Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes!
On life lately with Junipurr | May 2021
Hello friends! How is May treating you?
Changes abound in Junipurr’s household this spring. We moved (not to worry, all seven cat trees came with us). We, the parents, returned to the office for work while Lil Juni held down the fort. And we even had our favorite pet-sitters come by for the first time in a long time. Here are four fun other fun things about life with Junipurr lately.
Queen of Comfort
Junipurr, as old friends may know, was born a connoisseur of comfort:
Multiple plushy cat beds?
That’s table stakes.
A basket of fresh, warm laundry?
Child’s play.
Got one of those! *Yawn*
Just when I thought comfort has reached its peak, babygirl took it to new heights. Her newest experiment in coziness: Nudging our heavy comforter into the center of the bed to create a mountain, then climbing into its center and tucking in for a deep slumber. Her origami craftsmanship is something to behold — it’s like peeling an onion to get to her.
Weight is just a number … the parents worry about
Weight - the most boring of numbers! Also, for food lovers like everyone in our household - Junipurr very much included - to gain weight should be a piece of cake (pun intended), right? However, Junipurr is consistently hovering at 10.6 pounds, which is ever so slightly below ideal weight. Fearful she is not getting enough nourishment, every week Favorite Parent and I weigh her and capture it in a log we’ve taped next to the scale. To make this ritual seem festive (and a habit), we call it Wednesday Weigh-Ins. The branding has yet to tantalize Juni into cooperating. So, we’ve a very high tech methodology: I carry Juni and step on the scale, making mental note of the number, then I set Juni down and weigh myself. Then I run towards Fav Parent, calling out both numbers on repeat, as he does the calculations. As I said, high tech ;)
Plants
With spring in the air, we have been relishing the blossoming plants outdoor and in. One of my favorite luxuries is to have a bouquet of fresh flowers on the dining table. Gentle reminder to my fellow plant-loving cat parents, though — check the plant for toxicity to cats. Lilies, for example, are a definite no. The ASPCA has an encyclopedic guide on plants that are toxic to cats. When you click on each plant profile, you’ll also get info on the scientific name & family of the plant, its toxic principles (eg. Saponins), and importantly, clinical signs of toxicity.
Junipurr, too, seems to be feeling the springtime plant fever. Another recent hobby of hers is to “camouflage” herself behind one of our indoor trees and stare at us while we eat dinner. Nothing as reassuring as being stared at by a judgy feline while you eat, I tell ya!
All for one, and one for all
True story: This morning while I was drinking my coffee on the patio, a hummingbird hovered over a squirrel, who was making direct eye contact with Juni, who was perching on my lap. This Snow White moment made me realize, yet again, how intimate and connected our lives are.
This year Favorite Parent and I started volunteering with our local wildlife rehabilitation centers, where we primarily work with native birds (pelicans, gulls, grebes, mallards, etc.) and small mammals (opossums, squirrels). It’s been magical and rewarding, but also perplexing and thought-provoking. It seems to be human nature to segment - cat people versus dog people, kitten/owned cat people versus community cat people, wildlife lovers who consider cats to be a non-native nuisance, etc.
We are all neighbors and roommates on this precious Earth. So, perhaps we can do away with the stringent focus on one species or one issue, and instead advance welfare for all animals — and Mother Earth, too.
Would love to hear your thoughts, friend! Feel free to share in the comments below.
