The Beauty of the Self-Centered Kitty
Most of the regular readers know that I have been sick for quite a while. I am one of those COVID “long haulers” – the people with relatively mild symptoms that go on for an extended period of time. I get a good day sprinkled in here and there, but generally, I am lucky to get a few good hours a week. I only tell you this because I have noticed my cats don’t give a flying feather about the changes in routine. Their feeding time varies daily now a little bit, everyone else is a playmate, and every day is go-to-work-with-Dad day! They show up to snuggle with me as they see fit, but generally, they are completely carefree. As long as this has gone on for me, I have felt so guilty and awful about handing the reins over to other people to help with cat care and other things around the house that I simply cannot do. I am a Type-A person, and I had to completely throw that out the window. I am the caregiver not the other way around, and I found out very quickly that my cats will turn tail and go to whomever they need to in order to get what they want.
Kitty, being independent or at least dependent based on the terms set by said kitty, is very adaptable when things go sideways. The older ones show up for pets and snuggles randomly because I always have a blanket, and I am available most of the time. The little wild one I have carries her toy around to whomever she thinks she can harass into playing with her. My husband has been working from home for months, and all the kitties have found their very own “cubicle” spaces in our spare-room-turned-office. No one, including the dogs, seems to care when I get up an hour earlier or later than usual. Everything happens “around” the same general time as usual – at least within the same hour range, and my little zoo has been completely okay with that since the beginning.
For those of you in the new “hot spots” of COVID, understand that Kitty is very resilient, and if you are sick or get sick, Kitty will more than likely be fine with the adjustments. I take a lot of naps, and the kitties seem to see this as an event! Let’s all go take a nap on the big bed with Mom! The cats and my spoiled rotten terrier have learned to lie together on my chair companionably so they both get equal attention and lap space. This does not always result in my comfort, but I do believe that is beside the point for the fur babies.
The biggest adaptive change that needed to happen was me. I am used to handling most things when it comes to the fur babies. I cannot walk my dogs. I cannot always play with my fur babies. I cannot take them to the vet unless it is a major emergency because I am symptomatic. (I can’t really go to any doctor even for myself for the same reason.) I am lucky that my husband is able to work from home, and having two college students in the house to help out since April has been a huge help. However, I had to let go a bit, which was NOT an easy thing. I have gone through feeling frustrated, upset, guilty, depressed, deeply sad, and even angry because of the things I cannot do right now on top of the physical part of just being ill. Once I started really paying attention to the behavior patterns of my fur babies, I realized that they are fine! Everyone seems to be happy for snuggle time and Netflix, an impromptu nap, breakfast around 7 a.m. as opposed to on the dot, and playtime with whomever is available (I use the term available very loosely, as every single day my daughter wakes up with feather toys in her bed so apparently sleeping counts as available to Kitty).
While I have said that routine is very important to a sugar baby’s health, it is not going to be the end of the world to have help or if the time varies a little bit. Kitty is resilient, and if their caregiver is struggling, they seem to make allowances for that in their own Kitty way. So fur parents, as hard as it is, don’t be too hard on yourself. We may not be able to control physical ailments, but Kitty is going to do just fine (if they even notice you are ill to begin with). J
We hope everyone is able to stay healthy, and if not, realize that Kitty will likely adapt just fine to small changes you may need to make to work around your symptoms. It is all going to be okay!
The Feline Diabetes Support Group on FB is always available for support for questions, venting, and all things sugar Kitty.
Shipping update: I have noticed a delay in mail and packages of a day or two depending where they are coming from.