As most pet owners know, we love our pets when they're well behaved and feel frustration towards them when they're not so well behaved. Owen, the fluffy one, is often also known as the mischievous one. He really should be featured in the Cats Can Be Jerks video on YouTube. I'll be eating at the kitchen table and he'll most likely jump on the table at some point during my meal. Late at night he'll decide to pick at the cabinet door just to annoy me. But above all, he likes to eat clothing, blankets, and towels. Yep. Just like a dog. He eats stuff that he shouldn't.
Sometimes I wonder if this behavior comes out because he hasn't gotten enough attention. However, it's hard to believe that the cat who is carried around by either myself or my boyfriend for a large portion of the day isn't getting enough attention. I also wonder if he's just unhappy. Nope. Owen purrs loudly and wags his tail all the live long day. I think I've just come to the conclusion that he's just a jerk.
His ultimate jerk move is when he eats an enormous hole in my favorite articles of clothing. This is a normal occurrence. If I leave my clothes laying around in the bedroom or if a sleeve is hanging out of my laundry basket, Owen thinks it's fair game for him to snack on. Today, for example, I went to the yoga studio to take class. I stepped into the office to put my belongings away and chatted it up with a friend. I looked down and noticed a huge hole in the shirt I was wearing! My favorite lululemon long sleeved shirt had been consumed by my cat. I shared a few choice words and got mad. Of course he never eats the sweater I rarely wear or the shirt I just got a stain on. He eats my favorite pieces of clothing.
A few minutes later I rolled out my yoga mat in the studio and stewed in my outrage toward my cat. Of course my practice was going to be tarnished by my cat's appetite for shirts. I noticed my frustration with my cat rise up inside of me and then I just had to let it go. The shirt had already been consumed. My cat was satisfied by his snack. And anything I do or anything I feel moving forward will not patch up the hole in my shirt. Ultimately my shirt is just a material possession. My experiences with my cat are much more enjoyable than the happiness my shirt brings to me.
One of my teachers talks about measuring your wealth by your experiences and not in what you own. I constantly have to be reminded of this idea. It's hard to not buy the latest yoga top in the studio or feel like I need the newest pair of Tom's. What I need are good people in my life. What I need are memorable experiences in my life. Of course deep down, Owen, the mischievous one, has the intention to eat my belongings to remind me that it's all just stuff.
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