Purr, Purr, Purr - Purr Vibrations

So, as you've noticed, my blogging has has no regular schedule. A lot keeps me from working on it regularly. Things like -
1) Spending time homeschooling, and working on my curriculum materials
2) Juggling all the balls of being a wife and mom (and cat mom)
3) Helping with Sunday School
4) Leading a Girl Scout Troop
5) Trying to re-ignight my artwork
6) Dealing with my health challenges - Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)

My RA is a new diagnosis. I've been spending a LOT of time researching alternative healing methods. I'd prefer to exhaust this route before turning to western medication methods - trying acupuncture, massage, diet, etc. But there was one healing method I almost overlooked. My cats.

Don't get are freaky out on me yet. Anyone whose had cats can likely attest to the fact that cats have a innate ability to pick up on their human's discomfort. Whenever my child is not feeling well or just cranky, a cat comes to her rescue, spending extra cuddling time with her. When I've had a cold or headache, one or both of the cats will spend extra close cuddle time with me near my head. And more recently, one of my cats has taken to sleeping on my chest at night. He lays his head and paws on my shoulder (alternating shoulders). I don't know if it's the warmth, or purring vibrations, but my shoulders often feel less stiff or sore in the morning.

In an infographic on The Healing Power of Cat Purrs, it states, "Cats create purr vibrations within a range of 20-140 Hz, known to be medically therapeutic for many illnesses."

Now, if I could only get each of my cats to sit on my hands each morning . . . um, yeah - that will never happen (without some nips and bites!).

Be well everyone.

I have cat people.

"No amount of time can erase the memory of a good cat, 

and no amount of masking tape 

can ever totally remove his fur from your couch."

- Leo Dworken

I am a cat person. Aside from friends who also love lattes, art, homeschooling . . . I have cat people. If I have a "tribe" then cat people are my largest tribe. I began cat blogging years ago and became part of a greater community of cat bloggers in The Cat Blogosphere. (topic for another time)

It's a tight-knit group, a trusting group, a generous group, a loving group. My cat blogging buddies span the globe. I think I've connected with cats from every continent except Antarctica. We've celebrated together - marriages, missing pets returning home, and the adoption of my daughter. And we've mourned together when there were job losses, human injury, or global tragedies. It is especially sad when I hear about the loss of a furry companion in my cat blogging community. I learned of such a loss yesterday.

Mao & Skeezix - photo by Karen Nichols

The great meezer (Siamese) "Maobert" has crossed the "Rainbow Bridge". He was a handsome mancat, a snarky mancat, and though he gave the impression of irritation around other cats, he really loved his furry housemates, especially his buddy Skeezix the Cat, who crossed the bridge in 2013. Mao, Skeezix, and their other housemate, Rocky the Gutter Cat (RIP 2010), brought endless love, humor and joy into the hearts and homes of other bloggers. Their humans are deeply devoted to their furry family and I mourn their loss with them.

Rocky, Skeezix, Mao - photo by Karen Nichols

If my own cats have a "tribe" - Mao and his buddies are part of that tribe. And while we mourn these losses, we also celebrate the love, humor and joy. I am touched by the outpouring of support I see from my fellow cat bloggers, especially during this time of loss for my fellow blogger and her husband, who have lost 3 of their snuggly balls of purr in such a short span of time. I'm sending my virtual hugs, purrs, and headbutts.

I am proud to be part of this supportive community. Cat bloggers rock!

Rocky, Skeezix, and Mao - I hope you're all ripping up some furniture, chasing mice, getting high on catnip and having a fabulous reunion - my fur boys will meet up with you again some day, on the other side of the bridge. 

Just got to laugh sometimes . . .

My kid cracks me up everyday. Even when I'm frustrated or upset with her - she'll find a way to make me laugh. She may not even know that she made me laugh.

Here's a good example - it's one of our cats. With plastic (play food) potato chips lined up on his back. When I found him he was napping in my craft room. Who knows how long those chips had been on his back. Who knows what she was thinking. Was she aligning his chakras?

It doesn't really matter. It made me laugh. My laughter woke up the cat. And he just looked at me and went back to napping. That made me laugh even more. 

I think my laughter may have aligned my own chakras.