International Cat Day: Things I learned from Pasha

Today is #InternationalCatDay?

Pets, for some people, are cute little creatures we just take care of. Those amongst you, who have been to Turkey, will know that most people in my country adore stray animals. Particularly cats, have a ‘holy’ standing in our culture. Hence, you would see armies of cats in places such as mosques and graveyards.

I do have a furry friend also, called Pasha. He is a four-year-old stray cat. Our paths crossed miraculously, which could be a topic for another time ??

After, I saw my alma mater, 英国牛津大学 ’s post on International Cat Day, I paused and realised that although my cat is extremely cute and furry, Pasha’s value-add to my life has been much more than that. Below are some of the things I may highlight amongst the lessons I learned from Pasha:

• ?Be gracious: Every single time I do a favour to him, he does not hesitate to rub his head or body against my legs, as a sign of appreciation. Graciousness comes naturally to Pasha. He does not take anything for granted.
• Doubt things, even when they look obvious: Although his visual sense is strong, Pasha chooses to smell every single thing before deciding they are actually what he thinks they are. He is never quick to make a judgement.
• Be passionate about a target but also know when to give up and move on quickly: Well, Pasha is born to hunt ?? He can run after a bird or a fly for hours. But when the fly is out of his sight, he is quick to move on to his next item on the agenda – which could be simply having a nap ??. He does not let his past disappointments direct the rest of his life- not more than a second ?
• Care about having a routine: Pasha does not need an alarm clock at all ? He does exactly the same thing at every hour every day. He has his sleep time, play time and food time. Frequently, he is the one reminding me and my husband that it is bed time, by going into our bed (yes, us three do sleep together ????).
• Stay true to yourself: He has true self-awareness that I sometimes envy ??. Everybody is born with a different life-purpose. He is a cat, he hunts, sleeps, eats and plays. He does not try to fly, for example ?? And, no matter how much I try to treat him like a human baby, he reminds me that he is a cat, most often with a painful scratch ????
• Have a nap while you can: My cat sleeps, whenever we are boring or there are no flies/birds around that he is programmed to catch. But he is wide awake when you put his favourite cat food or mouse toy in front of him.

Life is all about ups and downs and we have limited internal and external resources. Speaking to those who have managed to lead fulfilled lives, in a way, made me realise one thing: They managed to optimize their energy. We cannot always be going at full speed. We cannot be working with full effort all the time. We can identify what requires full effort and what simply is not worth the effort. When you are convinced that a certain person/work etc. is not worth your effort, it is ok to turn off to store energy for the next adventure. When the next adventure that 'ignites your spirit' comes, you will need the energy you restored from your nap!???? Just optimise your effort and spend it in the situations that are worth it! You cannot make everyone happy and not every job is right for you. Knowing that, is the power and strength which may lead you to live a more fulfilled life.

Relaxing doesn’t mean you are not alert at all though! Make sure you are quick when the time to wake up comes. My cat can move from deep asleep to fully awake in milliseconds!?

I am so thankful for his presence in my life and for all the incredible things he taught me. I regret all the years I spent without having a pet before Pasha. If we all knew how eye-opening building a strong relationship with a pet is, there would not be a single stray animal on the streets.