Tag: corona virus

Days of Hell:  Living 24/7 With My Caretaker Underfoot

Book Magic

All day, every day, I’m marooned with my caretaker.  What’s a cat to do?  And then I remember a statement made by poet, Amy Lowell.  It went like this:  “For books are more than books, they are life, the very heart…of ages past.  The reason why men worked and died, the essence and quintessence of their lives.”

That dame is right.   Grab a book from the shelf and read it!  You all do know what books are, correct?  They are square or oblong objects with pages that you can turn with your paws (or fingers) and take you on magic journeys.  Because, right now, we all need some magic in our lives.

Read about a  poor wood carver’s son who depends on his clever cat to find him a beautiful princess to marry and big castle in which to live. (Puss in Boots)  Then there’s a naughty boy who goes to his room without supper and escapes on a journey to a kingdom of wild beasts where he becomes the king. (Where the Wild Things Are )

A rambunctious kitty pays an unannounced visit to a brother and sister (who are quarantined at home), while their mom is out shopping and totally trashes the house.  We cats love making a mess.  But despite the chaos the cat in the hat has a magic machine that cleans up the mess.  I mean, don’t we always clean up after ourselves? (The Cat in the Hat) 

And don’t forget the story about a gentle bull who refuses to fight in the bull ring and wants to sit under the pretty trees. (The Story of Ferdinand)

“Books are a hard-bound drug with no danger of an overdose,” said Karl Langerfield. So go ahead.  Take this hard-bound drug and you will see poor boys who get the beautiful princess, little boys who became king of the beasts, and a fighting bull who prefers to smell the flowers…magic.

 

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Days of Hell:  Living 24/7 With my Caretaker Under Foot

Be Civilized, Show Compassion

 

Well, I guess nothing is perfect, and right now the humans seem to be in a pretty dicey predicament.  Seems like Bobby Dylan is right, A Hard Rain’s A Gonna Fall and you all don’t know when it’s going to stop raining.  But I’ve got news for you all:  You will make it (but don’t forgot to wash your paws, ah hands)!

There was this famous anthropologist named Margaret Mead who once said that the first indication of civilization in an ancient culture was the sign that a femur (thighbone) that had been broken had also healed. Because in the animal kingdom if you break your leg, you die. You cannot run from bad animals or get to the river for a drink or hunt for food. (And we all know what great hunters cats are!)   Because in order for an animal to survive, they need someone to care for them long enough for the bone to heal.

A broken femur that has healed is evidence that someone has bound up the wound, carried the person to safety and nursed the person through recovery. Helping someone else through difficulty is when civilization starts, this famous human anthropologist said.  I would like to think I’m a civilized kitty, because I’m helping my caretaker through a difficult time.  And she too, is quite civilized as I have lots of food and someone who cares for me.  Perhaps this pandemic will show how civilized we are.

So here’s some advice for you humans:  Be civilized…show compassion.  Remember, the world is coming together, even though the people stay apart.

Days of Hell:  Living 24/7 With my Caretaker Under Foot

Life Inside

It was something I had never planned for.  But the day finally came.  A disease known as the corona virus (not to be confused with Corona Beer) has hit humans all over the world.  Infected humans (and even those who might not know if they had the virus) were advised to stay indoors for at least two weeks 24/7.  Humans would now be under foot with no break for 336 hours.

I tried not to be too alarmed.  But my first thought concerned my daily feeding routine.  If my caretaker couldn’t go to the market to buy my favorite morsels, would I per chance starve to death?  She assured me that grocery stores would deliver my favorite brands, and a large river called the Amazon might also deliver.  I was somewhat reassured, but you never know about these kind of things.  She also pointed out that she had “stocked” up on my favorites, and I was somewhat placated.   I have been described as “Rubenesque,” so I need plenty to eat.

Right now, my caretaker seems perfectly healthy, but she has decided to mostly “stay in,” for as many days as necessary.  The word, “necessary,” troubles me.  What exactly does that mean?  Perhaps the best way to cope, is to see this as an adventure.  One can only hope that I won’t tire of her constant presence.

Maybe animals, especially cats, (although I will give dogs a little credit), can help out.  Animals and nature can be soothing and we do bring people together (although it must be online for now).  We are innocent, and while a human’s world grinds to a halt, our world carries on.

As the great nature writer, John Muir once said, “And into the forest I must go, to lose my mind and find my soul.”  So  we  will help humans find their soul.

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