I am not a scientist who is an expert on cats but at one time when I was a teenager I had 47 cats. So I can claim to have some authority on cats' behaviors . We humans can certainly learn a thing or two from our feline friends. As cats don't catch mice anymore these days (at least mine don't), I have a strong believe that cats are meant to teach us about how to live our life so that we can have nine lives or at least be able to live to a ripe old age.
Here are some of my observations of cats' behaviors that we can certainly emulate :
1) Have plenty of sleep
I notice that my cats seem to be spending most of their days and nights sleeping than doing anything else. They sleep when I sleep, they sleep when I am up and about. Location of the sleep is also important , usually it would in a warm, comfortable nook or corner like between my armpits when I am asleep or on my lap when I am at my PC.
Learning from this, we humans should sleep as much as we can. Make sure you have 8 hours of sleep at night and several siestas in between. And if your boss catch you sleeping in the office just blame it on the cats.
2) Eat small meals sparingly
My cats are small eaters. In fact my Sonic hardly eats at all. I can assure you that it 's not because I don't feed them or that the cat food that I serve are not delicious ( because they are cheap), I believe they know what's good for their health.
We humans especially us Malaysians have a tendency to overeat.That's due to our passion for food and the many varieties that we have in addition to the many occasions where food are served. So it's not surprising that obesity among Malaysians are on the rise. So it's high time that we take a leaf from our cats in changing our eating habits.
3) Do stretching exercises
In between their sleep my cats will get up and have a really good stretch. If you have seen a cat stretch, you would realize that even the best exercise guru would agree that every muscles in the cats' body seem to be stretched to the max. I am sure that improves their blood circulation and keep their muscles supple.
So forget about your treadmill or gym visits. Just stretch whenever you have the opportunity, at home,in the office,in the car. So if you see me at the supermarket looking like I am trying to get something from the top most shelve which seems out of reach, chances are I am not trying to get anything at all from the top shelve.It's just me having my morning stretch!
4) Be nice and purr
When I arrive home my cats especially Mogwai would be there in front of the door to welcome me home. She , Chucky,Sonic and Gizmo would try to beat each other to brush their heads against my legs. The moment I sit down, at least one of them would climb on my lap and start kneading on my fleshy tummy and purr. I understand that this behaviour means that they have adopted me as a surrogate mother. Thank God for that because I thought that it's because of the fleshiness of my tummy !
We humans should emulate this behaviour. Be nice to people and treat people, even your worst ,enemies with civility. Based on Law of Attraction, being nice and likeable make people react by being nice to you. Isn't that an easy way to have avoid stress in relationships and thus lead to overall well-being?
5) Mate only in Spring
My cats are on the heat only in Spring. You can hear their mating calls from my rooftop. They appear restless and seem to be walking with that 'look' on their faces. After Spring it would be peace and quiet in the home front.
Men should learn from this. There are time for everthing, don't ask your wife for it while she's busy cooking for your five kids and expect to be entertained. Some men would disagree with this. My husband is already shaking his head and rolling his eyes,he must be thinking' Yesterday was headache, now cats!'
6) Eat greens
Whenever my cats feel woozy and need to heal themselves, they eat grass. That would trigger vomiting and out come any unwanted items from their stomach- fur ball or undigested or wrong food that they ate.After that they will be as fit as a fiddle.
Learning from this, we humans should learn to take more vegetables and herbs not only to keep the digestive system on top form but also to keep those awful germs and virus at bay.
7) Get yourself stroked regularly
Many times a day my cats will come to me with that look that says 'Please stroke me' . Unfortunately this always happens at the wrong time- while I am balancing my accounts or writing that nasty complaint letter to the city council. Nevertheless when they look at me with that innocent and lovable eyes, I would set aside what I do and give them a good stroke. I guess the stroking gives them a feeling of security and love.
We humans also need to feel secured and love and nothing does it better than getting a good massage. If you are lucky your other half would oblige you with a rub down( but I suspect he would want to be 'paid' in kind for it). Or you could go to one of the many spas for it but men are advised to stay away from spas that provide 'extra services' because that would not give you nine lives but instead you risk losing the only one that you have !
8) Keep yourself and your surrounding clean.
My cats spend a lot of their time grooming- licking their fur to make sure that it's clean and shiny.Keeping clean does not confine to their body only.They also make sure that they bury their poop so that their surrrounding is fresh and clean.
I cannot understand why some people can walk around with hair that has not been shampooed for days and clothes that smell of sweat and body odour.I suspect that their homes would be as dirty and smelly as them. Their lack of cleanliness open themselves and their homes to be breeding grounds for germs and diseases.
9) Avoid stress
My cats know what's best to keep their stress level at the minimum . They always look happy and stay happy. They don't let small things like their friends stealing their girlfriends get to them,they just look for a new one.
We humans tend to get rattled over things that are unimportant and insignificant.We have to put our lives in perspective and focus only on major issues. As stress is a major factor in a lot of serious illnesses, avoiding stress would certainly keep the doctors away.
I am sure that if we were to imitate cats' behaviour as above, we would lead a happy healthy life. I have to stop here, I need to go and purr and get a good stroke!
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