Mondays With Merlin: A-Z Gratitude. B is #Brusselslockdown

It’s not just another week but a holiday week with Thanksgiving and the kick off to the Holiday Season. Oh My Whiskers! Is the most wonderful time of the year feeling anything but? With so much sadness in the news about terrorism, leave it to us cats to diffuse the tension with some humor. The Belgian police implemented #Brusselslockdown on Twitter which overnight turned into a viral cat meme. This is my anti-terrorism contribution. Maybe it really is time for cats to rule the world?

We’re sharing our A to Z of cat gratitude and some sage advice without the stuffing.

It’s time to talk turkey about a few things but not only the kind you eat. There is nothing more tantalizing than the smell of a big bird roasting in the oven. I confess to being partial to those crispy, fatty bits of skin like Odin does here in the pic BUT BEWARE of the BONES. By all means, give your cat a few morsels of turkey as a treat but…

This year Thanksgiving feels different. It’s harder to muster up gratitude during hard times. Many of my cat and human friends are going through crappy times and Layla has helped best she can by answering many private messages about all kinds of issues. Please know: no matter how hard life is right now, you are not alone. Ask for help. Privately or publically. Share #catthanks with your thanks or request for help and we’ll retweet it but be sure to tag us @catwisdom101 to be sure we see it. You may be surprised where in the world help shows up.

For example: A couple months ago Layla got an email from someone in Slovenia about a cat behavior problem. She doesn’t have time to do much behavior consulting with Cat Film Fest at Sea launching but will either refer clients, provide resources or a quick insight for someone unable to pay for consulting. Layla, being as curious as me, wondered about cats in Slovenia and began a fascinating email exchange with the woman who happens to be a dentist and spiritual birds of a feather. Before you know it, they were sharing info about cultural, medical and veterinary differences and gave Layla a huge insight into a dental issue she’s having. And she went and visited a cat cafe in Slovenia at Layla’s behest (look for a guest post soon from about it!). A new friendship and mutual support happened all because someone asked for help.

I was feeling so much better when suddenly I was peeing blood again on the weekend. Layla stayed up with me all night in her arms doing Reiki. There was pee in bed, in her hair, on the floor and it turns out my dad had given me the wrong dose of meds. I’m stable again and have a new mmmf sound in my vocabulary to signal when I want to be moved on or off the bed so I can get to the litter in time and when I want to eat which is about every 93 minutes. I’m comfortable now but with all the ministrations of meds, sub q, supplements my furs get filthy in places I can’t reach. It’s too cold for sunny outdoor baths which I love, so Layla gave me bath indoors with a special heater set up in the bathroom to keep me toasty. FYI, pee pads are great for absorbing excess water off furs! Cats are naturally VERY clean and we don’t like being dirty so I’m grateful to be sweet-smelling again and as good as new. Well, maybe not quite new but…

You may call me Mr. Feisty “F__K You, Death!” but Layla is re-thinking thankfulness this holiday season from a gentler place. It’s a place far away from commercial holiday ads to buy, buy, buy. You can reach this place in your heart most easily when you unplug. She realized she doesn’t hate the holiday season, just the barrage of ads, the pressure to do more and the subtle manipulation to compare lives. It’s always an exercise in futility and a guaranteed downer to compare YOUR LIFE with ANYONE. If the person has less than you, you may feel sorry or guilty. If they have more than you may feel jealous or inadequate. It’s an easy trap to fall into as we live more of our lives online and can track who is doing what. Who has more likes or followers or other nonsense.

I must admit, I love when you share and leave me comments but wise enough to know I would never want to be a celebrity cat. Did you know there are hundreds of cats with over 100,000 followers on social media? Never mind. Have you seen my latest pics on Instagram? See thumbnails in our sidebar. Layla has the nerve to post pics without cats! I do forgive her because being in nature feeds her soul. And please forgive her if she missed visiting your blog. I’ve kept her a little busy. And do tweet or retweet #Brusselslockdown and #catsforpeace.

I’m re-posting a revised version of our annual Feline Gratitude Attitude From A to Z.

A: Autumn. Winter, spring and summer all have their charms.

B: Boxes or bags. Paper, cardboard, shiny, natural or corrugated, shoebox to shipping container size all fit purrfectly.

C: Catnip, wild or dried, fresh or in toys a little ‘nip is catastic.

D: Domino, our former feral and best brofur.

E: Email to connect with friends from every corner of the world.

F: Food, food, glorious food. Served in bed is bonus.

G: Garden. We are blessed to have a safe and supervised wild, fragrant slice of nature.

H: Home. There’s no place like a warm, safe home especially after being in a shelter or outdoors like Domino for 7 winters.

I: Intuition, a cat’s sixth sense. It’s one of our superpowers.

J: Jungles. Well, not a real one but the garden bushes and indoor plants excite our imagination. Please check plants are not toxic like poinsettias.

K: Kindness. Plus Kitty Kaviar. Fishy Flakes. Need we say more? Okay, more kindness.

L: Love, both human and feline is divine. Life too.

M: Mom and Merlin. Our cat mom Layla rocks and Merlin, age 21, is our rock.

N: Neutering. Yes, us boys are happier and healthier for it. Ditto spaying for our gal pals.

O: Odin, our one-eyed wonder and ringleader of mischief, fun and delight 24/7.

P: Peace & Purring and Playing with or humans or each other, with or without toys.

Q: Quiet and peace. Peace and quiet with dollops of excited mews from our sisfur Nou Nou.

R: Rolling in the grass, dirt or herb garden.

S: Snoozes in Sunpuddles. Sweet smells of being clean.

T: Treats and toys. Being a products tester means treats and toys galore.

U: Undercover snuggles with mom and dad.

V: Vets for all their care & kudos for Shelter Volunteers

W: Water fountains. Fresh, fun, running water.

X: X amount of Cat Wisdom 101 readers. That means you!

Y: Yoga. Feline style stretches feel so good for cats and humans.

Z: Zzzzzzs and Super Zzzzzz

What are you or your cats most thankful for?