Me and My Cat, Aging Together

It’s not easy to watch your cat age. I assumed she would freeze in time as a healthy adult. But then the signs of aging began, and I freaked out. Naturally, I rushed to give her empathy, assistance, and love as aging gradually limited her life. One day it occurred to me that perhaps that’s the exact type of medicine I should also give to my aging self. It started when she began to fall off her cat tree, the dining room chairs, and the coffee table. She slept so deeply she never noticed as her head edged precariously over the side of the chair. Suddenly, the weight of her head tipped would tip her over, rudely landing her with a thud on the floor. I felt shocked the first time I witnessed one of these episodes. I worried. Would she break a bone? Would she hit her head and become concussed? Would she actually kill herself? Since cats naturally seek higher vantage points, I couldn’t force her to stay on the floor. I’m often home, but I’m not always there to watchdog her. I addressed the problem by placing area rugs and kitchen mats underneath and next to her usual perches. The laminate floor of my house began to look like a weirdly designed patchwork quilt. I also watched her like a hawk when I was home. As soon as her head or torso inched toward an edge, I would jump up and re-position her. As you can imagine, my assistance was met with grouchy resistance. <a href="https://medium.com/crows-feet/me-and-my-cat-aging-together-7ad8b151d65">Click Here</a>