Discovering Your World Through Animals

You can learn or notice all kinds of things by watching pets, especially new ones.

Early in the summer, we brought my brother's corgi to live with my parents.  The corgi couldn't do the stairs at my brother's house anymore.

The corgi had always lived in areas with numerous lawns.  We stopped in New Mexico for the night.  Corgi got out of the car and looked up at me like, "Where's the grass?".  I pointed to a weed and told him that was his option.  After looking at the weed, he looked up at me like, "You have GOT to be kidding!"  He has since adjusted to Arizona and using a weed no longer bothers him.  It had never occurred to me how our lack of vegetation might seem unusual.

There are some great authors who write from the perspective of an animal.  C.A. Goody is one of these.  Charlie and the Rodent Queen is a prime example of the world from animals views.  In this book, you get to see a hamster from a cat's view and a cat from a hamster's view.  You even get to see what is happening from the dog's view.  Unfortunately, she is busy doing her own thing and doesn't even realize this discovery is happening.  She is like most of us.  How often do we miss what is going on around us because we are busy doing our own thing?

If you are up to a challenge, put yourself in the place of an animal and at least think about something from the animal's perspective.

I have found that this exercise has provided me insight to my world.  It has also calmed me down when I was furious at a cat for doing something he shouldn't.  "But, Mommy, I was just trying to help.  You said your plants needed watered."

More Animal Joy

In the last couple of weeks, I have had two more times that I have enjoyed "animal watching."

The first was a gila woodpecker.  They were making a new nest in our palm tree.  The male was working on the inside of the nest.  Every 30 seconds or so, he would pop his head out and blow the wood from inside his beak. It was such an awesome and rare site.

The other was a cat.  He lives down the street from us.  There are actually two of these cats.  One has a tail, the other doesn't.  The coloring of these cats are what first caught my eye.  They have tabby coloring and markings on their backs and haunches, but on each side, they have a huge spot surrounded by an open ring.  In all the books I have looked at about cat breeds, I have never seen anything like these markings.  Anyhow, we had a "situation" in our park and down the street from us was part of a crime scene.  There were two police officers watching the crime scene.  There was also one of these cats.  He wanted attention from these officers so badly.  He would weave in and out of their legs and lay on their feet.  He almost got stepped on a couple of times.  He stayed with them for at least three or four hours.

Take time to listen to the birds or marvel at a flower.  If you get a chance, watch a bird as well.  If you are someplace where a cat or dog wants attention, give it to him.  Taking the time to slow down and enjoy these things are good for us.

Joy from Animals

I have had three experiences with animal recently that brought joy to my life.

The first was last Sunday.  I was sitting in the car reading and I heard a bird cheep behind me.  I turned around and a sparrow was sitting on top of the fire hydrant across the street.  He then hopped onto the chain attached to the plug and, hanging upside down, drank the water that was seeping out of the hydrant.  He then left and came back and repeated the process for the other plug on the hydrant.  Too bad I didn't have a camera, but then I wouldn't have wanted to move and startle him, either.

The second experience was yesterday.  I stepped outside and heard a bird singing.  We don't get much in the way of singing birds around here.  I looked up and sitting on top of the street light was a red-throated grosbeak. His throat was so red it almost hurt to look at him.  It was so joyful to stand there and just listen.  He probably had his eyes on a girl (and, most likely, it was not me.)

The third was last night.  It was more of a learning experience that excited me.  When a cat purrs, he actually expels the air, with force, through his nose.  I did not know that the air had such force and I didn't realize that a cat purrs only on expelling the air.  I put my head down near our cat (we've had two for almost eleven years, now).  He lifted his nose up and purred in my ear.  It actually felt like someone blowing in my ear.  Although the experience wasn't life changing, I was awed by, what seemed to me, like a simple discovery.  I was also surprised that I hadn't discovered it before.

I hope you take time in your day to experience a little bit of joy.  Take even just 30 seconds to listen to a bird sing or watch a cat.  Even watching a cat sleep can be joyful.  Notice the position he is in.  Notice the pure contentment.  Focus on his peace.

Never Ask a Cat for a Gift

This weekend was my birthday.  The absolute best part was talking to all the family members that called.  I even got a line of "Happy Birthday" from my father before the phone died.

After the cats got dinner, Worm came up on our bed.  I asked him if he had got me a birthday gift.  My goal was simply to interact with him.  He looked at me and I said, "What?  You didn't get me a birthday gift?"  He promptly proceeded to burp.  I guess I should count my blessings considering that many of the "gifts" cats can give need to be cleaned up.