Sanity Savior*–I Think I Need A Cat in My Life
I realized that for the past few weeks, I have felt a little off. Not my usual go getter hustling self, and I have been wondering why. What has gotten into me these passed few weeks that have me a little off kilter? I was pondering this after mopping my kitchen floor this weekend trying to figure out how to cajole the dog not to trample all over it, when I realized something: I think I need a cat in my life. You see, my cat of four years, Lunabelle, died a little over a month ago. She got cancer of the mouth and there was no real good long-term treatment for such an illness in cats. So I had to make the decision to let her go. She was an awesome fucking cat. I mean I adopted her off of a colleague that found her in their barn in the country. When I adopted her, she had these sublux eyes that meant that her lenses were inverted and her eyes looked like moons, hence the name Luna (we added the belle). This cat underwent such a hard life before she happened into our lives, but you would never know it by her disposition. She was literally the sweetest cat EVER. She never ever hissed (only at our stupid dog that kept bothering her) and was always up for a cuddle. She would nuzzle anyone and despite her compromised sight (we ultimately would need to have her eyes removed) she could find her food and her litterbox, unaided. I mean even our dog took 3-4 years to potty train and she got it within 30 minutes of living in our house. (I used to chastise the dog by saying “Even the cat is potty trained….and she is BLIND!”)
I was saddened when Lunabelle died. But I didn’t feel the need to rush out and get another cat. I kind of wanted our next cat to come to us, like Lunabelle did: a chance meeting with a cat that needed a home. So, when she died, I just figured I would happen upon another feline that just needed a home in due time. It hasn’t been that long since she died, but I think I am realizing that my feeling of being off kilter is linked to not having a cat. To my surprise, I haven’t happened upon a cat or kitten that needs a home. Maybe I need to expend energy to look as opposed to happening upon one. Either way, I think I need a cat in my life.
I think that pets, whether they are dogs, cats or ferrets, really serve to be sanity saviors for us practicing attorneys who have them. I think the research has been clear and accepted for decades that having a pet inevitably benefits the pet owner’s mental health significantly amongst other attributes. Now, my off-kilter mood can be attributed to other things, but I really think that a large contributing factor is that I no longer have a cat to look after. Yes, I have a dog (who is not very bright) who I am pretty sure loves me more than I love him (he is really my husband’s dog…but I think he loves me more than my husband). But even though I like dogs a lot, I am a true cat person. I just need to admit it. So, while having the not so bright dog, has served to help with my stress level, there is nothing like a cat in my life that does the same thing three times fold. I wonder how many attorney pet owners there are and if that number is in any way indicative of the stressful lives we lead. Are we the profession that seems to have increased rates of pet ownership? And if so, is that directly related to how stressful and taxing the profession is? It wouldn’t surprise me if our profession is up there in pet-ownership.
So, I am coming out today on this blog admitting that I need a cat in my life…do you have one that needs a home??