It's okay to take a nap if you really need it...

As a writer, I spend a lot of time with my two cats. I like to think I'm not the quintessential crazy cat lady but I will admit that I spend a lot of time talking to them.

I've already read through this post to them several times. They in turn have offered their opinions and given me a knowing stare back. Which generally means okay enough already, just feed me.

As I was sat at my desk pondering the things that I had learned in 2015, it occurred to me that most of the useful lessons had been learned not from my fellow humans, but from my cats. So I decided to jot those lessons that I had learned from my two companions down.

1. It's Okay To Take A Nap If You Need It

If you're a cat you don't have to ask permission to take a nap, you just do it. Sometimes I follow their example, which is one of the joys of working for myself. Sometimes I feel guilty about doing it, and as a human have to reason out why it's okay in my own head. Someday I have to dig deeper than others to find a reason but in reality, all I need to do is follow their lead and just do it.

2. Home is Not Where Your Heart Is: It's Where The Food Is Located and Then You Can Call it Home

If the way to a man's heart is through food, it's also true of cats. Cats view empty food bowls as a reason to disown you. They will follow you around for a while, get bored and leave without a second thought. They are as loyal as the food bowl being filled and if it's not they will move to the next human who has food. Until the food bowl is filled for my cat's it's simply not a place to call home.

3. Eat When You Are Hungry 

Cats eat all the time. I didn't realize that cats could eat as much as they do until I had two of them. If they want to eat they will and if the food bowl is empty you are likely going too know about it. I recently put one of my cats on a more restricted diet, as she is getting a little too chubby, not unlike myself thanks to the Christmas fare that was prevalent in this house. She doesn't like it, and neither do I, but we are both learning that moderation is a good thing. We both get the occasional treat which leads to that most human of things; gratitude.

4. Never Be Afraid to Explore and Give Up at the First Hurdle (But Also Know Their Limits)

A cat shows little fear and is a curious creature, but one thing you notice is just how quickly they figure out their limits. In other words they learn from their mistakes. The only exception I see in this cat area is when they decided to chase squirrels. No matter how often the squirrels win, the cats never give up trying.

One of my cats loves to play with the red laser light I brought her. When we first played with it, she would chase it around and around in a circle to the point where she would fall to the floor, panting, and obviously dizzy. Over the years she's realized that she can still chase it but she stops before she gets to the falling down part. We both still have fun, but she set herself some limits another lesson her human has had to learn to do.

5. Looking Good Requires Constant Maintenance

One of my cats is long haired and spends hours and hours grooming and cleaning herself up. I doubt that she has a hot date that night, but as someone much wiser than me once said you never know who you might meet at the grocery store or apparently whilst chasing squirrels around the garden.

6. Snow Is The Devil Incarnate

Snow according to my cats is wet, cold and hazardous to the health at times. There are occasions when they want to venture outside but will test the white stuff with a paw before putting a foot on the patio. If it's not to their liking, the paw will be shook in disgust and they will hot tail it back inside, find a comfy chair and stay there.

I can't say I blame here and I feel pretty much the same way about snow. I'd rather curl up with a good book and watch it from the window than have to go out in it.

Now before I get angry emails from people telling me that snow is the greatest thing on earth, I will just say this. I'm the person who can be found in the ski lodge having fun sipping cocoa and watching you prove the fourth lesson my cats taught me.

7. You Don't Need a Mat or Studio to Practice Yoga

If you've ever watched a cat awake and get up from a nap, you'll likely notice that it practices yoga. It doesn't matter if it's on the sofa, the bed, or the floor, a cat will always stretch before it moves. This used to be me: wake up and rush out of bed to the coffee machine. Since watching my cats, I try to wake up with a long slow stretch and it does seem to make my day go better. The one cat yoga move that I flat out refuse to try is the lick my own behind move. The cat is a supreme acrobat and I'm not, it really is that simple

8. Cats Rule The Internet

It's popular knowledge that cats rule the internet, in my house this is so often true. I've often walked to my laptop and discovered a recumbent cat sprawled across the keyboard. One look tells me all I need to know. I'm not moving and I dare you to make me. Some days I win the internet tug of war and some days I don't. I'm trying to get them to answer my emails but it's not working out so well.

In Conclusion:

So these are the things I've learned from my cats over the years. Do you have any other cat lessons that you think others should know about? If so, let's hear them and I promise to pass them along to my own cats.

Of course if you are looking for ever cat companion so you can test out my theories you can always head on over to the Cocheco Valley Human Society and adopt one of your own! Watch Cat Fails Video 2015: https://youtu.be/ny5vGbTfB8c