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Wednesday, December 7, 2011

The Cat Whisperer

For many years I have been an un-cat person. Don't ask me why, it just seems me and cats just never hit it off. There was always some stray cat hanging around my father's upholstery shop having litters in the heaps of fluff and leftover stuffing that made its way into every corner. My sister would often dress them in little clothes and I just thought they were useless. They didn't fetch, they never obeyed any commands and seemed pretty stuck-up and snooty.

Years later I was given a black cat named Abbey as a wedding gift. She was a beautiful feline with bright gold eyes. After feeding her and paying for years of vet bills one day she up and moved in with a neighbor... the gift lasted about as long as the marriage.
And so through the years I have just stuck with species that seem to enjoy my company such as horses and dogs. All very natural and very respectful of each others space on this planet. But any cat that approached me... I would send a mental thought "you know I don't do cats" and they would high-tail it and scoot.

Did you know cats can cause you to become a vegetarian?  It was in the Fall of 2005, during a business trip when I discovered the Israeli feral cats. They live everywhere in Israel. Whenever we sat for a group photo, up they would pop... from rocks, benches, door-stoops...everywhere.  Not one or two feral cats, try TWENTY! And these cats didn't look normal either. They looked more like mutant cats. Some had missing eyes, some oozing yellow fluid from their nose, some wore half an ear, etc. It was like watching a bad Disney's Toy Story movie only instead of toys - think cats with missing body parts. Every time we ordered a meal it was "meat" on-a-stick. Everyone waiter would ask me the same question. "What do you want on your stick- Chicken- Beef- Lamb?" After the third night of my 10-night trip all of this tasted, well ... EXACTLY the same flavor. I swore it was cat and I never ate another mouthful of meat since. Was it cat? Who know's, but heck, I was an instant vegetarian.

Cat on a stick?
And so this brings me to the meditation part of my blog. It was the summer of 2010 and I was spending the summer in Cape Cod. My partner has an older cat, she's around 16 and her name is Lacie. Being that Dean's a very important part of my life, I decided to overlook the fact that Lacie was a cat. Lacie and I barely tolerated each other. I made it clear from the get go that I preferred she were a dog. Whenever she whined too loudly or made a mess with her litter I would glare at her. One afternoon I was doing a meditation and it was life changing.
Meditation: I found myself in an old home and there were many cats running throughout the house. I could hear them, but never saw them. I knew they all belonged to me. I opened a closet door to put away a vacuum cleaner. As I placed it into the closet I heard a loud meow. I quickly pulled the door open and looked inside, but saw nothing. Then I saw something lying on the floor and went to pick it up.  It was a bloody tail of a cat. I was horrified. I knew instantly that someone had purposefully mutilated this cat and it made me sick. I felt such love for this poor cat and I was heart broken. The meditation ended and I forgot all about it.
Lacie on the window seat in Cape Cod
The next morning I went to my usual spot on the window seat to enjoy my morning coffee. Lacie was asleep on the seat and Dean handed me my usual cup. This is my favorite spot in the morning. The birds are singing; the sun is just softly filtering in and the world is just waking up. I crossed my leg, sipped my coffee, leaned back and to utter amazement...began petting the cat. I was totally unaware of my actions - I was just enjoying the moment. Dean almost spit out hot coffee "look at yourself, your petting a cat!" Oh my goodness, this was not like me, and then I remembered.  I told him all about the meditation. All of my years of cat dislike had melted away.

Lacie last spring "Please tell them not to go to Paris"
And here it is December of 2011 and I'm still enjoying a wonderful relationship with our cat. She is causing quite a stir in our home, as she has been acting peculiar for the past few months. During several meditations she has appeared as a younger version of herself. I told her she looks pretty good, almost kitten-like, and then when my meditation ends she will be sitting right outside my room... as if she's waiting for me. Dean thinks she's ill and has taken her to the doctor's several times. Lacie told me (in the meditation) not to worry as she's just getting old and that she loves me dearly. She always seeks us out and cuddles as close as possible. If I'm at my computer she will even try and lay on the top of my office chair. She's quite a lady and I am honored to know her. She is extremely wise and I wish she would visit my meditations more often. I think if our President meditated more he might get some great advice:)
The years are taking their toll on Lacie and she may be crossing over soon. She now eats sparingly and sleeps most of the day. I know I will see this beautiful spirit again and I'm not overly concerned with her health.
And so it seems this whispering cat will have the last laugh. Her eyes have lost their twinkle, she's moving slower and she barely eats at all most days. And so as she returned from another costly visit to the vet she stumped the doctor yet again. "Well, he said scratching his head, "she's perfectly fine...I guess she's just getting old." I smiled when I heard the news...she had already told us this in my meditation... and it didn't cost a dime:)
To learn how you can meditate read my book Sæ-sii Meditation: How to Find Your Bliss in 15 Minutes a Day

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