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Winter can be a difficult time for many. Even people who are not prone to SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) may feel the impact of the shorter days and lack of light of this time of year. Some experience a serious mood change when the seasons change. They may sleep too much, have little energy, and crave sweets and starchy foods. They may also feel depressed. Add to that that these are arguably turbulent and dark cultural times, and you have a recipe for mental gloom and doom that can be hard to shake.

However, the dark season also brings opportunities to add light into your life Continue Reading

Connecting with our spiritual core is an important part of conscious living. We all have different ways of doing this, and there isn’t any one single method that is more valuable than another. For some, it may be through structured religious observations, often shared in the community of a church or other spiritual gathering. For others, this connection may happen during meditation. Others still may connect with spirit in nature.

For me, animals, and of course, especially cats, have always been an easy way to help me find that spiritual connection.Continue Reading

Reach for the moon. Even if you fall short, you’ll land among stars.

Last Saturday, a dear friend of mine died after a brief illness. This is the first time a friend close to me in age has passed away, and it’s hitting me hard.

Ronnie was my pet sitter for more than 20 years, until she realized her dream of living in Hawaii four years ago. She took care of all of my cats,Continue Reading

There are hundreds of folk tales and superstitions surrounding cats, and one of them is that cats steal a dead person’s soul. Of course we know that that’s ridiculous. In fact, and I’m sure that all of you agree with me on this: cats are good for the soul.Continue Reading

I have a bit of a love hate relationship with fall: I enjoy the beautiful colors of autumn all around me, but I also can’t help but think about what comes afterwards. I’m a summer girl, as are Allegra and Ruby: we thrive on warm weather and sun light. Then again, my two beautiful girls remind me of everything that is beautiful about the season: nothing brings out the gorgeous colors in torties’ coats better than the light of autumn.Continue Reading

The tag line of this site is “Conscious Living, Health and Happiness for Cats and their Humans.” I choose this motto, along with the name for the site, because I believe that living consciously is the key to happiness for all of us, including our cats.Continue Reading

Kindness is a quality that I look for in everyone 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.Continue Reading

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.”Continue Reading

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?Continue Reading

I couldn’t imagine life without my iPhone. I use it to check my email, search the internet, monitor the weather, give me driving directions, do my banking, make restaurant reservations, and, of course, take lots of photos of Allegra and Ruby. In fact, I still sometimes marvel at all the things one small device can do, and how it’s made my life easier in so many ways. But as awesome as it is to have all this power in the palm of my hand, it’s also a bit disconcerting just how much I’ve come to rely on it, and at times, it feels like, perhaps, I’ve crossed the line into using it  a little too much.Continue Reading