1. Sleep

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I'm rather fond of sleep. In fact, if sleeping were an Olympic sport, I'd be up there on the podium collecting gold for England (as long as they put a bed up there, of course). So I rather envy the cat's ability to spend most of the day curled up, nose tucked in, snoozing away without a care in the world.

According to experts at the Cornell Feline Health Center, adult cats spend an average of 12 to 16 hours a day sleeping to conserve energy. Their daily nap schedule is truly enviable!

Key feline comfort habits include:

2. Food

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They might catch the occasional mouse (or in the case of my cat, cockroach, although she doesn't eat them), but cats have it easy where food is concerned. They don't have to go to the supermarket, prepare food, or cook it, it just lands on their plate with no effort involved on their part whatsoever.

Whether it is premium wet food or gourmet treats, pampered felines simply meow at their bowl and expect room service. As organizations like the ASPCA note, a balanced feline diet is essential for health, but from the cat's perspective, it is pure royal treatment delivered daily without working for a paycheck.

3. Housework

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As if! They leave hair everywhere, never clean up after themselves, and do they take their turn cleaning the bathroom? Do they heck! No, we do all the work, sweep up litter scatter, vacuum fur off couches, and clean up the mess they make without receiving a single dime in rent.

While humans spend hours scrubbing floors and folding laundry, cats relax on freshly cleaned blankets. If you want to see how their effortless lifestyle compares to their snoozing routines, you quickly realize housework is entirely off their radar.

4. Private Healthcare

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I can't afford private healthcare, yet my moggy gets taken to a private vet (yes, I know there's no such thing as a public vet, except for a few charity clinics). She doesn’t pay for it either. Kind of ironic though, that most humans have to use the public system where they exist.

Annual checkups, vaccinations, tooth cleanings, and specialized diets are all funded entirely by their human guardians. The American Veterinary Medical Association highlights how regular veterinary care keeps pets thriving, and cats get top-tier preventative medical attention handed to them for free.

5. Servants

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As the saying goes, dogs have owners, cats have servants. Their human servants do everything for them: opening doors, scooping litter boxes, fluffing pillows, and providing lap warmth on demand. And what do they do for us in return? Well, plenty of affection and purrs, but only on their own strict terms when they feel like granting an audience.

6. Exercise

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Dogs have so much energy that they have to be taken for long walks in rain or shine to work it off. Once past the kitten stage, however, the feline exercise routine need consist of nothing more than changing position on the couch before going back to sleep.

An occasional 3:00 AM burst of speed down the hallway—commonly known as the zoomies—is about as intense as cat cardio gets. After such vigorous activity, they immediately head right back to their favorite spot for more uninterrupted sleep.

7. Entertainment

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Again, no effort is involved on the cat’s part. Humans are endlessly willing to entertain their feline by making fools of themselves crawling around on the floor, throwing feather toys, and trailing pieces of string across the carpet. The cat simply sits back and thinks ‘Keep going … but don’t expect me to join in unless I feel inspired.’

Organizations like The Humane Society emphasize how interactive toys keep indoor cats mentally stimulated, but felines view it as their personal comedy show hosted by their humans.

8. Possessions

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Everything belongs to the cat. He will occupy most of the king-sized bed while you get squashed into a tiny corner. He will resent it if you try to move him from his favorite armchair so that you can sit down, so don’t even try. No matter that you pay for everything, what’s yours is his—and what’s his is definitely not yours.

Who wouldn’t want to be a cat, when you look at things this way? Of course, not all animals are that fortunate (let’s hope that one day there are much fewer unwanted animals in the world), but they all deserve a good home, and to be loved and pampered like this. What else makes you think that the cat has it good?