Cat Stomach Book shirt

I woke up this morning, sunshine already spilling across the floorboards of my little apartment, and reached for my phone, scrolling through the usual newsfeed of cat videos. The algorithms, bless their cold little hearts, knew their audience. It’s almost embarrassing how readily I’ll click on anything featuring a fluffy face. That’s when it hit me: I’ve been meaning to write about something, a sort of… well, it’s about the thing that sometimes gets missed in all the adorableness, the inner workings.

Cat Stomach Book shirtdescription

My own ginger tabby, Marmalade, is currently sprawled across the end of my bed, a furry orange loaf refusing to budge. He’s probably dreaming of chasing laser pointers and batting at dust bunnies. That sweet, oblivious innocence made me smile, and for some reason, the complexities of feline digestion popped into my head. I once spent a truly miserable afternoon desperately trying to decode the contents of a hairball – a less-than-pleasant but undeniably informative experience – and the entire thing got me thinking more about the details that are often overlooked.

Thinking about it now, the way their stomachs work is pretty amazing, all the acids and enzymes just doing their thing, breaking down all the bits of the critter the cats catch. It’s a marvel, really, and it’s also a part of the feline experience that doesn’t often make it into the glossy cat-themed calendars or the endless stream of online memes. It’s a very practical, if somewhat hidden, facet of these creatures. A while back, my sister’s cat, Mittens, had a sensitive stomach and the constant worry of keeping her comfortable kept my sister up at night.

The whole thing reminds me of a time I tried to cook Marmalade a special meal, trying to be a good cat parent and everything. Chicken and rice, carefully prepared, only for him to sniff it, give me this look of utter disdain, and then promptly walk away. Lesson learned: some things are best left to nature, or maybe just the dry kibble he’s obsessed with. It’s easy to focus on the cuddles and the playful antics, and there’s definitely nothing wrong with that, but there’s a certain fascination in understanding the less glamorous, more internal, stuff too.

Description for Cat Stomach Book shirt

Cat Stomach Book – that’s what I’m calling my potential masterpiece, though I’m thinking more of notes than a big publication, really. I picture it being something filled with diagrams, of sorts, maybe some little illustrations I’d draw myself. It’d be the kind of thing you’d pull out when you’re feeling a bit lost in the world, and just need a friendly, scientific distraction. The idea of writing it is kind of soothing, in its own way.

I’ll probably begin with a deep dive into the physiology, the different parts of the organ, what happens as a meal winds its way through. And, of course, the ever-present hairball: its genesis, its composition, and its inevitable appearance on your otherwise pristine rug. Maybe I’ll even include some anecdotes, the way Mittens had all those issues and how it impacted everyone. It’s going to be a fun project, and a fun way to learn something new. I’m already smiling, thinking about it.