5 Life Lessons From My Cat
Sometimes I truly believe that my cat — his name is Randall — can be a really good life coach. That's why I decided to take some notes about the lessons I learned from Randall. And share it with you.
Sometimes I truly believe that my cat — his name is Randall — can be a really good life coach. That's why I decided to take some notes about the lessons I learned from Randall. And share it with you.
July 2022. It was our seventh month after moving to the United States. I was struggling to find my first job as a software engineer, and the whole mood was pretty low. And here we are, me and my gorgeous wife, driving to Babylon, NY, to get a cat from the shelter.
Once we came home, our new friend started to explore his new home and felt very anxious. All night, Randall stopped crying only when somebody was talking to him. So my wife and I spent all night singing songs and trying to make him comfortable.
Morning came, and Randall accepted his new home and us as his new friends. That was the time when he tried his first steps in his coaching career, and we supported him.
When we met Randall for the first time, he was a five-months-old kitten who looked confused and wanted to move away from his noisy siblings. And we were ready to help!
Cats are curious. And Randall is not an exception. Whenever a new person comes to our place, Randall hides under the sofa or in the bedroom. But after a few minutes, he returns and inspects his guest suspiciously.
First, he sniffs the person's snickers, then he explores appearance, and after a few minutes, he asks to play. Sometimes, this process takes more time, sometimes less, but in general, he is always ready to explore and try something new.
How humans can use this lesson: Once a new colleague joins your company, take a few minutes to introduce yourself and ask some questions about this person's life. Another way to use this knowledge is to be a proactive learner of new things. Check the new JavaScript framework on the weekend, or try to build something interesting with AI. In other words, keep exploring and be curious, even if it is scary at first glance.
The first thing I noticed very well is that Randall knows how to keep his boundaries. He is okay hanging around people, and sometimes he even lets pick himself up. But. If you ever do something he doesn't like — for example, touch his tummy without warning — be ready for a fight!
Randall never thinks twice to tell you what he likes and does not. And if you want to have good relationships, it is better to observe his boundaries.
How humans can use this lesson: If your boss expects you to work at 8 pm on Saturday, you should let him know that you want to spend your non-work hours with your cat and not with another Jira ticket.
We have a huge scratching post in the living room (aka Randall's room). And any time Randall sharpens his claws, we cheer him up and say how awesome he is. He seems to understand what's going on and sometimes uses this post just to hear nice words towards him.
But at the same time, Randall sharpens his claws on the sofa. And, of course, we never say anything good about it. But Randall just likes it. And as I understand, he sees scratching post as a daily job and our sofa — as a pet project. Something that he does for his heart.
How humans can use this lesson: Get some time each week to work on something for your heart. It can be creating music, dancing, making collages, or creating funny web pages about your loved pets.
And even though I am not happy with the appearance of the sofa, I can't blame Randall. I understand him. It is his pet project
Any time Randall wakes up, he stretches. He has good cardio three or four times a day, and he is always looking for a chance to achieve new goals in his workout regime.
At the same time, after each workout session, he has a really nice deep sleep. But before one or right after mealtime, Randall has a bath and cleans his whole body.
Randall never skips any item from his self-care-to-do-list!
How humans can use this lesson: Make your own routine, which you will follow every day. It can be something small — morning exercises or a few thousand walks every day. But it keeps it consistent. Or you can plan to visit your local spa. Just do something to take care of your beautiful body!
When Randall was one year old, the veterinarian told us he had some extra weight. My wife and I were a bit worried, but it seems we were the only ones who thought about it. Randall just enjoyed himself and wondered why we wanted to change his diet.
After a few months, Randall lost a couple of pounds, and we were very proud of him, but he seems not to care about it because he loves himself as he is. And afterawhile he gained these pounds back.
How humans can use this lesson: Sometimes, we don't look the way we really want to see ourselves. But it doesn't mean we should be upset about it. We live only once. So we don't have any other option than just accepting ourselves and being happy about it.
Sometimes, I believe my cat is my life coach (and I hope you are also thinking this way now). That's why I recently created a few funny stickers with Randall that remind me about the lessons I learned. If you want one, just let me know, and I will bring one once we meet.
Sergey Kaplich
Dec 15, 2023