Expert Advice on Cat Health, Nutrition and Lifestyle.
We want you to show us your green today! If your cats are celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, share your photos on The Conscious Cat Facebook page.
Sunday Purrs will return next week.
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
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
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
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
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:
Hi everyone, it’s Ruby! I have a big job: I’m Mom’s office assistant. Allegra helps, too, but I’m the one who sits in Mom’s lap most of the time while she’s working, so even though Allegra and I came up with this job description for office cats together, I get to present it to you.
Description: Feline Office Assistant
Feline Office Assistant Job Purpose: Assist human in maintaining hindering office operations by receiving and distributing communications laying on important papers; maintaining batting around supplies and sitting on equipment, paying particular attention to this thing called “mouse;” picking-up and delivering items (which means batting them to the furthest corner of the office); serving customers, training the human to serve.
Feline Office Assistant Job Duties:
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
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:
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.