My cat is a Freedom Fighter. She can instantly sense a weakness in the outer perimeter of my home and she’s capable of rapidly converting a brief lapse into a full scale escape. In years past, I’ve had to recruit neighbors to locate her from blocks away or get her out of trees/off balconies, etc. This would happen frequently enough that I had to be vigilant about closing doors in a timely fashion. And all my regular guests and cat minders likewise were trained not to linger in doorway conversations or leave exits open.
As she’s aged, she’s not quite so zealous in her escape attempts and I too have grown lax in my perimeter defense.
This morning I was watering the new flowers I planted in pots outside my door and enjoying the beautiful morning…for just one second too long. I even began to wonder why Lipstick hadn’t wandered over to the doorway to take a look. Then, out of the corner, she flew like a bullet and she was off. She doesn’t go that far anymore but she lead me on a merry chase for a few minutes until I could get ahold of her.
I’ve often wondered, what is she looking for? What does she think is out there that is better than what she has here? To say she’s living the dream in the understatement of the century. Basically, she sleeps 23 hours a day. The rest of the time she uses my entire condo like it’s one big cat fun house– climbing on counters, jumping into bathtubs, snuggling in on couches, chairs and pillows galore. Food, treats, toys, shelter, love. I mean, why go elsewhere?
I guess the answer is, just like me, she wants more.
It’s not a bad thing to want more as long as I remember that I really do have everything that I need today. Right here and right now. I hope I never stop being curious about what’s out there but balance it with being vigilant about gratitude for what’s already here.
Boonedoggler 