Walking the . . . cat?!

Several of our older cats have died in the past few years and we have been carefully considering whether or not to adopt another cat, or perhaps even a dog, so I would have someone to walk with me.

Most mornings I take a walk before I go to work. Bentley used to go with me, but his poor health prevents that now. I bought a rolling carrier in hopes that he could accompany me again, but he very carefully and vocally explained his extreme opposition, and I continued to walk alone.

A few months ago a friend asked if I could provide a home for a cat whose owner could no longer keep her. We talked it over and agreed to have her join us.

Since the cat didn't respond to the name she had when she arrived, I tried a variety of new ones. She likes to be called QB - short for Queen Bee - and Queen of the Boxes.




It took a while for Bentley to adjust to her presence (they still hiss at each other on occasion), but Morgan welcomed her.



When I went for my walks, I noticed that QB wanted to go outside with me, so one afternoon I let her try out Bentley's rolling carrier. She loved it! She's much larger than Bentley, so there wasn't a lot of room for her, but she enjoyed being outside and hopped in the carrier whenever I rolled it out for her.

Our neighbor noticed us walking one day and said he had a stroller that his dog refused to use (sound familiar?) and offered it to us. It is the perfect size for QB. She sits up and surveys her Queendom as we stroll around.

Ever since that day, QB waits for me to get home from work so she can go for her afternoon walk. She reminds me it's time to take "her" walk with escalating insistence: meowing, then tapping on the door knob (oh, for opposable thumbs!), and finally, jumping into the window and rattling the vertical blinds until she is certain I know it's time to go . . . Now!

When I roll out the stroller, she hops in and waits for me to zip up the screen so she can safely travel.



Now QB has a forever home and I have a walking companion.

If you'll excuse me, I've got to go -- It's time to walk the cat!

Walking the cat

All of our cats live in the house, but Bentley, the tuxedo cat, likes to venture outside at least once a day. He joins me on my morning walk, and I usually accompany him on an evening walk.



In general he is very fastidious, but he can't seem to resist a roll in the dirt. When the ground is soft and powdery, he makes "sand angels" for me. :-)



When he is inside, he can often be found near (or in) the latest box that has arrived.



He doesn't mind sharing his bed with us . . .



. . . but his favorite spot to spend the night is in the office chair beside the computer hutch -- he tucks himself in after we've gone to bed.

5 things I do every day to be successful

At the beginning of the month Andy Wibbels wrote about the 5 things he does every day to be successful and invited his readers to do the same.

So, here goes:

I have a daily routine. Routine is often assumed to be boring, but I find a routine frees me to concentrate on my goals and helps keep me on track. I may not be diagnosed with ADHD, but I can very easily find myself distracted by things that will keep me from accomplishing anything if I don't have some way to corral myself and stay focused.

My morning walk helps me get started. My body gets a workout from the walk, my spirit gets a workout thinking about the positive things in my life, and my mind gets a workout as I consider short and long term goals I want to accomplish. Spending this time alone in the morning refreshes and prepares me for the rest of the day. I'm also becoming more aware of my biorhythms and can take advantage of that to accomplish more when I'm at my peak mentally and physically.

In addition to my morning walk, I spend time outside each day. It may only be 5 or 10 minutes, but I stop and really look around at the sky, the landscape and any animals that may be in the area. After a few deep breaths and a stretch or two, I'm ready to go again. Maintaining contact with nature helps calm me, keeps me aware of changes in my environment and reveals the beauty around me, even if it's something as tiny as a seedling popping up through asphalt. If I can't get outside, I can go online for sights and sounds of nature.

I have a ready supply of 3 x 5 index cards on hand to record ideas, lists and anything else that comes to mind. They may be old-fashioned and low tech, but they don't need batteries, fit in a pocket or purse and can be readily sorted and stored. It's easy for me to purge index cards that I no longer need, and that's important to a slowly recovering pack rat.

Last, but not least, I include breathing space in my schedule by alloting more time for each activity than I think I'll need so I don't have to rush and I'm not frustrated when I hit a roadblock, literal or figurative. So many people seem to be rushed and angry; I don't want to be one of them.

I know that none of this is earth-shattering, but I have found that when I include these small steps in my life I am much more productive.