Why Having A ‘Crazy Cat’ Is Good For Your Mental Health

I had a cat like that, and her name was Phoenix

Now, before you guys start clicking out of this little TED talk of mine, hear me out first. I know having a crazy cat as a pet can seem a little unorthodox when you could have a nice little mouse or maybe even a cute hedgehog (careful, that could be against the law!), or you know, a non-crazy cat, but just hear me out okay?

Sometimes cats can be weird, and they have plenty of odd personalities of their own — sometimes, that personality is crazy.

I had a cat like that, and her name was Phoenix. It was short for “Phoenix from the X-men,” but that’s beside the point. The point mostly comes from her claws; they were quite sharp (I should have named her Wolverine!).

She had quite the hunter’s instinct, and she was a crazy little bundle of energy. She was a handful, and I loved her.

Lord knows I’ve had my ups and downs with Phoenix, but I think overall, it was a pretty fantastic experience. The reason I’m writing about this is that so-called crazy cats don’t get the chance to shine.

Because of their hunter’s instinct, they’re pretty likely to just start biting your leg playfully, and playful to a crazy cat always draws blood. They can seem kind of ungrateful, but they have their ways.

Phoenix taught me all about the value of napping

While non-crazy cats have the habit of being lazy balls of fluff, my cat was very energetic, and so she loved her mid-afternoon naps. I was a bit of an anxious girl growing up, and having Phoenix as a pet sometimes made it worse, but ultimately made it better.

The way she would just sleep so adorably like the rest of the world didn’t matter spoke to me on a spiritual level.

Thanks to having a crazy cat like Phoenix to use as an example, I started to take more naps. There is just something very restful about watching my cat when she slept, and it rubbed off on me in a way. Now, I enjoy resting in the afternoon when I’ve done my work for the day. It helps — especially in this crazy year.

Crazy cats like Phoenix are just naturally hilarious

One of the interesting things about cats? They’re not just kind of funny; they’re pretty hilarious for the most part. They get themselves in ridiculous situations and often have to call their owners for help, looking ridiculous while they do so.

Phoenix was pretty much the same, except her craziness added a layer to that funny. If cats are generally weird, my weird cat was even stranger. She would work toward pouncing my curtains, and then end up upside down because her leg would catch onto something. Of course, I’d help her out.

She would not get along well with other pets, but never enough that she actually hurt them. It was more like she would lightly punch them when they invaded her personal space.

And the faces Phoenix would make. I still chuckle when I remember.

Crazy cats are honest about their emotions

The thing about crazy cats that people don’t give enough credit for? They are very honest about their emotions. When Phoenix was upset, she made sure the whole world knew, and I would just do what I can to appease her god-like rage.

On the other hand, when she was happy, it was something to behold. She would ask for cuddles every moment of every hour, and she would be spending all day trying to get my attention. She might be a handful, but for all the times she might have felt ungrateful, my crazy cat could also show me just how much she appreciated my loving gestures.

Phoenix taught me how to think things through

Now, aside from Phoenix, I also had a Golden Retriever who I lovingly named Charlie. Now Charlie did not often think things through. Whenever I would try to take him for a walk, we would head down the stairs, and he would excitedly barrel through and hurt himself a little. The same thing went with trying to climb the stairs — I had to teach him to calm down.

Phoenix wasn’t like that at all. Whenever she was excited, she wouldn’t show it right away like Charlie; she would deliberately choose the time when I was least expecting it to pounce. Whenever she wanted to spend time with me, I can often feel her desire to disrupt whatever I was doing, but she would take the time to think things through. Funny enough, that taught me to be the same way.

For all of my cat’s craziness, she helped me through anxiety and depression

The craziness of a crazy cat is probably due to their hunter’s instincts, but also because of their overall emotional honesty. If they wanna cause a ruckus and be a pain, they will do so gladly. However, one thing I noticed was whenever I was feeling down, or whenever I ended up sobbing for one reason or another, Phoenix was always around to try to cheer me up.

While she was naturally naughty, she knew when I wasn’t feeling well and would make an effort to make me feel better. It seems like a crazy notion (as crazy as my cat), but Phoenix was a very, very sharp and thoughtful critter.

I know that we sometimes get angry at pets for acting out or being a pain, but even crazy cats have their ways to show us just how much they care. You give cats like Phoenix a chance, and there’ll never be a moment where you aren’t laughing at their antics or appreciating their thoughtful gestures. Just, be prepared to treat plenty of scratches and (playful) bites.