I am stuck in a room with two cats.

Well, stuck is the wrong word. I forced myself to stay in this room to write a blog post, and my Airbnb’s two cats just happen to be in the same room with me.

One of the cats is a British shorthair called Pinot. Pinot is lazy and demanding. It likes to lie in an armchair and either sleep or stare at you with its yellow eyes.

The other is a ragdoll called Baijiu. Baijiu is curious and active. It likes to follow you around and jump on the kitchen counter when it smells something cooking.

I was in the middle of writing a serious post, but these two cats kept distracting me. One time, I looked up and Pinot was staring at me with a deathly look in his eyes. I was very amused. A few minutes later, Baijiu kept walking in circles around the room and knocked on the furniture. It was impossible to stay focused. And so, I gave up writing my post and just watched them instead.

I’ve never really observed cats up close before, so the last ten minutes have been educational. And the biggest thing I’ve learnt is that it is impossible to understand cats.

Pinot and Baijiu are very different creatures. One purrs when you scratch its head; the other shies away. One walks up when you call; the other ignores you. They are almost complete opposites to each other.

Asking “what are cats like?” is like asking “what are humans like?”. It depends. Just like people, there are smart cats, dumb cats, shy cats, outgoing cats, quiet cats and loud cats. It is impossible to generalise. To do so would be disingenuous and lazy.

The possible personalities are endless.