing to their job at all possible times.

 

Procrastination always starts with convincing yourself you have plenty of time.

That thing isn't due until tomorrow. You'll start in an hour. Actually, after dinner makes more sense. And you definitely work better at night anyway. Fast forward a few hours and you're lying in bed scrolling through cat memes while the thing you were supposed to do remains very much undone.

At least the cats understand.

There's a cat meme for pretty much every stage of putting something off. The confidence when you decide future you can handle it. The complete lack of urgency while you do literally anything else. The moment you check the time and realize several hours have somehow disappeared. And finally, the panic when you've waited so long that finishing the task becomes a race against the clock.

We're especially talented at finding completely unnecessary things to do during this time. Haven't cleaned behind the fridge in six months? Suddenly it seems urgent. Need to finish something for work? Perfect time to reorganize your closet. Even staring at the ceiling can become pretty entertaining when the alternative is starting something you don't want to do.

Cats make excellent company for all of this because they're never going to judge you for accomplishing nothing. Your cat has probably spent most of the day moving between the bed, couch, and food bowl. As far as they're concerned, you're having a very productive afternoon.

The problem is that procrastinating is usually way more fun than whatever you're avoiding. Looking at ridiculous cat memes certainly beats answering emails or doing laundry.

So yes, we know we should probably get back to work.

We're just going to finish this gallery first.

The Cat Distribution System could not have planned this one better if it tried.

One cat lover randomly decided that this would be the day they donated to and volunteered at their local shelter. And who should arrive while they were there? A tiny kitten who had just been found on someone's porch with a dog trying to get at him. Talk about being in the right place at the right time.

The shelter believed the little guy may have been a car rider before ending up on that porch. He had a broken tail and a burned butt, which is a pretty rough start for a kitten who hadn't even made it to two months old yet. Poor baby had already been on quite the adventure.

Unfortunately, the shelter was full. The other option was a place that would have put him down because of how young he was. Yeah, no. There was no way this cat lover was going to spend the day helping shelter cats and then leave this tiny guy behind.

And just like that, volunteering turned into adopting.

His new name is Norbert Nubbins Sawyer, which is an incredible amount of name for such a tiny cat. His family apparently isn't sold on it, but we're team Nubbins. He also answers to Nubs, Nub Nub, Nubbins, and Norbert, so clearly he isn't picky. He's now seven weeks old, and his tail and little burnt butt have fully healed.

He also came home to two tuxedo siblings with very different opinions about the situation. The big boy already loves his new little brother, although he may also appreciate the extra food that appeared around the same time. We see you, sir. The little lady tuxedo hates him. You can't win everyone over immediately, Nubbins.

This person went to the shelter planning to help some cats and came home with cat number three. If that isn't the CDS at work, we don't know what is.

Yeah, and the butterfly that flew in front of my nose this morning is why I failed math 15 minutes ago

Which came first, the chicken or the egg? This story's depiction of management reasoning is way beyond my comprehension. I get that you're mad because you got a 1-star review and you want to blame somebody, but why not blame the person who's directly responsible for showing up late instead of the person who worked their entire shift before them? The way some minds work amazes me.

Yeah, ideally, the worker who came before the woman who showed up 30 minutes late should have stayed until her coworker was up and about; but this is real life, and people have real-life commitments to arrive at after work that can't be delayed. Plus, leaving before the other worker came in isn't enough reason to blame her for her coworker's tardiness; she worked her entire shift! Sorry, it's that I still can't wrap my head around it.

This is definitely one of those workplace absurdities that sometimes happen, but I trust it can't last for long as a valuable form of reasoning.

What would you do in this employee's situation? Would you argue or make your boss pay you more for the extra hours?

Picture a course so important that failing it feels like tripping a wire that sets off alarms across your entire academic year. A curriculum heavyweight. 

Now hand that course to someone who treats grading like an abstract art project, and you get, well, somewhat of an abstract art project.

I had a few of these during the years I've spent in academic institutions: a course that carries too much grading weight. Feels like a way-too-big kettlebell for me to carry that far, and stressfully intense because I'm in the hands of a professor who feels like one Prof. Snape, only Philosopher, not Wizard. 

There will be no foolish wand-waving or silly incantations in this class, you hear me?

We spend so much time debating whether artificial intelligence is making our world less human that we sometimes forget to treat each other like human beings ourselves.

Sarper Duman is a good person, a true friend to the cat community, and he does not deserve the criticism he is facing.

Back in 2017, Sarper was already caring for 9 rescued street cats in Istanbul. By 2019, that number had grown to 19, and he started to really gain some meowmentum with his online presence. He went viral for videos of his cats curled up beside him while he played the piano, or playing with him. Soon enough, millions of people were invested in his feline family. It was so heartwarming to watch from afar! Finally, a good thing is happening to a good purrson. It felt right.

Fast forward to today, and things have taken a heartbreaking turn. After losing his beloved cat Reşat, Sarper shared an AI-generated music video. Besotted with grief, he did not have the finances or mental strength to produce a real music video, so he generated something in order to save money and hopefully raise more money for the remaining cats under his care. The response was nothing like what he hoped for.

While still grieving Reşat passing over the rainbow bridge, he faced a wave of harsh criticism over his decision to use AI. In one post. After thousands of posts over nearly 10 years that were based on making the world a better place. On September 13th, he announced that he was stepping away from Instagram. And honestly, I think this deserves a much bigger conversation.

I understand why people are concerned about AI - artists worry about their work being used without purrmission, people worry about authenticity, jobs, and the environmental costs of generating endless content. These are legitimate concerns that deserve serious discussion, but when did criticizing a technology become an excuse to forget the human behind the screen?

When being too good at your job becomes a career liability…

We were always told that we have to give 100% in everything we do if we want to "succeed". What is success, anyways? I don't want to get into the philosophical road just yet, but I think it is a question worth asking. Anyways… we grow up thinking that we have to be the best at everything we do and life will pay us back with the things we want and deserve, of course.

Well, this employee can totally disagree with us, because their experience at their job proves the exact opposite.

For starters, they were always the top-performing employee. They not only were the best at reaching their goals and targets, but also were the ones who would go beyond their job descriptions and really wanted to be good at what they did. They fixed broken workflows and also had the best relationship with everyone on the team. Obviously, they want to grow with the company and thought they really had a chance at doing this when a management position was opened a month ago.

Naturally, he was the first one who applied for the role and was really hoping to land it. But life has its tricks because the person who ends up getting the role was someone who barely knows their numbers and doesn't bring anything to the table. He went to his boss and asked about this… and the response was that he was 'too valuable' in his current role, and that they couldn't afford to lose him…

I'm sure the boss is aware, but they just lost the best employee he ever had. 

For everyone who's currently working for a company, this story can be a good lesson. If we look at this person, they did it all, and they got nothing. Success was not in pursuing a higher role… maybe he needs to find another company that's willing to let him grow and to give him the space he deserves to be the best employee. For now, I'll leave you with the story…

This story seems to have come out of a soap opera. 

I hate people that get involve in things that are, actually, none of their business. Why are you getting involve in your friend's relationship drama? I get trying to be supportive to her and trying to guide her in the right direction when you think she's committing a mistake. But to purposely get involve and talk to her boyfriend behind her back instead of letting her do all the talking is weird You may be right by pointing out that what your friend's doing is wrong. And calling her out IS the correct thing. But to call her boyfriend and tell him everything is just going too far. Girl, you have your won life. Stop getting involve in other people's personal lives, I mean it. And this tip goes out to whoever needs to hear it. Stay in your own path!

Sometimes, life is like a Wile E. Coyote episode, and we simply roll with the punches. 

Something that we have said many times in the past is that the CDS… works in meowsterious ways. I've seen it in my own personal life. My cat - my beautiful, chonky, love-of-my-life cat - was distributed to me by the system as I was walking around on Independence Day. My husband's cat followed him home out of nowhere. She just walked into his apartment. He decided to keep the door open, let her leave if she wanted, and if she didn't, he would keep her. She walked out. Five minutes later, she walked back in, and now, she's here furrever. 

But it's not just personal experience. Once you write long enough about cats, you have some insane stories stored in your memory. One of them is the Starbucks barista who got handed a kitten through the drive-through window. Yep, a person pulled up with a backseat full of kittens, and that employee went home with a companion for life. Another one is the story of the kitten who adopted two golden retrievers who were out on a walk with their owner. Yes, she adopted them, not the other way around. 

And today, we add another story to our list of favorites. Because the CDS delivery in today's story is one for the books. It's so silly, it's like it came straight out of a cartoon. A person driving in their car, on a completely normal day, has to stop because in front of them, chasing a little kitten, is a fox. And to add to the meowgic of this moment, after rescuing the kitten from the cartoonish fox, bringing her home, and helping her with her wounds, this person decided to give her the most purrfect name. Have you guessed it yet?