Sunday Purrs: the culture of fear

Sunday Purrs| 20 Comments

Sunday Purrs: the culture of fear

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

Sunday Purrs: When Work Becomes Play

Sunday Purrs| 8 Comments

Richard_Branson_work_and_play_quote

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

Remembering Buckley

Author's Life| 36 Comments

Buckley relaxing

It has been four years since Buckley’s passing. She died on November 28, 2008, which was the Friday after Thanksgiving that year. Rather than observing her anniversary on the actual date, I will always mark this event on Thanksgiving weekend. Even though I still miss her every day, after four years, the sadness is tempered by appreciation and gratitude for the amazing changes she has brought to my life, and, through her book, to the lives of so many others.

Without her, I might not have become a writer. Without her, The Conscious Cat might not exist. Even though Amber inspired this site, its original purpose, in addition to sharing my passion for and knowledge about cat health, was to build a following prior to publishing Buckley’s Story. Most importantly, without her, my heart might not have been opened to the many wonderful lessons she taught me during her brief time with me.

Those of you who have read Buckley’s Story already know Continue Reading

Happy Thanksgiving 2012

Author's Life| 13 Comments

Happy Thanksgiving
from
Allegra, Ruby and Ingrid

I try to be thankful year round, but I do spend a little extra time on Thanksgiving to really reflect on what I’m thankful for. Of course, Allegra and Ruby top the list – and I shared the rest of my Thanksgiving ABC on Sunday.

What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?

We’re celebrating Thanksgiving on The Conscious Cat Facebook page, too: post photos of your Thanksgiving kitties, and tell us why you’re thankful for them.

Sunday Purrs: Thanksgiving ABC’s 2012

Author's Life, Sunday Purrs| 17 Comments

Thanksgiving cats turkey cute

Thursday is Thanksgiving here in the United States. As we’re looking forward to spending time with family and friends and dreaming of turkey dinners, I think it’s important not to lose sight of the true meaning of the holiday: a time to count one’s blessings. Three years ago, I started my tradition of making a “Thanksgiving ABC’s” list. Some of the items on the list repeat year after year, others are new.

Here is this year’s list of what I’m thankful for:

A: Allegra

B: Books

C: Cats

D: DessertContinue Reading

Sunday Purrs: Random Acts of Kindness

Sunday Purrs| 17 Comments

cat_on_window_perch

 My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness. – The Dalai Lama 

Have you ever been the recipient of a random act of kindness? Maybe someone let you go ahead in the grocery store line because you only had one item. The driver in the car ahead of you at the toll booth paid your toll. A friend you haven’t talked to in a while called for no reason at all. If you’ve been on the receiving end of such an act of kindess, you know how wonderful it feels.

Research suggests that positive emotions help contribute to better physical and emotional health. Kindness is a beautiful way to supercharge your health. Kindness is a quality that I look for in almost every person I form any kind of relationship with – it matters that much to me. Kindness to cats, and all animals, is the most important to me, but kindness to other human beings is a close second. One of my pet peeves: people who are unkind to waiters or other service personnel.

I found myself thinking a lot about kindness this past week, as I was watching all the coverage about Hurricane SandyContinue Reading

Sunday Purrs: a few more words about Hurricane Sandy

Sunday Purrs| 20 Comments

Ruby_Cat_Crib_hammock

Last Sunday night, we told you we were ready for the approaching storm. We had stocked up on emergency supplies, including canned food for Allegra and Ruby in case their raw food went bad in the event of a power outage, and chocolate for me in case – well, because you need chocolate when life gets stressful. We had Storm Soother and Stress Stopper on hand. We were as ready as you can ever be for something like this.

By the time we woke up Monday morning, it was raining heavily. The forecast was for the rain and wind to increase steadily throughout the day, with the worst to come in the afternoon and into the night. I decided to venture out for my weekly Pilates session in the morning, followed by lunch with a friend. I needed the distraction from worrying, not to mention the exercise. The roads were already deserted, and many businesses were either already shut down, or closing early. By the time I got home a couple of hours later, the wind had started to pick up in earnest.

I expected to find Allegra downstairs, in or near her safe spaceContinue Reading

A word about Hurricane Sandy

Author's Life| 30 Comments

Allegra, Ruby and the maple tree

What a difference a few days make. This photo shows Allegra and Ruby relaxing in our sunny bedroom last Wednesday. This evening, we’re preparing for the arrival of Hurricane Sandy. Right now, it’s just raining a little, but we’re supposed to get high winds and heavy rain starting Monday morning, and lasting into Tuesday evening. Other areas to the east and north of us are expecting even worse conditions.

We’re as ready as you can ever be for an event like this. I only just returned from Atlanta last night, where I spent a fun-filled three days at Barkworld 2012, a social networking conference for pet businesses. I was a little nervous about not being able to prepare for the storm, especially after I saw numerous photos of bare store shelves on Twitter. When I arrived home, I found that a dear friend had stopped by and dropped off a large case of bottled water and batteries for me. I think it was quite possibly the most thoughtful thing anyone has ever done for me! This morning, I brought in all my deck furniture, cleaned up the leaves so they wouldn’t clog up the drains, and went in search of ice and non-perishable food.

Since Allegra and Ruby are raw-fed kitties, I stocked up on grain-free canned food in case we loose power and the frozen raw food goes bad.Continue Reading

Nutra-Thrive-Cat

Sunday Purrs: The Benefits of Stretching

Sunday Purrs| 6 Comments

cat_stretching

Stretching is an important part of healthy living: benefits range from increased flexibility and mobility to better athletic performance and decreased risk of injury. A regular stretching program has been part of my daily routine for more than 30 years. I’ve had minor back problems ever since I was a young adult, and twice daily stretching exercises have most likely helped save my back again and again.

And who better to teach us the importance of stretching than our cats? Have you ever seen a cat get up from a nap without thoroughly stretching first?

Stretching is actually an instinctive activity: most people stretch without having to be reminded before they get out of bed. It appears that our bodies naturally protect us from injuring ourselves by moving too fast after a period of inactivity. Depending on your age, and what kind of physical condition you’re in, you may find that even getting up from being seated at your desk for a long period of time will result in aches and pains unless you stretch first.Continue Reading