Who needs a massage when there's Cat TV?
My friend has a beautiful backyard with a brick patio that
she put in herself. There are also bird
feeders, trees, bushes, and a town-owned trail through the woods all behind her
house. On any given day, the yard
becomes Creature Triple Feature as animals of all types scamper around outside.
Inside is another story.
There are two animals inside, her indoor cats Moose and Hawkeye. The only time Moose and Hawkeye get outside
is to go to an occasional vet appointment or when they manage a jail break and
head to the detached garage. Otherwise,
they are indoor animals and seem relatively content. Judging by the number of aggressive and completely
fearless hawks, this is probably a wise decision on their owner's part.
Today we are sitting in this expansive yard, counting the
number of wild bunnies scampering about, eyeing the large cardinal flittering
about in the brush, pointing out the fox that lopes across the lawn, and
watching the neighbor attempt to shoot the woodchuck as it makes a fat-assed
dash from the wheelbarrow to the woods about forty yards away. It is mid-afternoon, and the birdfeeders,
though full, are surprisingly bird-less.
It is this cornucopia of nature-based activity that keeps
Hawkeye and Moose glued to the slider leading to the patio. We have dubbed this "Cat TV" to
account for the hours the kitties spend staring out into the world beyond the
den. I'm certain they understand that we
can be scratching their bellies one minute and sipping cocktails on Cat TV the
next, all the while transporting through the screen and glass that separate
them from the world of coyotes and squirrels and hikers.
This afternoon's episode of Cat TV features a light sangria
that is more juice than wine and loaded with fruit. There is also a spread of crackers, cheese,
dip, veggies, and more fruit. The sun is
shining, it's warm but pleasant, and there are few clouds in the sky. In short, the day is absolutely perfect. We sit and chat and sip and munch for about three
hours, occasionally waving to the kitties who today seem more entertained by
empty packing boxes than they are with Cat TV.
It could be because today features mostly forest animals and very few
birds. As a matter of fact, the cardinal
is the only bird we see all afternoon.
We change chairs and locations a few times. We move from the table in the shade to the
Adirondack chairs in the sun. By the
time I am ready to leave and drive myself home, I am more relaxed than I have
been in a few weeks. As I pull out of
the driveway and start heading home, it dawns on me that my entire body is
completely refreshed and absolutely stress-free. I feel as if I've just stepped from a
massage.
I am not advocating getting a cat or two or three, much to
my kids' dismay. Even thought they do
not live with me anymore (except one who's here part-time), they keep insisting
I need to replace the demon cat who finally bit it last summer. Instead of replacing the pet, I decided to
replace some of the furniture he destroyed.
Part of the reason Cat TV is so relaxing is because I can pet the cats,
play with the cats, tease the cats from outside while they are stuck inside,
enjoy their company --- and then leave them behind. The most relaxing part of all is knowing they
won't be gazing out my windows when I get back to my house with the intact
furniture where I can stretch out on my cat-less couch and enjoy the fruits of
the afternoon: a nap.
Massage not necessary; we've got Cat TV. Oh yeah.
