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 Editorial
Greetings, as I sit here, I find myself competing with the swishing black tail of Mr. Kalisad…my 16 year old kitty. He has made it a habit of hanging out on my desk, very calmly knocking papers, pens and anything else onto the floor. Of course he looks at me as if to say, “now what are you going to do about it?” Then there’s the time he wants more attention, so he walks in front of the screen or on the keyboard, changing some aspect of whatever I happen to be working on.
I had never been a cat lover until I received this nine-week-old kitten, black with green eyes, one Christmas morning so long ago. In fact, I was allergic to cats…but that didn’t seem to matter…I fell in love with this little black bundle of fur. I informed him, when I brought him home, that he would keep his claws if he kept them out of the furniture…he still has them! He’s a rare character…he doesn’t eat people food, except for shrimp, doesn’t wake me up in the morning, doesn’t get on cabinets or the table, and even though an indoor cat, when we do go outside he stays with me, not wandering off and comes in when called. Although 16, he is still very active. I find great pleasure just watching him sleep or play with a piece of paper or ball and then demand to be brushed or picked up. Although independent, he enjoys others…and still maintains he’s the boss.
He’s a great teacher, my Mr. Kalisad. He eats well, grooms himself, plays spontaneously, sleeps when he needs to, asks when he wants something, takes time to smell the bushes and flowers when outside, focused when he sees something of interest, greets all people and gives unconditionally his love.
I believe he is a terrific cat because in the 16 years we have been together, he has never been called “bad.” When he did something uncalled for, he would be told that was “unacceptable.” He was constantly being called “good” and I believe as a result, that is exactly how he turned out…good.
I have learned much over these 16 years as I’ve watched him grow. I realize his behavior is a reflection of what he was told… “he’s a good boy.”
When we interact with other people, family members or our pets, we impact not only their lives but our own.
If we continually support and encourage positive behavior we strengthen the character of humanity.
When we remember that life embraces all aspects of living beings, animals included, and that we are mirror images of one another, then perhaps we will treat all living things with more respect and love. Take care my friends,
Michelene
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