Do You Have a Cat in Your Life? Cats are the coolest animals on the planet. Yes, that is strictly my personal opinion, but they really are amazing creatures. Cats have their own laundry or body soap solution, and can wash themselves in all areas except the one area moms used to nag about — behind the ears…at the nape of the neck. Oh, and they can be picked up (with teeth!) by that nape of the neck, without ever flinching or griping or calling out in pain. Cats don’t hassle or pounce or yipyipyip, relentlessly, when you enter a room. They have little interest in your command performance attention — the quality and quantity of which had better be delivered, according to their mortal foes, dogs, or you’ll get a face full of slobber and a front full of mudprints, or a fat slam to the ground because the Rhodesian Wolfhound weighing in at over a 100 pounds thinks she is a lapdog. Cats also don't have to be taken outside every few hours to take care of their personal business. Our cats never go outside (out of deference to the health of the local wild bird population), but fastidiously tend to their personal needs using a couple of well-placed litter boxes, which we clean out every few days. Cats are so intuitive they know when you need them. That is, if you are weeping, depressed, lonely, or ill, they will first stare at you for a minute, likely picking up which vibe it is they need to address, and then will come close. This is not hyperbole or conjecture on my part. Numerous studies have been done to indicate that pets in general, but especially cats, have been introduced into high-stress people’s homes and hospital wards — and the illnesses decreased, the stress levels reduced, and the feeling of well-being returned to degrees of something around 15% improvement. I mentioned that cats stare. Yeah, this is one I still am trying to figure out. They will position themselves in statuesque stillness, focus on one spot, thing, or you (shudder), and with unblinking, undeterred pose will penetrate whatever (or whomever) it is they stare at. I have paid close attention to this particular behavior on many an occasion, and can only see not a bored soul just watching the air molecules move about but a profoundly knowing being…whose eyes, when you look deeply into them, reveal eras and ages of reincarnated mystique and the origin of their many dimensional essences. I may be interpreting this because I know the cat's history. Or know what others know thus far. Cats were a revered animal in Egypt. They were found buried in the tombs and sarcophagi of the royalty. They were reportedly so esteemed that a person who was caught harming a cat was executed. (Maybe not a bad idea, if you give it some thought.) Back to the physical wonderment of cats…that whole hairball thing, while at first may be disgusting or may seem pitiful is really fascinating. The cat is licking her hair every day and night, many times. She is of course collecting the fallout in her gut. She then, on scheduled intervals of time, hunkers, hacks, and hawks until the perfectly bundled thing is expelled. And then she begins the cycle all over again. Cats have 100 different vocalizations, according to a Cornell study. My favorite is the rrow-rrow-rrow one as if my kitty is chirping with giddy delight. (It is happy, it is friendly, and it is a greeting. It is also an expectation — of goodies.) I have a deep metaphysical fascination with cats. So I am always learning something new, coming to understand their biological imperatives. They wash immediately after eating (or after you eat, even) so they don’t (their cells recall this from jungle days eons back) appear as food or prey. Duh. I didn’t think of that. They scratch and claw stuff not only to sharpen their claws. They do so to leave scent for those competitors that might think about approaching for a nice warm bed, lots of healthy food, much affection, and the occasional starefest. Visit our RESOURCES PAGE for excellent tips on pet care and training: | CAT TRAINING | DOG TRAINING| VET SECRETS | MORE DOG TRAINING |.

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