Lora Lee 
I am realizing that I place too much emphasis on the “couldas”, “shouldas”, and “wouldas” when it comes to my cats. Actually, now that I am thinking about it, on my whole life. I tend to focus too much on the things that I didn’t do or can’t do, forgetting about all the amazing things that I have done, and continue to do. In the past year, I have learned and grown so much, both personally and in providing the best possible care for my cats. And, yet, I still have to remind myself to stop and celebrate the small wins with my cats.
A Slow Transition
Almost 2 years ago, I made the decision to transition my cats to a species appropriate raw food diet. I knew this was going to be a huge undertaking with 18 cats. After researching the different options available, I realized that I wasn’t going to be able to afford to transition all 18 of them to raw food at the same time. That was very frustrating for me. Knowing the benefits of a raw food diet and not being able to provide those benefits to all of my cats really upset me. However, instead of focusing of what I couldn’t do at that time, I looked at what I could do. How could I improve the diet of the other cats?
I have proud to say that I have 6 3/4 of the 18 cats on a complete species appropriate raw food diet. I say 3/4 because Zazzles still wants just a little bit of wet food mixed in with his raw food. He is completely off kibble though, so there is 1 small win with my cats. As for the other 11, I have been transitioning them to a better-quality wet food. We have been working really hard breaking them off the kibble.
I have some die-hard kibble addicts that will absolutely refuse to eat if they don’t have a small amount of kibble at least once a day. The others have been introduced to freeze dried raw food in place of the kibble. Another small win to celebrate with my cats. Eventually, I will be able to get them all on a raw food diet, but for now, I need to focus and celebrate the small things that I have done to improve their diets.
Working Towards Peace and Harmony
I have always had multiple cats throughout my life. Never did the slow introduction with them. Didn’t know any better. Just threw the new cat into the mix and moved about my business. There was always the initial growling and hissing. The “getting to know you” stage. But eventually, everyone became friends, or at least acquaintances. However, I now find myself dealing with some issues with acceptance among my cats. Last October, we had to move Zazzles up to Resident Cat status due to him developing severe anemia and almost dying. Our house is big, but big and open. Not a lot of separate areas upstairs that I could move him into. I needed to be able to monitor and watch him, so keeping him downstairs in one of the guest rooms was not an option either.
We set up a huge crate in our living room for Zazzles to recover in. When we were home, he was free to roam around. We put him in the crate whenever we were going to be gone for long periods of time. Now, everyone, except The Gremlin Kittens, knew Zazzles. He may not have been living with them all the time, but there are periods of time that the Resident Cats interact with The Kracken Kitties. All has been good. Then, once Zazzles started feeling better, he needed to find his place in the cat hierarchy. In his mind, the best way to do this was to “buck up” against Bodie and Hemingway, our 2 biggest cats. And that was the start of our cat drama.
For the past 6 months, I have been working endlessly to create peace and harmony among Zazzles, Bodie and Hemingway. Color therapy, herb gardens, hydrosols, individual playtime, positive affirmations, and Jackson Galaxy Solutions are utilized daily. Through the entire process, I have found myself criticizing my decisions. Maybe I should have kept Zazzles separated for longer. Could I be making the problem worse by my own stress about the situation? What have I not done yet that could be the solution? All good questions. The problem is that I have been focusing too much on those questions that don’t necessarily have answers right now. I need to focus on the small wins that we have had.
Small Wins Add Up
It is so easy to focus on our failures that we forget about our successes. I believe it is natural for us to think about the things we could have done better or should have done differently or would have done if we could have. That way of thinking never really helps us. Changing my way of thinking has started to make a noticeable difference in my cats.
Gone are the nightly cat fights. Getting to the point where Zazzles, Bodie and Hemingway can be in the same area without tension. The kibble addicted few are learning to survive and thrive as we continue to decrease their portions. Coats are getting shinier, and weight is starting to come off. All small wins that will add up. No matter where you are with the care of your cat, be sure to celebrate to celebrate the small wins. The more you put attention to and celebrate them, the more they will happen.
“Animals can inspire us to be less busy, more present, less worried, more joyful, and more passionate about life. They will never judge us for the things we do or don’t do.” – Kristen Moeller
