Month: March 2012

The Day that Changed Three Lives

Author's Life| 52 Comments

tortoiseshell kitten

March 31 is an important day for Allegra, Ruby and me. On March 31, 2010, I met Allegra for the first time. The same day a year later, I met Ruby for the first time. I’m not even sure what to call this day. Meeting Day? First Look Day? At any rate, it was a day that changed three lives.

I found Allegra on the Facebook page of a lcoal animal hospital. I contacted the adoption coordinator, who told me that Allegra had just arrived at the clinic after living in a foster home, and that they didn’t really know much about her yet. I made arrangements to meet her. That March 31, I spent about an hour in an exam room with her. The photo above was taken that day. She was your typical ADHD kitten – discovering and exploring everything, whether it was a stethoscope hanging from a hook on the wall or a syringe cap on the floor.

She didn’t pay all that much attention to me, but I started to fall in love with her anyway.Continue Reading

Allegra and Ruby on bedtime rituals

Allegra's World, Ruby's Reflections| 39 Comments

tortoiseshell cats on bed

Allegra and Ruby sleep with me every night, which makes bedtime one of my favorite times of the day. Most nights, Allegra joins me first, usually within a few minutes of me going to bed. Ruby tends to be busy at night and often has mysterious Ruby things to tend to before she joins us an hour or two later. But why don’t I let them tell you about bedtime rituals at our house.

Allegra: I love when bedtimes gets near – it’s one of my favorite times of the day, too! I can tell we’re getting close when Mom brings out the toothbrush and toothpaste. She brushes Ruby’s and my teeth, and then we get a treat.

Ruby: Yay, treats! I don’t mind having my teeth brushed, but the treat is the best! It’s really big, and before I eat it, I bat it all over the house! Wee!!!

Allegra: You’re so silly chasing that treat, Ruby.Continue Reading

Sunday Purrs: Food as love, and finding your hug

Sunday Purrs| 7 Comments

cat being held in arms

Guest post by Holli Thompson

A couple of months ago, our cat, Little, became voraciously hungry.

Little is my son’s cat, and having been raised by a young boy, he’s never wanted anything other than food and my son’s love. Little comes running when my son whistles for him, and like many cats he’s always been independent.

Then something changed. Little began crying for food all day long, looking up at whomever was in the kitchen at the time, insisting loudly on being fed. “Did you feed Little?” Became the question of the day, and I began to give him little spoonfuls just to keep him quiet.Continue Reading

Sunday Purrs: Put a Stop to Anxiety

Sunday Purrs| 10 Comments

Put a Stop to Anxiety

Unease, anxiety, tension, stress, worry are caused by too much future,
and not enough presence. – Eckhart Tolle.

I’ve previously shared some simple steps to stop worrying. As with so many other things, my cats have been my greatest teachers when it comes to living in the moment, and when you do that, it’s pretty much impossible to worry. I try to listen to them whenever I find myself sliding back into my old worry habits, but when I find that I can’t break the worry cycle, then I know that there’s something else going on. And usually, that means that worry has escalated into anxiety.

Anxiety is worry’s ugly cousin. While worry happens in the thinking part of your brain, anxiety comes from the limbic system, which is responsible for our emotions. While worry and anxiety are closely related, it’s usually a little easier to short-circuit worry. Worry is  centered around something specific, whereas anxiety is a more generalized feeling of unease.Continue Reading

Ruby’s Reflections: what’s in a name?

Ruby's Reflections| 39 Comments

tortoiseshell cat in pink cat bed

Did you know that I’m a trendsetter? I didn’t, either, until one day last week, when I was sitting on Mom’s lap while she was reading a press release about the Top 10 Trendiest Cat and Dog Names. I couldn’t believe my eyes. What? You think I can’t read? Think again! Anyway, here it was, in black and white: the name Ruby made the top 10.

At first I was a little miffed. Don’t get me wrong, I love my name, but I thought I was unique and special and that no other cat in the whole world has such a beautiful name! I know Mom didn’t pick my name because it was trendy. Mom is too cool for that – she doesn’t do things just because they’re “in.” But then I thought it’s actually kind of flattering that so many other people named their cats Ruby. Just because of me! How amazing is that!Continue Reading

Allegra’s Baby

Allegra's World| 63 Comments

tortoiseshell cat with catnip toy

Allegra has a very special toy. It’s not fancy; in fact, it’s an ancient toy that actually belonged to Feebee, who has been gone for twelve years now. She dug it out of the toy basket one day, and apparently decided that it was going to be her “baby.” It’s a soft, plush little stuffed mitten with a tail that has a pompon at the end. She never actually plays with it, but yet, it’s clearly very special to her.

She picks it up and carries it around the house, chirping and singing and sometimes yowling. It sounds a bit plaintive, a sad little cry, as if she had lost something. The first time I heard it, I thought she’d hurt herself! As soon as I look for her when she does this, she drops the toy and stops, which is why I haven’t been able to get a video of her with the toy.

Amber had her own version of this special toy: a green and tan fuzzy mouse that I got for her when she first came to live with me. For the entire ten years that she was with me, that mouse was her special “baby.” Like Allegra, she’d pick it up, carry it around the house, crying and yowling. Amber would often sleep with her “baby,” something I’ve not seen Allegra do. Continue Reading

Sunday Purrs: Possibility

Sunday Purrs| 9 Comments

grey-long-haired-cat

I am where I am because I believe in all possibilities. –  Whoopi Goldberg

Guest post by Angie Bailey

As humans, we sometimes make choices based on beliefs that are self-limiting and rob us of the radiant joy we so generously deserve. Dwelling in possibility and opening ourselves to unlimited good can definitely feel a little un-comfort zone-y, but relaxing and embracing our divine infinite potential is a sure-fire key to real happiness.

One of my favorite quotations comes from inner peace guru Wayne Dyer. He talks about “having a mind that is open to everything and attached to nothing.” This means that, even if an outcome looks differently than we expected, we stay in the flow and meet it with gratitude and grace, knowing there is always possibility at every turn. And later, we are usually grateful for the turn of events.

I observe my cats doing this very thing.Continue Reading