How Cats Find Their Owners

A month after losing her beloved senior cat, a woman named Amin Diane was parked on a street at night, waiting for her friend.

- Heidi Crabtree

It was a small town, in a quiet area. Out of nowhere, a small cat walked toward her car. Diane "sensed" her cat's presence and opened her car door to see that this cat looked exactly like the cat that had passed. She petted this kitty, noticed that it was happy to see her, and felt that this was her pet coming back to let her say goodbye.

Diane even called this strange kitty by her deceased cat's name and talked to it for a bit, then thanked it for coming to her to say goodbye. It turned and walked back off into the night.

Was this experience wishful thinking? Certainly, to anyone experiencing something similar (and there are countless of us who do), it was a fantastical event. Before skeptics brush it off, take a moment to remember how many ailurophiles believe we don't pick our cats: our cats pick us. Isn't that a bit on the paranormal side as well? The definition of "paranormal," according to The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, is: "Beyond the range of normal experience or scientific explanation." Scientists can explain just about anything asked of them, except, "What makes cats tick?" Tom Scocca wrote about a childhood cat. It only became his pet because its prettier littermates were adopted, and Scocca opined, "We get the cat the world gives us." Is that random, or does this mean that the cosmos actually chooses for us? How could an animal "pick" its owner? Let's examine some facts ...

Cats like schedules. If their routine or home is rearranged, or something is added or removed, they often rebel in one way or another.

Can they pick up on whether a particular human is as rigid as they are? Maybe mine picked me because I'm a bit more relaxed with schedules, matching their personalities. I've never had one act out despite several Army moves, multi-day car rides, and hotel stays.