Despite the amazing discoveries in science — billions of people are now connected by the internet; our life span has vastly increased since the time of Cleopatra and the Egyptian pyramids — our world remains shrouded in mystery.
Case in point: Look at a bird weighing less than one ounce. How does the Ruby-throated Hummingbird navigate thousands of miles as it migrates from Canada to Panama?
A second mystery is found in a green lizard known as the Gecko. If attacked, the web-footed Gecko discards its tail-which twitches alone on the sand — and after escaping, grows back a new tail.
Imagine if we humans had a biological GPS, or the power to regenerate a lost limb. Today’s column is about another animal which has stirred intrigue for centuries. The cat.
Felis Catus. Why do cats have nine lives, while we humans do not? The hidden agenda is a quest to formulate a feline potion, or mystical elixir, so that poof! We humans will have nine lives too.
Given the complexity of the task at hand, I’ve invited a guest to help (drum roll please). Out steps one gorgeous female Calico cat, whose eyes sparkle like emeralds. She is one cool kitty, dressed to kill: pumpkin orange top hat and vest, knee-high shiny black boots, and a cane sporting a lion’s head. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Edie.
“Hello. Before we begin, let me explain my name – Edith is the long version of my name, but after being on national TV, I’ve been dubbed Edie, the Feline Philosopher. You can call me Edie.”
“Given this large audience, I’m going to organize my speech as follows:
Definition of nine lives.
Feline survival skills.
How life’s adversities can be overcome.
Definition of nine lives: Cats have nine lives. This does not mean that I can die and then come back to life. It means when life throws a knife, we cats know how to catch it, turn it around and use it to survive. The “nine lives” slogan reflects the following nine feline survival skills:
Night vision.
Downward whisker mobility – cats use their whiskers to feel their surroundings. When leaping over objects in the dark, whiskers can be turned downward to feel the objects.
Purring
Squeezing into tight places.
Bonding to humans.
The no body odor, odorless cat.
Claw and fang repair.
Avoiding cat fights.
Post-traumatic inspiration.
Would you like to master these skills? Since our time is limited, I’ve selected three of the nine, purring, bonding and posttraumatic inspiration.
How to purr: To live in the present, I’m going to teach you a technique called, “grounding.”
Each of the five sensory anchors below will help to hold you in the present:
I hear (audio), I see (visual), I feel, (emotional), I smell (olfactory), I taste (gustatory). I’m now going to demonstrate “grounding” by sitting next to this 50-gallon aquarium, which is full of fish.
I hear the water in the aquarium, I see the fat, plump goldfish swimming, I feel hungry, I smell fresh, fish flesh, I taste (slurp), sorry, I didn’t mean to eat the fish.
Let’s get back to business. Once your sensory anchors are in place, hum for three seconds — Hmmmm. Congratulations, you just learned how to purr.
Bonding: New research on cats has displaced a long-held myth, namely, that cats are aloof, anti-social creatures. The truth is, like humans, cats are highly social creatures. If a cat suffers the loss of its primary social companion, just like humans, they become ill. To survive in this world, cats and humans must have high-trust relationships, lasting through their lifespan.
Thank you for listening to me, Edie the Feline Philosopher. Before you leave, allow me to help you see, that it doesn’t matter what kind of critter you be — feline, canine, equine, lupine, bovine or humankind. What matters is who you will be, after your battles with adversity.
Will you say, “I’m broken,” or will you say, “I’m finally the person I’ve always wanted to be.” If you say the latter, then you have experienced post-traumatic inspiration, which allows you to help others by telling them this: “Now that my heart is open, come walk with me, so I can listen and lessen your sufferings.“
The content of this article is for educational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for treatment by a professional.
Dr. Richard Elghammer contributes his column to the Journal Review each week.
