Do you sometimes forget what life looks like as you run around day in and day out trying to make ends meet, and wondering if this is what growing up is all about? But if you think in another way, isn’t our lives depend on how we want to live them? Here we are not talking about what you have and what you don’t have such as money or power, we are talking about a mindset toward a quality life.
“Ritual is an important thing, it makes today different from other days, it makes this moment different from other moments,” says famous Japanese writer Haruki Murakami.
Power of Rituals
Despite the everyday rituals such as holiday celebrations, family dinners, or vacations, some rituals make the family unique. In my childhood, I used to choose a piece of music and listen to my parents in the dark almost every night before going to sleep. I believe my parents won’t remember a single song that we have listened to, but they will always remember the feeling at that moment, and so will I. These family rituals are not expensive nor superficial, they are not something you have to impress others with, but something that allows our hearts to truly perceive life and face it with passion; they are about reminding us to love and be loved.
Our cat is a valuable family member, don’t they deserve the same? We sometimes get tricked by cats’ seemingly coolness. Cats are solitary animals but it does not mean they don’t need emotional and social interaction. The accumulated loneliness may lead to symptoms such as erratic personality, sudden appetite abnormalities, excessive grooming, or even depression. So your daily rituals mean the world to them.
Cats also have their daily rituals
No matter how lazy or high-strung the cats usually are, they maintain a few rituals that they must perform every day, which may stem from their nature but may also be out of a love for life. According to some observations, all felines have the habit of washing their faces, especially after eating and before sleeping. When surviving in the wild, washing their faces can restore the sensitivity of their whiskers, make them more alert and keep them tense. But it also has a massaging effect, allowing them to relax, soothe and sleep at ease.
I have also noticed that whenever I come back home, my cat Thanos will get so excited and run into the bedroom and scratch his paws on the carpet and then come back to me. These small things he does always make me smile. Cats are very ritualistic creatures. They will do the same thing over and over again every day and they don't slack off at all. Including myself, I have been wondering about the difference between a routine and a ritual. Here is the answer: The activity might be the same, but there is a difference in the attitude behind the activity.
This is my little furry Thanos
Create Rituals between You and Your Cat
Life slips away so fast that if we put no conscious effort to make the daily day soulful, then we have to accept the fact that life is tasteless and boring in its nature. And think about the short span of our loving cats. According to the division established by the Feline Advisory Bureau, cats can generally be considered to be the human equivalent of four years for each additional year after the age of two, so that a two-year-old cat is equivalent to a human of 24 years, while a 12-year-old cat is equivalent to a human of 64 years. So how much longer are you going to wait?
At least half an hour a day is a good way to interact with your cat, whether it's grooming or playing with him/her, to look after his/her emotions and make them feel loved. Do you remember why did you bring your cat to the family in the first place? Probably the majority of us needed them to keep us company. Just put yourself into their shoes, our attention and daily companionship also mean the world to them, and your daily rituals with cats can really make them stay happy.
CatSwoppr has always believed in the power of rituals in enhancing our special bond with our loved cats, and we have been working on giving back to cats.
So if you may spare 2 minutes only to fill out our cat-related questionnaire, you are a rockstar to us!
such a lovely read~! YES, cats need rituals with their cat caregives, and besides the benefits of rituals for the mental wellbeing of cats, it's fun for us humans too~! 😺☀️🎀