Pretty Litter

Sunday Purrs: The Value of Sleep

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We are a sleep deprived society. According to the National Sleep Foundation, we’ve managed to squeeze almost a month of additional work and commuting time into each year. Meanwhile, we’ve sacrificed 2 hours of sleep every night in order to keep up with the increased demands of our fast paced lives. On average, adults are  now sleeping only 7 hours per night as opposed to the 8 hours sleep specialists recommend.

I’m all about learning from our cats, and they are no slouches when it comes to sleeping. The average cat sleeps between 12 and 16 hours a day. And since you don’t see cats stressing out over their to do lists, they must know something we don’t.

While I’m not suggesting that you should strive to sleep 12 to 16 hours a day, I’m betting that many of you don’t even get the recommended 8 hours most nights. Here are some tips that can help you sleep better:Continue Reading

Sunday Purrs: Healthy Cats, Healthy Human

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My cats’ health and happiness is more important to me than just about anything else in my life. I spend a lot of time researching cat health topics, not just for Allegra and Ruby, but also to be able to bring you the latest information on how to keep your feline family members happy and healthy.

As a result of my strong interest in cat health, I also do a lot of research into human health and nutrition. The two go hand in hand for me. I’ve always eaten a reasonably healthy diet. I believe in moderation. While I eat mostly vegetarian, I do eat some fish and seafood, and I’ll even ocassionally indulge myself with some red meat.

My biggest challenge is my wicked sweet tooth. I grew up in Germany, a country with the lovely tradition of the daily afternoon “Kaffee and Kuchen” (coffee and cake) break. It’s a time when Germans take a mid-afternoon break to indulge in a little sweet treat and some conversation with friends or co-workers. When I worked at IBM Germany in the early 80’s, Kaffee and Kuchen break in the company cafeteria was a tradition that was never messed with, no matter how tight a project’s deadlines might have been.Continue Reading

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A Pet’s Loss Once Removed Is a Loss No Less

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As a Reiki Practitioner, I rarely work with young, healthy animals. Most of my feline and canine clients suffer from degenerative diseases such as arthritis, kidney disease, or diabetes. Some are terminally ill. Reiki can help bring healing and balance to these animals by reducing stress, providing pain relief, alleviating side effects of conventional treatments, and strengthening the immune system.

Reiki can be especially beneficial for animals suffering from a terminal illness. I even offer joint treatments for pet and guardian. Often, animals will not allow themselves to transition because they intuitively feel that their person is not ready to let them go. Joint Reiki treatments for the pet and his or her person can help both through this difficult time by enhancing the bond and allowing a gentle transition.

Unfortunately, working with older animals and hospice patients also makes it inevitable that eventually, I’m going to lose these clients. The experience of losing an animal client is unique. It’s different from losing my own cats, but it hurts nevertheless.Continue Reading

Sunday Purrs: New Year’s Resolutions

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Last week, I wrote about New Year’s resolutions to keep your cats happy and healthy. Today, let’s talk about New Year’s resolutions in general. Most people make them. There’s just something irresistible about a new year with its blank slate. The idea of a fresh start has great appeal. Then why is it that year after year, most New Year’s resolutions get broken by the end of January?

I think it’s because there’s an inherent flaw in the term “resolution.” According to Merriam Webster, the definition of resolution is “the act of determining.” There’s nothing there that says we’re actually going to do something. This is why I prefer to set New Year’s intentions. The definition of intention is “a determination to act in a certain way.” The difference is subtle, but one (intention) implies that we are actually determined to do something differently, whereas the other (resolution) simply states that we’ve decided to change something.Continue Reading

Allegra and Ruby’s Excellent Christmas

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Where is this Santa dude Mom has been telling us about? 

 

This was Ruby’s first Christmas at our house. After the last three years of bittersweet Christmases, I was looking forward to a happy Christmas and to making new memories. As you’ll see in the photos below, the girls had a great time. I was too busy enjoying watching them to take a lot of pictures, but I’ll share the ones I have!

We opened our presents on Christmas Eve. But first, Allegra and Ruby got a little taste of eggnogg.

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Ruby’s Reflections: Ruby and the Stink Bug, Part Two

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It’s been a while since I got myself in trouble, but you knew it was only going to be a question of time. Some of you may remember my stink bug adventure from back in October. Yup, you guessed it. I found another one of those creepy little bugs. We had some really warm weather here last week, so maybe he thought it was safe to come out. Little did he know that not only would he have to deal with SuperKitten (aka, me!), he also had to deal with AvengerWoman (Mom).

See, when Mom saw me play with the stink bug, she went ballistic. I guess she still remembered how sick I got after I ate the last one, and she didn’t want that to happen again. She grabbed the bug out from under my nose! I was only playing with him, I wasn’t about to eat him. I’m smarter than that! I remember how awful that first one tasted! I was just having fun!Continue Reading

Sunday Purrs: Miracles and Second Chances

Cats come to us in many different ways. Sometimes, we go looking for them. Other times, they find us when we may not even have realized that we were lost. And sometimes, a cat comes to us through what can only be called a miracle.

Three years ago today, such a miracle took place for a stray cat and a friend of mine. I shared the story here on The Conscious Cat two years ago, and I’d like to share it again today. It’s a story of how some encounters are just meant to be. It’s a story of the perseverance of the feline spirit. And it’s a story of the miracles that can happen when we open our hearts.

But why don’t I let my friend tell the story.Continue Reading

Allegra’s World: A Visit From the Vet

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I had quite an exciting morning on Monday. All morning long, Mom told me that I would have a very special visitor. I couldn’t wait: I love visitors! When the doorbell finally rang, I sat at the top of the stairs, telling Mom to hurry and open the door. I would do it myself, but I know better. Mom says I’m not allowed to run down the stairs toward the door, or she won’t open it.

Anyway, this nice man came in, and I immediately went to say hello. He held out his hand and let me sniff it, and then he petted me. I like good manners in a visitor. I showed him the way to our living room – I’m a good hostess! Then the door bell rang again. Another visitor? What a great day! The young woman who came in was really nice, too. I liked her right away.

The man had a bag and a strange looking plastic tray with him, and as soon as he put them on the dining room table, I went over to check them out. The bag smelled very interesting.Continue Reading

Sunday Purrs: Holiday Favorites

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Last week, we talked about holiday traditions. This week, I wanted to talk about some holiday favorites of mine, and hear about yours. I also needed a good excuse to share this photo of Ruby in front of our now fully decorated Christmas tree. Much to my surprise, neither Ruby nor Allegra have shown much interest in the tree, so I got daring and hung the rest of the ornaments. So far so good!

Here are some of my holiday favorites:

Favorite song: Do They Know It’s Christmas by Band Aid (I’m really dating myself with this one!)

Favorite movie: Bill Murray’s Scrooged

Favorite cd: Christmas Eve and Other Stories by Trans-Siberian OrchestraContinue Reading