Things my cat has taught me about life

Sleep is key to success

Do not underestimate the power of sleep. Getting a solid 7 – 8 hours undisturbed rest each night means you’ll be delivering at 100% in your work and personal life. It doesn’t matter where you do your sleep – it could be a chair, your bed (recommended), the floor, your yoga mat .. or – in Pancake’s case – my lap, dad’s shower seat or a grassy patch out in the garden.

Eat well

What you put into your body fuels and energizes you for the day. Give yourself the best foods and supplements you can afford. For Pancake this means raw meat with Felini Complete and extra water. As a obligatory carnivore the healthiest choice or him is a species appropriate raw meat diet. However, this on its own wouldn’t be healthy so I add Felini Complete which has essential nutrients which make a random bag of mixed meat from the butchers a healthy sound choice for him day in and day out. I add extra water because a cat’s kidneys can never have too much water flowing through them! What does a healthy diet for me look like? Well simple really: raw vegetables and fruit,  no processed food and as much water as I can manage .. water is good for all of us 😉

2017 was a difficult year for me and as most of you will relate, we often turn to food as a means of comfort. Interestingly we often choose rubbish food to ‘treat ourselves’. I indulged in more than my fair share of wine, coffee (full of sugar and milk) and carbs – almost in a self sabotaging manner. 2018 is about something else. Just as I am fully aware of what my cat needs to eat in order to thrive, so am I now making a conscious effort to think about what I’m putting in my body and whether it’s helping me perform at my best or pulling me down.

Stretching for days

If you haven’t seen a cat wake from a lazy nap and stretch out every limb of their body then you really are missing out on something special – this is stretching at its absolute best! Everyone seems to be into yoga these days and for good reason. But our pets do this as part of an innate ‘feel good system’ type behaviour. Full body stretching is performed multiple times per day: after waking, after sitting in the same position for awhile … you get the idea. But how often are we stretching and keeping our limbs supple? Not often enough I’d bet.

At only 33 I should still be able to run with ease, stand on one foot without toppling over and sit on my knees. But in all honesty – I can’t. My ankles have been damaged so that one wrong move on the pavement and I’m out for days, my knees are so cramped up from laying the wrong way in bed (accommodating our pets), and because I haven’t made time to balance and stretch these last couple years I am just a wound up ball of knots.

There are plenty of great Yoga and Pilates classes across the city, but for busy people who either have no time before or after work to attend group sessions then I can highly recommend YogaGlo. This is an online platform with 1000s of different classes to suit every level. And even better, there are times for everyone with the shortest session just 10 minutes, I mean who doesn’t have time for that!

Drink more water

A cat with inadequate hydration will not thrive. The body of the cat is made up of about 70% water and the natural prey that they would catch also contain approximately that same amount of water.  The cat’s ancestors came from a desert environment and relied on getting adequate amounts of water in the food they ate which means if you are feeding dry kibble then regardless of how many bowls of water you leave around the house, they will not be able to consume sufficient water to keep their kidneys in tip top shape.

A cat fed predominately dry food from a kitten will be somewhat ‘addicted’ and hard to transition to wet or raw; however, it is not impossible and simply requires time, dedication and patience. But if you are new to getting a cat, why not start them on the best possible food for them – raw! There are so many fantastic resources online now which guide you through the process. But if this still scares you then the next best option is a good quality wet food which is high in protein and low in sugars and empty calories such as carbs or vege. Cats are carnivores and they do not require vegetable or grains whatsoever.

And we too should be drinking more water. It’s recommended to have at least 2ltrs a day, but if you are extremely active or live in warm temperatures then you will need to drink more. I personally fill up a huge 2ltr bottle every morning, with either diluted green tea or just plain tap water. I leave this on the counter during the day and sip from it regularly. If I am out and about with the dogs then the bottle comes with me in the van. You’ll be surprised how much more you drink when it’s measured out like this; and your skin, hair, nails and overall energy levels will thank you for it!