#pet lessons

Are you a dog person or a cat person? No need to choose. Join me as I lay out the virtues of pet caregiving, topped off by a video dedicated to my former cat, Emily Dickinson, who inspired some precious life lessons that I still nurture today.

During my mid-30s, I shared seven years of my life taking care of, and all-around adoring, a jet black cat called Emily Dickinson. My smart, funny, and ravishingly beautiful fur companion taught me how to navigate the divide between mind and heart, past and present, helping me reconcile the knots of thoughts and emotions that arise when discovering oneself reflected anew through the eyes of…

Keep Moving, Circle Cat

As usual, I learn a lot about life from our animals. For example, Koa, our old blind cat. I watch him walk in circles and feel sorry for him as he bumps his way around the room. I wonder if he misses his younger days when he roamed the neighborhood and leaped to the top of 6-foot fences to stare down at the barking dogs on his route. He was king of the world back then. Or his small piece of the…