It’s funny how cats seems to do what they want — all the time. Sure, sometimes it can teach us a lot about how to live in the present, to be content, and to learn that to get one’s way is to meow out loud and stare at their human who has just lay down for the night.

I began as dog lover, but cats have changed me. Let me show you how.

Truth to tell, I have lived, slept and spent days writing with two cats and three dogs in the room. Yes, they bother me once in a while like when they need to go outside for a break or when they are thirsty. But for the most time they are quiet and respect my working time. That is much more than I can say working in an office (people make all the noise).

My cats, Mr. Gizmo (long-haired exotic) and Miss Kitty (Persian), have been with me for 12 years now. They are getting on in age and, yes, once in a while they disagree with the dogs… but for the most part they get along fine.

I am also the type of person who picks up stray cats when I am walking in the villages or at the places I have worked through the years. I have had a small cattery in my places of residence where the Puspins are kept and cared for.

Today, there are nine Puspins in the cattery at home. I am forever grateful to my kasambahay who cares for the cats and dogs like they were her kids, as they are the kids we have at home.

Today at home

So, this year, as with other years in the past, I wanted to know the exact amount of time I spend ruminating on the inner lives of my cats. So I did what most people do in times of doubt, and consulted Google. According to my search history, in the years since I became a cat owner, I have googled variations of “Cat love me — how do I tell?” and “Is my cat happy” 17 times.

How do I love my cats? Let me count the ways.

The clean snap of 12-year-old Mr. Gizmo’s jaw as he contemplates me with detached curiosity is my favorite sound in the world. I love the weight of Mr. Gizmo on my feet at night when he walks on the bed to check if I am asleep and the scratchy caress of his tongue on my eyelid in the morning.

Then there is Miss Kitty who sleeps at the foot of my bed with one eye on Lexie (mini Schnauzer) who sleeps beside me with butt up as he watches Miss Kitty.

But how do I know what these little tykes really think and feel? I fear the authors of online listicles written in cursive fonts are unlikely to provide me with the latest scientific research – and are probably just saying what they think I want to hear.

The inner life of cats

Despite the fact that cats are the most common pet in households after dogs, we know relatively little about them.

“Cats may not speak our language, but they’re constantly communicating,” begins a cat article by Banfield Pet Hospital.

“Most of what they ‘say’ comes through three main channels: body language, vocal sounds and scent-based behaviors. Paying attention to these cues together (rather than a single one) can tell you a lot about how your cat is feeling.

The article further states that “body language includes things like tail position, ear movement, eye shape and overall posture. A relaxed body usually signals comfort, while tension or stiffness can point to fear, stress, or discomfort.

“Vocalizations can be meows and chirps to growls and yowls, and vary widely between cats. The same sound can mean different things depending on tone, volume and context.

“Scent communication happens through rubbing, headbutting, scratching and marking territory. These behaviors help cats feel secure and familiar in their space.

Because cats rely so heavily on these signals, changes in how they move, sound or interact with their environment can reflect shifts in mood, stress levels, routine, or even health. Noticing patterns and changes help you stay in tune with your cat’s well-being.”

Must love cats

But there is another reason that cats are under-researched. “There’s a stigma,” I was once advised by a vet. “Cats have been unfairly maligned through much of human history. In the middle ages, cats were thought of as the companions of witches, and sometimes tortured and burned. They have been stigmatized as evil because they are thought to be amoral.”

Let me just say that cats are elegant. They approach us. They bump their heads. Then they have some contact with us and walk away. How often have I heard that cats are loyal to homes, while dogs are loyal to humans.

But in my years living with cats, I have come to believe that much like my dog furbabies, so, too, are the cats -- loyal.

Did you know that cats often show affection by proximity, if not physical interaction, being in the same room as you or physically close to you. More demonstrative cats will sleep on or near their owners, or other cats.

Cats who have grown up together are more likely to like to be together. But as a general rule cats do not like to be picked up, hugged and kissed. The great majority of cats don’t like this.

Get a scratch and bite if you want to try it out.

It’s been a weak research and a lifetime together

And, in my reading (on Wikipedia), it struck me that the ancient Egyptians got it right. They worshipped cats: In ancient Egypt, cats were represented in social and religious scenes dating as early as 1980 BC. Several ancient Egyptian deities were depicted and sculptured with cat-like heads such as Mafdet, Bastet and Sekhmet, representing justice, fertility and power, respectively. The deity Mut was also depicted as a cat and in the company of a cat.

Well, my week-long journey into the feline soul ends with me unplugging my cameras and returning Mr. Gizmo and Miss Kitty to an unmonitored existence.

Before I do, I fire up the camera and watch the footage one last time. I see Mr. Gizmo, reaching his paw toward the all-seeing eye of a technological interloper. And me, behind the camera, striving to catch that comes from my friend as Miss Kitty climbs on me to see what I am laughing at and in the near distance Lexi watches closely.

A life with pets.