Sunday Purrs: learn to be patient

Sunday Purrs| 10 Comments

tortoiseshell_cat

Everything that slows us down and forces patience, everything that sets us back
into the slow circles of nature, is a help.  – May Sarton

Patience has never been my strong suit. My mother used to tease me about being impatient when I was little, and apparently, I haven’t changed much since then, because being patient is still a challenge for me. Oddly enough, I became a writer. If there’s anything that requires more patience than sitting in front of a blank screen, waiting to turn it into a book, I don’t know what is. For some reason, I can be patient with the writing process, but in other situations, I find it challenging.

Patience comes with wisdom, and you can learn to be more patient. Ironically, it takes patience to learn to be patient. The following tips can help:

Identify your triggers. Figure out what sets you off. Is it something a family member or co-worker does? Do you become impatient in certain situations, such as being on hold? For some people, physical triggers such as hunger, fatigue or thirst can trigger impatience. Continue Reading

Allegra and Ruby: good office help is hard to find

Allegra's World, Ruby's Reflections| 17 Comments

cat_computer_desk

My office is my favorite room in my house  – which is a good thing, since I spend so much time in it! I have a big, white corner desk, a window with a beautiful view of the trees in my backyard, book shelves filled with treasured books and mementoes ,and a comfortable chair in one corner, which serves as meditation chair, editing chair, proofreading chair, and, of course, kitty cuddling chair.

Allegra and Ruby in office

Since I spend most of my day in my office, it’s not surprising that Allegra and Ruby do, too. They both like to hang out on the window perch next to my desk. They also like to help me work. You didn’t think I get all this writing done all by myself, did you?

As you can see in the photo at the very top, Allegra likes to sit right in front of my monitor. Continue Reading

Sunday Purrs: Forgiveness

Sunday Purrs| 14 Comments

Allegra_tortoiseshell_cat_at_window

Guest post by Angie Bailey

The compassion of true forgiveness is the state of grace necessary to move forward with peace in our lives. Whether it’s forgiveness for others who we feel have wronged us or toward ourselves for self-directed resentments, nothing physically, mentally, emotionally or spiritually positive can arise from grudge-holding.

Cats have taught me a lot about forgiveness and unconditional love. Some mornings I’ve watched myself racing around, running late for work, completely ignoring my cat’s obvious affection-sharing efforts. When I arrive home later in the day, he’s completely forgotten the previous morning as we settle in for a sweet snuggle. In these types of situations, I’m much harder on myself than he is on me. I feel badly for not giving him the attention he wants and think about it during the day, sometimes telling myself I can be a better cat-mom. Does this persistent negative thinking serve anything? No. Certainly we can learn from our actions, but we absolutely don’t need to belabor scenarios for which we cannot go back and re-live.Continue Reading

Sunday Purrs: the power of surrender

Sunday Purrs| 18 Comments

cat_on_sunny_sofa

Surrender is faith that the power of love can accomplish anything…
even when you cannot foresee the outcome. – Deepak Chopra

I admit it: I’m a control freak. I like predictability, consistency, and routine. Maybe that’s one of the many reasons why I love cats so much. They tend to thrive on those things, too. I often waste time trying to control, plan and prevent things that I can’t possibly control, plan and prevent. My cats don’t do this. Despite the fact that they’re creatures of habit, they seem to be much better at going with the flow.

This was really brought home to me during our recent two-day power outage. While I was stressed about not having air conditioning, internet access and refrigerated or cooked food, Allegra and Ruby simply went about their usual business. They trusted that they would be fed, loved and cared for, whether the power was on or not.

Given that we live in a world that’s anything but predictable, wanting to be in control of the universe can be frustrating, not to mention futile. Continue Reading

Sunday Purrs: what has your cat taught you about life?

Sunday Purrs| 31 Comments

Buckley_cat_office_chair

I have always believed that cats come into our lives to teach us. First and foremost, they teach us about unconditional love. But they also teach us to stretch and grow, to reach beyond our self-imposed limits, and to expand our consciousness.

I’ve been blessed that I got to share my life with the original feline master teacher, Buckley, and the original conscious cat, Amber. Both of these cats changed my life in ways I never could have imagined.

And both inspired books. Many of you have already read Buckley’s Story. I’m currently working on a new book which will feature Amber, and will be both a prequel and sequel to Buckley’s Story. You’ll be hearing more about it very soon!

Buckley’s and Amber’s lessons ranged fromContinue Reading

Allegra and Ruby like it hot

Allegra's World, Ruby's Reflections| 23 Comments

cat_stretched_out_on_sofa

Their mom, not so much. Actually, I do like hot weather and don’t mind temps in the 90’s – but not when those 90’s are inside my house.

We were affected by the massive power outage that hit the Mid Atlantic after a severe storm known as a “derecho,” a term I don’t ever want to see in a weather report again, came through here this past Friday night. But why don’t I let the girls tell you what happened.

Allegra: Friday night, we were all snuggled up in bed with Mom, and I had just started to drift off to sleep when out of nowhere, this rush of wind hit the side of the house. It felt like the whole house was shaking!

Ruby: Wha? What’s happening? I was sleeping!

Allegra: I jumped off the bed and ran to my safe place.

Ruby: Mom? Why are you getting up? We just went to bed!Continue Reading

Happy 4th of July 2012

Author's Life| 12 Comments

4th_of_July_cats

Happy Independence Day 
from
Allegra, Ruby and Ingrid 

Please keep your cats safe during the festivities. A cat’s sense of hearing is much more acute than ours, and so the noises are much more intent for them. Add to that the lack of understanding of what is going on and you can have a very scared cat on your hands. Here are some tips for helping your cat cope with fireworks, thunderstorms, and other loud noises:

  • Create a safe space for your cat. If you’re having a party, unless your cat is very social and doesn’t mind a lot of commotion, keep her confined to a quiet bedroom. Put her favorite blanket, bed or toys in with her, along with a litter box and fresh water. Shut the curtains and drapes and turn on lights to lessen the flash of the fireworks.Continue Reading

Sunday Purrs: Just for Today

Sunday Purrs| 8 Comments

Reiki_cat

Reiki is an energy therapy that originated in Japan. The word Reiki (pronounced “ray-key”) is a Japanese composite word usually translated as “universal life energy”. It is based on the idea that all living beings have life energy flowing through them. When life energy is high, you, or your cats, are healthy and balanced, more relaxed and less likely to get sick. When it is low, cats and humans alike will be more easily affected by stress and less resistant to illness. Reiki helps return the body to its natural state of balance and well-being.

One of the tenets of Reiki are the five principles, sometimes also known as the five precepts. These “rules to live by” are based on the teachings of Mikao Usui, who developed the practice in the 1920’s. And you don’t have to be a Reiki practitioner to find these principles helpful Continue Reading

Allegra, Ruby and The Taste Test

Allegra's World, Ruby's Reflections| 8 Comments

Pawgevity_raw_rabbit_cat_food

September 2022 update:

Back in 2012, friends of mine started a small company making safe, locally sourced pet food. They were involved in every aspect of the food they made, from farm to bowl. Their meat and produce was sourced from local farmers who follow humane practices. Pawgevity owners Carole and Norman King personally visited each farm they work with. Sadly, the company didn’t survive.Continue Reading

BlogPaws 2012: Catification, cat bloggers and one very special cat

Author's Life| 25 Comments

Moki_the_Wobbly_Cat

I spent the last three days in Salt Lake City, Utah with about 400 of my fellow pet bloggers at BlogPaws 2012. This was my second BlogPaws experience, and it was even better than last year’s conference in Tysons Corner, VA. From attending top-notch presentations by blogging and social media experts to networking with other bloggers, the weekend was a blur of learning, networking, and socializing.

But as was the case last year, the highlight of the conference for me was connecting and reconnecting with so  many of my blogging friends, including Robin Olson of Covered in Cat Hair, Stephanie Harwin of Catsparella, Joanne McGonagle of The Tiniest Tiger Conservation Cub Club, Tamar Arslanian of I Have Cat, Angie Bailey of Catladyland, Deb Barnes of The Chronicles of Zee and Zoey, Janea Kelley of Paws and Effect, Janiss Garza of  Sparkle Cat, Karen Nichols of Mousebreath, Debbie Glovatsky of Glogirly and so many others. I was especially delighted to finally get to meet Peter Wolf of Vox Felina.Continue Reading

Sunday Purrs: Stop Procrastinating

Sunday Purrs| 10 Comments

cat_joy_pillow_cute

Don’t postpone joy until you have learned all of your lessons. Joy is your lesson. – Alan Cohen

Are you a procrastinator? Do you habitually put off doing things you know you should be doing now?

According to Wikipedia, procrastination is defined as the act of replacing high-priority actions with tasks of lower priority, or doing something from which one derives enjoyment, and thus putting off important tasks to a later time.

But there’s more to procrastination than just not getting things done. Contrary to what many people believe, procrastination is not a time management problem. Procrastination is about postponing the life you were meant to live. It keeps us from living in the moment, from living a life filled with joy.

Procrastination is about fear, and living your life from a place of fear leads to living a very small life. Continue Reading