I have been watching my cat this morning. As I have mentioned before, we have a 22-year-old black cat that acts as if she is three. Other than really long naps in the sunbeams, and occupying my spot on the bed when I am not using it, she is a very active cat who has remained really engaged in life. So I got to thinking… It seems that this cat has a lot to teach me. This morning I jotted down five things about Sophie that seem to be the secrets of her youth. Yes, I know I still need to change the topic on Em Hotep BBS for this fortnight, but I wanted to take the time to do this while I was thinking about it. :-) 1- She has stayed curious: As she moves through the house she looks around. If something catches her attention, she goes and checks it out. If something is moving, she goes to look at it. Her path diverges according to her curiosity. She can leave the bedroom clearly headed toward the living room, but if something catches her attention in the kitchen, she changes course and heads that way. 2- She has stayed social: She greets me when I come in, if she is awake, and approaches Anne and me throughout the evening looking for attention and affection. She does not hesitate to jump up on your lap or let you know if she wants attention. She begrudgingly acknowledges the dog, and enters the room as if to say “I am here” when we have company, then disappears in a cloud of intrigue, but she always makes an appearance. 3 - She is verbal when displeased: If her food dish in not where she expects it to be, or her water bowl is too low or not fresh enough, she will stand next to it and yowl. Not meow-- YOWL. If she has needs, she self advocates. She does not wait for the situation to correct itself. 4 - She stays physically active: She climbs up into the bed, jumps over into the bath tub and yowls for fresh water from the tap, and her food dish is at the top of a three-step ladder, so she climbs for every meal. She does not wait to be invited into your lap, she jumps up there. She spends hours in relaxation, but when relaxation time is over, she gets up and does something. 5 - She is flexible: We have added two dogs to her life over the course of her lifetime, one just in the last two years. She maintains her status as the dowager queen, but has allowed the dogs to negotiate their own spaces in the apartment and she respects that. She defends the turf she is insistent about keeping, but the middle of the bed belongs to Jasmine. The left side of the couch belongs to Jasmine. Sophie gets neither jealous nor invasive about it unless Jasmine invades her space. Then the 22-year-old claws come out. I have seen older cats that are pretty much just there, who seem to have given up on life. I have seen older people the same way, and to me that is a living hell. As I approach the dead-center part of the middle part of middle age, I am grateful to my cat Sophie for sharing her wisdom on how to maintain youth as the clock ticks. The key seems to be to ignore the clock and go on with life, keeping it always new and interesting, and to remain a central part of the cast, never accepting a bit or walk-on part.
Posted on: Sat, 02 Aug 2014 15:00:32 +0000
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