Even if you’ve never heard the phrase “cat distribution system,” I bet you still know what it is! In fact, it’s probably happened to you. Somehow, through some twist of fate, you wound up with a cat when you never intended on getting one.
Origins
The phrase “cat distribution system” is still new. It first appeared on TikTok in November, 2022 when user @hermes.the.cynic explained it. For years, my human just referred to it as “cats happen.” And that’s how she wound up with most of the cats in her life — plus a couple she didn’t keep but wound up distributing to someone else. In fact, her most beloved cat, other than me, she found right on the street in classic CDS fashion.
Cats Happen
She was walking home from a music festival in San Pedro, and there was a kitten playing with some kids. Of course, it didn’t belong to any of them, and it wound up sleeping on her lap all the way home to Los Feliz, where she lived at the time. She didn’t want a cat. In fact, she already had one at home (something that annoyed the new interloper to no end). But it didn’t matter. The cat distribution system had spoken. Harlot (the only name the two-month old calico answered to) was in my human’s life for the next 15 years.
The cat distribution system echoes that element of fate that always seems to match cats with humans. Unlike dogs, where humans tend to put in some preparation, cats just appear out of nowhere. Or they get foisted on people because of circumstance — moving, deaths, or a myriad of other life changes.
Not All Fun and Light
But the cat distribution system does come with a dark side: it paints cats as disposable. Because often the cat taken in has somehow been discarded or abandoned. It also paints cats as low maintenance (and you know how I feel about that). It assumes that someone can take a cat home without any sort of necessities at the ready, or knowledge about how to care for this creature that “just happened.” There’s also the fact that there are many, many more stray and discarded cats and kittens than there are people to take them in.
So the cat distribution system, in spite of its aura of magic and kismet, has its flaws. Its one truth, however, contains a valuable lesson for anyone considering adding a cat (or another cat) to their lives.
The Truth Behind the Cat Distribution System
The common thread of cats that “happen” is that they seem to have chosen the people they wind up with. And that’s really the best way to judge whether you should take a cat home: Is the cat choosing you? Because cats are much closer to their honesty than humans are. Humans tend to be wrapped up in thoughts and ideas that cloud their instincts. So it’s up to the cat to decide for them. Usually the cat knows what’s best.
So what do you think of the cat distribution system? Is it real? Do you have your own story to tell? Let’s discuss it in the comments.
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