What would life be without passion? I’m a quiet but passionate person. I think passion can be a good quality to have. I get interested in and excited about a lot of things. And it should be no surprise that cats are one of the things I am so passionate about.

I see this daily in the cat world. People do amazing things because of their passion about the human/cat bond. I’ve always marveled at how cats bring this out in us.

My cats help me care deeply about good things. They actually reinforce passion about life, daily. It’s not something I try to do or some way I try to be — it simply is. And that’s the beauty of it.

How do my cats bring out my passion and excitement? Here are the areas where cats work their magic in my life:

1. Love

I’ve said this before, but I think my cats have taught me how to love better. The joy and enthusiasm I feel around them is so unbridled and genuine. Having this feeling, and being aware of its strength and purity, convinced me that I had it in me to be able to maybe, just maybe, be a truly loving human. I am being serious here, and it’s a great gift from my cats.

2. Friendship

I am completely fascinated and passionate about the friendship (or whatever you call it) that I share with my cats. Otherwise, I wouldn’t write on and on about it as I do. It may not be everybody’s bag, but when you’re passionate about something, you somehow get beyond caring what any naysayers or critics think. This can also be a very good thing.

3. Rescue

My contribution to the cat rescue world has been very small, compared to many of my colleagues. Years ago, before I started paying attention to the human/animal bond, or animal welfare in general, I was only vaguely aware of issues that many people in the cat rescue world deal with daily. Rescuing a few of my own cats and working with abandoned/surrendered cats stirred my passion to help in this area to the best of my ability.

4. Healthcare and hospice

I’ve been lucky to be pretty healthy during my life. But watching and caring for cats through their entire lifespan has taught me a lot about medical care and hospice. I am very interested in treatment options and will explore many paths to try and solve a cat’s medical issue (I am sure I may have driven a few veterinarians crazy with my endless questioning). Strangely, I also have a deep passion for animal hospice. It’s never easy, but I throw myself into it completely, and hospice care for my cats has given me some of the most amazing experiences in my life.

5. Fun

Honestly (and this is strange to admit), there are times I think I would forget how to have fun were it not for my cats. Life as an adult can get pretty serious, or at least it can seem that way. But when you’ve got cats at your feet, or on your lap, doing funny things and getting your head away from the seriousness — well, how can that NOT be good? There’s something so joyful and enthusiastic about the play and fun that my cats instill in my life. I am grateful to them for this big gift.

Many of you, I am sure, are following the amazing, unfolding story of Joan and Isis. What I thought was so cool about this story was how Joan’s medical workers noticed how she glowed when she was reunited with her cat, Isis. This story itself is proof that passion and the deep joy and love we share with our cats can transcend worries, fears, even our own emotions about impending death.

There’s just a way that cats get into my heart — a way that seems to stir passion in me and make me a better person. I am forever grateful that my cats have helped me be a more alive, interesting, and passionate person.

How does your cat help you be more enthusiastic and passionate about life? Are there areas that you are passionate about thanks to your cat? Tell me in the comments!

More by Catherine Holm:

• 6 Massive Life Lessons My Cats Taught Me without Trying
• Do You Have a Velcro Cat? Here are 7 Ways to Tell
• 8 Ways I’m EXACTLY Like My Cats
• We Applaud Feline And Friends’ TNR Efforts in Vermont
• Let’s Talk — Would You Join a Grief Support Group to Mourn a Cat?
• Five Tips to Help a Friend Facing Grief After the Loss of a Cat
• Let’s Talk about Why We Love Having Multiple Cats
• How to Tell if Your Cat is a Micromanager
• Does Your Cat Remind You of Your Mother?
• Does One of Your Cats Bully the Others?
• 9 Cat Gestures that Kill Me with Cuteness EVERY Time

About Catherine Holm: Told that she is funny but doesn’t know it, accused of being an unintentional con artist by her husband, quiet, with frequent unannounced bursts into dancing liveliness, Cat Holm loves writing about, working for, and living with cats. She is the author of The Great Purr, the cat-themed memoir Driving with Cats: Ours for a Short Time, the creator of Ann Catanzaro cat fantasy story gift books, and the author of two short story collections. She loves to dance, be outside whenever possible, read, play with cats, make music, do and teach yoga, and write. Cat lives in the woods, which she loves as much as really dark chocolate, and gets regular inspiration shots along with her double espresso shots from the city.