Sunday Purrs

February 10, 2013

Sunday Purrs: Allegra on Happiness

Purring would seem to be, in her case, an automatic safety-valve device for
dealing with happiness overflow. – Monica Edwards

Two weeks ago, we tried to answer the question “what is happiness?” At that time, Ruby got to share her definition. Today, it’s Allegra’s turn.

In Allegra’s World, happiness is:

Sleeping on top of the cable box. What a fabulous invention, and how thoughtful of Mom to provide it for me.
Sleeping on my sunny window perch (do you see a theme here).
Breakfast, dinner, treats – I love all forms of food. And cheese! I love it when Mom shares a piece of cheese with me!
Snuggling up against Mom in bed at night.Continue Reading

February 3, 2013

Sunday Purrs: Yoga for You and Your Cat

Sunday Purrs| 1 Comment

Guest post by Paige Guthrie Hodges

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past few decades you’ve no doubt heard about the benefits of yoga. Our overall health and well being can thrive with a regular yoga practice, but did you ever stop and ponder how your feline friends can reap the rewards as well? Just the mere possibility is enough to make one roll out the yoga mat and start practicing some serious downward facing cat poses!

Cats are the ultimate yogis and they certainly don’t need us to mentor them in the art of relaxation, meditation, or how to stretch their bodies. They do, however, need us to create the ideal home environment so we can support them in being the little yogis they were meant to be.

Yoga is the purr-fect practice for investing in you while also benefitting Kitty at the same time. Continue Reading

January 27, 2013

Sunday Purrs: Ruby on Happiness

Sunday Purrs| 14 Comments

Happiness does not light gently on my shoulder like a butterfly.
She pounces on my lap, demanding that I scratch behind her ears. –Anonymous

What is happiness? The answer to this broad question is, of course, subjective, although I’d say for most of us, the above quote captures its meaning purr-fectly.

Today, Ruby would like to share her definition.

In Ruby’s world, happiness is:

sitting in Mom’s lap while she’s working, watching tv, reading, or any other time. Mom’s lap is the best place on earth!
playing with my sister. I especially like chasing her around the house.
watching the birds on our deck. I just know that one day, I’ll actually manage to catch one!Continue Reading

January 20, 2013

Sunday Purrs: Take Time For Yourself

Sunday Purrs| 11 Comments

Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take
between two deep breaths. – Etty Hillesum

We all have busy lives, and there are days when it feels like we’ll never get everything done. For most people, the first thing to fall by the wayside during busy times is time for yourself. I’ve never met a cat who says”I’m too busy to take a moment to stretch in the sun.” Why can’t we be more cat like when it comes to taking care of ourselves?

The following ten tips can help you carve out some time for yourself even when the world is screaming for your attentionime. I offer this thought to you: you can’t afford not to take the time. Your sanity, and your health, may depend on it.

Say no to anything that’s not important. I’ve always liked Steven Covey’s system of sorting items on your to do list into urgent, important, not urgent, and not important categories. Surprisingly, it’s the items in the “important but not urgent” quadrant, not the things that are “urgent and important,” that should receive your greatest attention. For example, daily playtime with your cats is important but not urgent. Feeding your cats, however, is important and urgent! For a more detailed (and less cat-centric) explanation of Covey’s important/urgent matrix, visit Practice This or go straight to the source and read Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
Ask for help. Frequently, people who are constantly busyContinue Reading

January 13, 2013

Sunday Purrs: Fuzzy Resolutions

Sunday Purrs| 9 Comments

Guest post by Angie Bailey

I’m not really one for New Year’s resolutions. I guess I believe in intentions that can change in any moment. I don’t need to wait until New Year’s Eve to decide what’s important to me and set goals for myself. But since many people use the new year as a kickoff point, I thought I’d once again look to my wise felines for cues as to what I’d like to intend for myself in the new year.

Be present with one thing at a time

I know I’m a good multi-tasker, but that doesn’t mean it’s always a great attribute. Sometimes when I’m busy with one activity, I’m thinking about something else. Cats are laser-focused on whatever they currently have their paws on, and when they’re finished, they move on to the next thing. Presence is something for which I constantly strive. Keeping one browser tab open at a time on the computer is a start. It’s way too easy to pop over to Facebook and waste some major time when I have an article deadline. I can find myself easily distracted — and that does nothing for my time management or presence. Cats don’t care about multi-tasking, tabs or time management — they just live in the flow, which is an excellent example for all of us.

Stare into space more oftenContinue Reading

January 6, 2013

Sunday Purrs: How Are Your New Year’s Resolutions Holding Up?

Sunday Purrs| 6 Comments

The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. – Lao Tzu

The new year is only five days old today. How are your New Year’s resolutions holding up?

I’m all about reinventing yourself, and finding your bliss, and the clean slate of a new year seems to be as good a time for it as any. And therein probably lies one of the reasons why so many New Year’s resolution fail. Why only pick January 1 to change your life? You can change your life on any given day – it’s YOUR choice, YOUR time.

I stopped making New Year’s resolutions a few years ago. Since I still like the idea of a “fresh start” a new year offers, I set New Year’s intentions instead. I think New Year’s resolutions are destined to fail, because there’s an inherent flaw in the term “resolution.”Continue Reading

December 30, 2012

Sunday Purrs: declutter your life before the New Year

Sunday Purrs| 19 Comments

The week between Christmas and New Year can be a good time to clear the clutter from your life – and that includes both physical and mental clutter.

The physical surroundings we live in every day in our homes, offices and cars have a strong impact on us. Cluttered environments drain your energy. Just think about the last time you organized a drawer or cleaned your car – do you remember how accomplished you felt, and how you were able to approach the rest of your day from a much lighter perspective? That’s because you released stagnant, cluttered energy.

Allegra, Ruby and I have been working on decluttering for the past few days. Continue Reading

December 23, 2012

Sunday Purrs: holiday memories

Sunday Purrs| 20 Comments

Cats and Christmas trees can make for a challenging combination, but I love the holiday season, and one of my favorite parts has always been the annual decorating of the Christmas tree. Until the tree is up, it just doesn’t feel like Christmas to me, and even though it’s been a little more challening for the past couple of years with two young cats, I’ve made it work.

I’ve collected ornaments for the past thirty some years, and inevitably, bringing out the ornaments each year leads to a lovely, if sometimes bittersweet, trip down memory lane. I grew up in Germany, and traditionally, our Christmas tree was not decorated until Christmas Eve. As a small child, I was not allowed into the living room while the tree was being decked out in its holiday glory. I can still remember the eager and impatient anticipation of the moment when my parents would ring a small brass bell that hung on the tree, and I could finally enter the room. It was pure magic each time. The tree was decorated with multi-colored glass balls, sparkling tinsel, and real candles – something that we can’t even imagine in these safety conscious times we live in.

When I moved to the United States in my mid-twenties, I was introduced to the traditionContinue Reading

December 9, 2012

Sunday Purrs: Embrace the season

Sunday Purrs| 7 Comments

Guest post by Angie Bailey

In Minnesota, it’s officially cold outside and the holiday season is in full swing. This time of year, I sometimes find myself complaining about the frigid temperatures and stressing about my massive Christmas card list, buying the perfect gifts, and baking 120 dozen treats. OK, I’m exaggerating a bit about the treats, but you get the point. Meanwhile, my cats leisurely nap under the tree, snuggle in cozy blankets and romp in and out of gift boxes. What’s wrong with this picture? Clue: It’s not the ones rolling around on crinkly wrapping paper.

First of all, let’s talk weather. Living in the Upper Midwest means several months of the year will present less-than-tropical temps. We can choose to whine through the inevitable or we can look for the snow cloud’s silver lining. My cats love the seasonal opportunity to press their entire bodies flat against heating vents. Continue Reading

December 2, 2012

Sunday Purrs: the culture of fear

Sunday Purrs| 20 Comments

Let go of fear, embrace change, and move toward joy. – Buckley

Fear is a normal response to a threatening stimulus or situation. Without the fear response, neither cats nor humans would survive. Fear prepares us for fight or flight. While our domesticated cats don’t often deal with fear of survival in their environment, some of these fears may be hardwired. The good news is that, with proper support from their guardians, cats can get over their fears. Allegra used to be terrified of bad weather, but has come a long way in the past year in overcoming her fears.

But what happens when fear becomes a part of our daily lives?

We live in a culture of fear. There has never been a time when people have been afraid of so much. Three out of four Americans say they feel more fearful today Continue Reading

November 25, 2012

Sunday Purrs: When Work Becomes Play

Sunday Purrs| 8 Comments

I nabbed the photo above from Richard Branson’s Facebook page because I loved the quote so much. And okay, I couldn’t help embellish it a little, because how cool would it be if Allegra and Ruby actually got to hang with Richard Branson?

But back to the quote. I consider myself fortunate that I love what I do for a living, and much of my work feels like play. I love working from home, and being my own boss. But with all this freedom come some challenges when it comes to what is known in popular parlance as “work life balance.” I can’t remember the last time I worked an eight hour day, and I definitely can’t remember the last time when I took an entire weekend off. But does it really matter, when I love my work?

Richard Branson’s quote made me realize that it doesn’t. Continue Reading