When Life Was Easier, or Was It, Really?

Just the other day, I was talking to my husband about adding medicinal mushrooms to our cat’s diet. It struck me, then, just how very different things have become in regard to caring for my cats. Gone are the days of throwing down some dry food and occasionally opening a can of wet food as a treat. Playtime is more interact rather than just tossing down some catnip toys. Daily supplements, herb gardens, color therapy and chakra cleansing are not a daily/weekly occurrence. Life was easier, but in the end, was it really worth it?

In this past year, I have taken a completely different direction with my cats. Some would call it drastic or crazy. And a few years ago, I might have agreed with them. Up to a year ago, I thought I was giving my cats the best possible care. Once Monti got sick at such a young age and the amount of money that I spent in an effort to save him, I quickly made the decision to become proactive rather than reactive. And that is exactly what I have done. However, I do miss those carefree days when life was easier because I was oblivious to everything that I know now.

Medicinal Mushrooms

The whole conversation with my husband about adding mushroom to our cat’s diets came after watching a live with Julie-Anne Thorne from Naturally Cats and Dr. Katie Woodley, The Natural Pet Doctor. They were addressing the topic of gut health and how vitally important it is to the overall well-being of our cats. That makes sense. We know how important gut health is to humans, so why would it be any different for cats, or dogs for that matter. In the live, Dr. Katie talked about adding mushrooms to your cat’s food to help give them the benefits that mushrooms provide. A quick Google search provides a vast selection of medicinal mushrooms for cats. But Dr. Katie said that you don’t need to be fancy. You can but some organic button mushrooms and sauté them in some ghee butter and sprinkle them on your cat’s food.

When I brought this up to my husband, it made sense to him. He is a long-time fan of the benefits of mushrooms and drinks mushroom tea frequently. Suggesting that I add some to the cat’s diet did not surprise him. Actually, not a lot surprises him anymore when it comes to the things I start trying and doing with our cats. This was a little different though, as he knows about mushrooms and understands how it could actually benefit our cats. So, we will probably start adding medicinal mushrooms to our cat’s diet. Just one more thing to secure my spot as The Crazy Cat Lady, or should I say, The Dedicated Feline Enthusiast?

Adding More to My Schedule

And as if my life isn’t already full and crazy busy, I have decided to take a Cat Chakra Course being offered by Naturally Cats. It is a 5-week course that will cover the 7 chakras in depth as well as ways to cleanse our cat’s chakras and how to support them. I am super excited about this course. For years, I have worked on my own chakra and now to be able to work on my cat’s chakras is so very exciting. I know some of you are rolling eyes and thinking that I am being extra. That is ok. These things are not everyone’s cup of tea. But I will willingly and openly drink this tea because I do believe in it and how it all works.

I have been attending Julie-Anne’s weekly Cat Chakra Chats for the past few weeks. We have covered 5 of the 7 chakras and I have learned so very much. At the end of each chat, I found myself wanting more information. How can I determine which chakra is blocked or under/overactive? What can I do to help that particular chakra? This course will not only answer my questions but will give me valuable tools to be able to help my cats and keep the energy flowing. I cannot wait to start this course. If you are interested in taking this course, click here. Or you can just wait for the blog that I will write about it, because you know there will be one about this course.

Tired, But Worth It!

Over the past year, I have learned and implemented so much when it comes to my cats and their health and happiness. It takes a lot of time and energy to care for 20 cats every day. Wouldn’t be so bad to just scoop some litterboxes and toss down some dry food. However, 8 of the 20 are on a complete species appropriate raw diet. So, I need to take out their frozen food at night so it will be thawed for the next day’s meals. All 20 cats are on daily supplements, but not all the same. Some may get an extra dose of a certain supplement. Others may get something completely different. It all depends on what they are needing help with at the time.

Playtime is now more interactive. We interact with multiple wand toys. Only one wand toy does not work with all of them. We play ball. Yes, my cats like to chase after bouncing balls. I still use the automatic toys to interact with them. Some of my cats would rather play with those while I am playing with the other cats. It is what works for them. I, generally, try to spend at least 15 minutes in the morning and evening playing with them. Additionally, I check their herb gardens to see what needs to be replenished. Or if someone might be in need of an herb that I do not have already down.

All of this is time consuming and will become slightly more difficult once school starts. However, for me it is all worth it. I go to bed at night knowing that I have done my very best to provide for my babies. To ensure that they are all happy and healthy. They are my babies and I consider them to be part of my family and they deserve the best that I can provide for them. Life was easier in the past, but was it really worth it? Remember, proactive rather than reactive.

“A home without a cat – and a well-fed, well-petted and properly revered cat – may be a perfect home, perhaps but how can it prove title?” – Mark Twain