Sunday Purrs: The Platinum Rule

Sunday Purrs| 17 Comments

Allegra close up

We’ve all heard of The Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Many of us strive to live by this rule. It implies the basic assumption that other people would like to be treated in exactly the same way you would like to be treated.

Then there’s The Platinum Rule: “Treat others the way they want to be treated.”

Think about it for a moment. The Golden Rule is all about you: you simply assume that everyone should want what you want, and you’re going to treat them accordingly. It’s all about control. This was brought home to me the other day, when Allegra gave me one of her rare lap times. Allegra is a supersweet, affectionate cat, but she does not like to sit in my lap, nor does she like to be held. As a result, the times when she does make one of her rare lap appearances are extra special. Continue Reading

Ruby’s Reflections: If I Had Thumbs…

Ruby's Reflections| 14 Comments

tortoiseshell_cat_on_window_perch

Hi everyone, it’s Ruby! The other day, Mom left the computer on with YouTube up on the screen, so Allegra and I watched a bunch of silly cat videos that made us laugh. But when we watched the famous British Cravendale Milk commercial titled “If Cats Had Thumbs” (see below) it really got me thinking! The things I could do….

If I had thumbs, I would never have to wait for Mom to feed us – I could figure out how to open the refrigerator, get our raw food out, take the lid off the container, and Allegra and I would be set. (Yes, I would share with my big sister!). No waiting for Mom to mix everything up for us. No waiting for measly little portions. I would control how much we eat!

If I had thumbs, I could get the treat bag out of the cabinet whenever I wanted! That would be so cool!Continue Reading

Sunday Purrs: Allegra on Living in the Moment

Allegra's World, Sunday Purrs| 12 Comments

Allegra_The_Conscious_Cat

I don’t understand why humans have such a hard time with what they call “living in the moment.” To us cats, it’s just living. Where else would you be, if not in this present moment? That’s where all the good stuff happens: it’s where the sunbeams are, it’s where the birds outside the window are, it’s where breakfast and dinner are. Why would you ever want to worry about what’s going to come next, or think about what already happened?

When we want to play, we play. When we want to nap, we nap. When we want to cuddle, we cuddle. I know humans have what they call “responsibilities,” the most important one, of course, being that they make sure we never run out of cat food, and I’ll concede that that requires some planning, but I thought I’d give you some pointers on how you can be more like a cat and enjoy the moment.

Sunday Purrs: Be Resourceful

Sunday Purrs| 2 Comments

tortoiseshell_cat_face

Guest post by Angie Bailey

Have you ever had that “stuck” feeling? Like you’re just not quite sure how to move forward and you’re a little afraid to move at all, for fear you’ll make the “wrong” choice? I know there have been times when I’ve found myself in that position and, honestly, at those times I felt paralyzed. Sometimes I moved ahead and sometimes — again, because of fear — I did not and I occasionally wonder what would have happened if I’d just taken a chance.

Part of the reason I felt paralyzed is because I didn’t feel like I had the resources to advance in my preferred direction. And by resources, I mean money, time, connections, equipment…all types of resources. What I’ve found is that the resources I picture in my head aren’t necessarily the resources I really have to have to move forward.

Cats completely get this. They have no sort of expectationContinue Reading

Sunday Purrs: Allegra on the Art of Hanging Out

Sunday Purrs| 16 Comments

cat_on_table

Hi everyone, it’s Allegra! It’s been a while since I got to write something here. I’ve been too busy keeping my sister Ruby in line, and making sure Mom takes breaks from work. Let me tell you, between the two of them – it can get exhausting.

If you’re wondering what’s harder – keeping an eye on Ruby, or making sure that Mom relaxes enough – well, I’d have to say it’s getting Mom to relax. I will never understand why humans have such a hard time with this concept of just hanging out, just being. I can sit for hours, either staring into space, or sleeping, and let me tell you, it feels really really wonderful!

Sometimes, I even resort to sitting in Mom’s lap to get her to relax. It seems to be the most effective wayContinue Reading

Sunday Purrs: How To Be Content

Sunday Purrs| 8 Comments

cat_on_massage_table

Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize
there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you. – Lao Tzu

When I think about what contentment looks like, I think of a purring cat. If there’s anything that illustrates happiness better, I don’t know what that would be. And it doesn’t take much for cats to be content: a sunny spot on the floor, a full tummy, a lap to curl up on – those are the ingredients for contentment when you’re a cat.

Why is it so hard for humans to reach that same state of contentment? Why do so many of us always look for the next best thing? For some people, the mindset for happiness is a never-ending cycle of always wanting more. Perhaps we’d do well to learn from our cats when it comes to mastering contentment.

Achieving a state of contentment is a mindset change and has nothing to do with making external changes to your life. Try the following:Continue Reading

Sunday Purrs: Be Your Cat

Sunday Purrs| 9 Comments

cat_in_the_sun

Our cats do have the best lives, don’t they? I often say that in my next life, I’m going to come back as one of my cats. If I did, here’s what a typical day would look like:

I wake up when I’m good and ready. I stretch, and then I slowly get up. When I walk into the kitchen, breakfast is being prepared for me, and served on my favorite blue dish. After breakfast, I make the rounds of the house, and take a look out the windows to make sure nothing has changed while I was sleeping. After all that activity, it’s time for a nice long nap. The biggest decision: where to take that nap? It may be a bit of a toss up between a sunny spot on the rug, and the lap of the human I love most in this world. Most days, the lap will win.

After my nap, I wake up to find that the human is in the kitchen. Excellent! This must mean more food. Treats are immediately forthcoming. Then I get a nice massage, and my fur is being brushed until it shines. Now it’s decision time again: birdwatching? Playing? Another nap? Continue Reading