Regarding a relationship with water:
While Jennyanydots does not get fully into the bathtub with me, she does like to sit on the rim and dip her paws in the sudsy water. She did slip and fall in once though, but this has not scared her away. I think what she felt then was embarrassment. Cats are very careful not to appear silly, and even though they often seem silly to us I think this is just a matter of cross species perspective.
For J, a bowl of fresh water is important to a meal. She likes to float a few kibbles in the water and toy with them before settling her attention entirely on the bowl of kibbles. She has always done this, so I am led to believe that, like humans, she appreciates a ritual that lends a sense of changelessness and continuity to life.
I keep a large crystal bowl filled with fresh water on a coffee table in front of a living room couch. In the bowl I float a blossom from the arrangement of cut flowers in the adjacent vase. J loves to drink from this bowl, dip a paw into its water, and observe the movement of the floating blossom. This is another constant that seems to somehow anchor her psyche in the world of flux and change.
Now that summer is drawing near, J will travel with me to our lakeside summer cottage in the Adirondacks in New York. The water front there is a stone retaining wall. While originally perfectly placed, the stones have rearranged themselves somewhat over the years, affording places of purchase for cautious paws. J will carefully pick a spot of entry and ease herself into the water and then glide around a bit whilst she searches for another spot for exit. Over the years, she has determined that there are certain spots along the wall that are her favorites, and it seems that each summer begins with the function of memory.
There is more to share about J and water, but for some reason I feel that perhaps this is enough for now.....:)
Best,
cd
|
