Take The Quiz: Are You A House Cat Homebody?

By Amy foster

February 17, 2014

By Amy foster

February 17, 2014

We had a huge storm here in Portland recently. There was a massive (for us) dumping of snow, followed by freezing rain which meant that most roads and sidewalks became giants runways of ice. Portlanders were told to stay inside. I thought this was rather lovely and certainly if I didn’t have 3 kids going mental, I am sure I would have enjoyed it very much.

People like me are often called shut-ins. As I’ve said before, though, I prefer the term house cat. I’m not really a shut-in as I do leave when I need to. My homebody tendencies aren’t debilitating, though I did go through a bout of true agoraphobia in college which I was thankfully able to conquer. Please don’t think I’m making light of a serious illness. The thing about me is that I just prefer my own house to any other place. I like my space. I like my office and my bedroom and my family room. I do love to travel, don’t get me wrong. I also dig exploring my own fabulous Portland. Is this you? If you can answer yes to more than half of the questions below, I would say… yes! Welcome to the House Cat Club!

Can you honestly say you have never suffered from Cabin Fever?
When your friends decide to spontaneously go out to dinner and ask you to join them, does your answer depend on whether or not your sweatpants are on?
Would it practically take an act of God to get you out of your sweatpants once they are on?
Can you do most of your hobbies sitting down?
Do you believe that opening a window constitutes as getting “fresh air”?
Do you not trust people who say they don’t watch television?
Are you okay with staying in one comfortable position all day, getting up only to eat and take bathroom breaks?
Do you work out only because you know if you don’t, you are more likely to die at an earlier age?
Do your friends/family complain they never see you unless they come over to your house?
Does the notion of camping make you nauseous? (Trailers and RV’s decorated by you are an exception.)
Do you count going onto your balcony or backyard as going out?
Do you count laundry, paying bills, cooking, cleaning, etc as “having a busy day”?
It is just as easy for you to stay indoors on a gorgeous, sunny day as it is on a rainy, miserable day?
Did you buy a bigger TV so that you could have that cinematic experience without having to actually go to the movies?
Does it seem like even when you do go out, you are the first to leave?
Do you feel like a bad ass if you get home after midnight?
Are you more likely to spend money on sheets and bedding than clothes?
When you think shopping, do you mostly think of getting stuff for your house?
Does the idea of someone sleeping on your couch make you a little anxious? (Couches are for sitting, not sleeping.)
On that note, does the idea of sleeping somewhere other than your bed (when not specifically traveling) also fill you with certain amount of panic?
Sometimes, when reading/sewing/binge watching a TV show/gardening/internet shopping, do hours get lost in a black hole so that an entire day or night seems to have gone by in the blink of an eye?
Are you rarely if ever bored at home?
Are you baffled by people who can’t seem to sit still or constantly feel the need to go outside to “do something”?
Do you decorate your home for holidays other than Christmas and Halloween – like Easter, Valentine’s Day or July 4th?
Do you look unusually young for your age because you have spared your face exposure to the elements-namely the sun?