cat loves to curl up and enjoy a snooze.
This is something we too can benefit from. A few moments’ rest during the day can do us so much good. Either find somewhere quiet where you can close your eyes for a few minutes and get away from the noise and bustle around you, or, if you are able, lie down for a short time during the day. Such a break will leave you feeling better, refreshed and often more productive too.
Be like a cat and enjoy the benefits of an occasional catnap.
‘Cats are mysterious kind of folk – there is more passing in their minds than we are aware of.’
SIR WALTER SCOTT
Whether from a branch of a tree, a flat roof or some other location, the cat has a great talent for selecting vantage points where it can observe what is going on around it while remaining unnoticed.
Quiet observation is something we too can use to our advantage. Often our lives are so busy that we rarely stop to take a look at where we are, what we are doing or what our general position and purpose is. But if we adopt the cat’s practice and quietly observe and evaluate what is going on around us as well as the things we do, we could certainly notice more, and probably come up with more ideas and possibilities we can build on. Be like the cat and take time to quietly observe; your understanding and awareness will be so much greater as a result.
‘There are few things in life more heartwarming than to be welcomed by a cat.’
TAY HOHOFF
Many a contented cat, happy in your presence, will roll over and lie on its back, belly-up. Sometimes it will even allow you to stroke its soft, furry underside, although should you touch a tickly spot, beware! For the cat to lie on its back in such a way is a sign of trust and friendliness. It is a special greeting, reserved for a select few.
We can follow the cat’s example and make a special effort when meeting friends. Show a warmth and genuine pleasure at seeing them, rather than giving just a casual ‘Hiya’. Make it apparent it is good to see them. Smile, show enthusiasm, radiate warmth, and by making the effort, your presence and relations with those around you will often become richer and more meaningful.
‘Cats can be very funny, and have the oddest ways of showing they’re glad to see you. Rudimace always peed in our shoes.’
W. H. AUDEN
For a cat to present you with its prey is an honour. Whether this is laying a dead mouse on your doorstep or bringing it indoors, it’s a cat’s way of showing love, care and trust. It is akin to a mother cat sharing food with her kittens, and your cat, with its present, wants to show you its love and that you won’t starve or go without.
Admittedly, a dead mouse is a present you may not necessarily appreciate, but present-giving is a sign that you care about and are keen to please another. And when the present is unexpected and well thought out, it will often mean that much more. Just like a cat, give an occasional present to those who are important and special to you – only choose something more appropriate!
‘Watch a cat when it enters a room for the first time. It searches and smells about, it is not quiet for a moment, it trusts nothing until it has examined and made acquaintance with everything.’
JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU
Whenever anything new is introduced to the home, the cat invariably wants to find out more. It looks, it watches, it sniffs. If it is food and shopping bags, the cat will be quick to detect any wafts of fresh fish or other cat delicacy. Or if it is soft furnishings, again the cat will be keen to investigate and possibly view it as a place to nestle, sleep or possibly scratch. Even a new washing machine could come in for a thorough sniffing before the cat decides that washing machines are not really a cat thing.
By noticing and investigating, the cat learns, discovers and sometimes benefits. And so it is with us. Rather than close our minds to anything new that comes along, we should at least try to find out more. It’s by being curious, by asking, by taking a look and having an open mind that we learn, grow and ultimately make more of ourselves.
Like a cat, enjoy the thrill of discovery.
‘It is in the nature of cats to do a certain amount of unescorted roaming.’
ADLAI E. STEVENSON
Often, when strolling across a garden, the cat will stop and chew a few blades of grass. And although grass may seem a curious choice for a cat and carnivore, it is the cat’s way of getting folic acid, an important vitamin for its digestion.
We should follow the cat’s example and make sure we eat and seek out food that is good for us. Fruit and vegetables, fibre, grains and pulses can all help keep our system in good order, and if we are to live and enjoy the good life like the cat, looking after ourselves and watching what we eat is a key and sensible priority.
‘The cat seldom interferes with other people’s rights. His intelligence keeps him from doing many of the fool things that complicate life.’
CARL VAN VECHTEN
When someone raises their voice, many a cat will turn tail and move to another area. And if the cat cannot go to another room, it could well crouch down, keep still and hope it will go unnoticed.
Cats have a great dislike of tension and do their best to avoid hostile and threatening situations. Loud voices or shouting, in particular, make many wary. And this is a lesson we too can learn from. If we detect that someone is about to lose their temper or a situation is becoming fraught, we can often, if possible and practical, save ourselves from heated exchanges and allow the situation to cool down by getting out of the way and keeping a low profile.
At times it can be politic to ‘keep your head down’.
‘A kitten is chiefly remarkable for rushing about like mad at nothing whatever, and generally stopping before it gets there.’
