A Working Cat Connection
At JUSTSIAMESE.COM we believe parenting a cat can save your life. Our Cat Connection has most certainly over the years contributed to improving our health and wellbeing, and we believe it can for every man and his cat. The number of health and wellbeing benefits are numerous as outlined on our Health & Wellbeing page, but how does it all work....
The Cat Connection is thought to work on the following principle: If the interaction between you and your cat has the effect of improving one element of your health and wellbeing (i.e. inducing relaxation); this one improvement has the consequence of improving other elements of your health and wellbeing. A domino effect if you like! For example, the Cat Connection induces relaxation and that also has the effect of reducing a persons stress levels.
Why is reducing Stress Important?
It is well known (just ask your doctor!) those high levels of stress can cause physiological and psychological changes such as:
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Increased Heart Rate & High Blood Pressure - Having high blood pressure and increased heart rate, places more strain on the heart and can increase a persons risk of stroke, heart attack and disease.
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Cognitive Problems – For example, your may experience a decreased ability to concentrate and process information, which can negatively impact your memory and the way you make decisions.
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Emotional Reactions – For example if you are under a high levels of stress, you may be irritable and progress to being angry when dealing with difficult situations (by having a cat in your lap you may take the same situation and feel the calm and not progress to anger!)
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Cause or Aggravation Psychological Conditions (e.g. Anxiety, Depression etc)
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Aggravate Existing Physical Conditions (e.g. chronic pain conditions, as stress can increase experience of pain levels).
So by reducing stress levels, the domino effect is that you reduce the risk of certain diseases/conditions being aggravated or developing from the psychological and physical changes that can occur in that environment.
Contributing Factors
It is also just as important to understand that whilst the Cat Connection can have the above outlined impact, there are factors that contribute to whether or not, or to what extent, you experience the Cat Connection. Some of these factors include:
Temperament – The Cat Connection working relies on you and your cat having adjusted to each others temperament. If there is conflict between you and your cat (e.g. your cat urinates outside of the litter tray), there is little chance of any healing environment developing, in fact the opposite may occur.
Prior to bringing a cat into your life, you need to consider a number of things about yourself and what parenting a cat involves to try to ensure the best connection (please see our page Choosing your Cat Therapist for more information).
Expectations – Your expectations about your cat (whether it be a cat you have had for a while or a new cat) can impact on whether you experience a Cat Connection! At JUSTSIAMESE.COM we have three loving cats, Joe Daniel, Marie Henrietta, and Angel Hope. They have their own individual personality. For example, within 1 minute or less of meeting Marie Henrietta, she would be begging for you to play with her. Joe Daniel would size you up, and maybe approach you cautiously about 15 minutes later. Angel Hope on the other hand would take a couple of months before she even came out from hiding.
If we had held an expectation that Angel should behave the same as Marie Henrietta, or ‘gave up’ on her (as some people may ‘give up’ on developing a connection with a cat that is initially less approachable like Angel Hope), and we subsequently just went through the robotic motions of feeding, litter tray changing etc without establishing a connection, then we would have lost out, big time. The rewards we at JUSTSIAMESE.COM have received from patiently and attentively gaining Angel Hope’s trust and her then showing us more of her personality has been worth so much more that the time and effort it took.
Furthermore it has taught us how to be more consistently calm, patient and loving. Life wouldn’t be the same without her!
Sense of Purpose – Parenting a cat can provide you with a daily sense of purpose, because as a Responsible Cat Parent, you need to take care of your cat on a daily basis. For example, if you have a limited social circle or are experiencing illness, that underlying need to care for your cat and the rewards you receive from them during this process can shift your thoughts away from any negativity of your current situation (i.e. a beautiful source of distraction) and thereby improve your capacity to cope. Sometimes having a cat can be the reason you get out of bed in the morning!
Unconditional Affection – Despite the stereotypes and propaganda out there, cats can be very affectionate and it is this and, us providing them with affection, that engenders the Cat Connection. The type of affection we receive from our cats is uncomplicated and unconditional and only requires a pat, brush or play with them. It is a relationship where there is little expectation or need for us to be cautious in providing it, or risk getting hurt if we are vulnerable. This is because there are little to no strings attached and we do not need to be wary of what to expect from the relationship (other than our understanding of what responsible pet parenting is and involves).
At JUSTSIAMESE.COM we can honestly say that having Joe Daniel come for a morning cuddle (get under the blankets) with Mum and Dad and lay on one of our chests purring is the most amazingly soothing way to start the day! This is an example of an experience with your cat that brings a smile to your face and gets those happy endorphins running through the body! This has the effect of teaching you how to be affectionate, and of course relax. I do not think we have ever walked past Joe Daniel without covering him with a sheet or blanket when he sleeps, because we know he loves it. And of course, there is never a moment that we can walk past Marie Henrietta without patting her because she demands it by dropping to the ground at your feet (particularly when you walk up stairs which can be interesting!).
Communication – Cats listen to what we say, they may not do as we say, but they do listen. We at JUSTSIAMESE.COM love to talk to our cats when we are patting or brushing them and even just in general and they love it too!. Sometimes having an undemanding listener who does not provide an opinion but helps us to relax and clear our thinking processes, can assist us in sorting out our thoughts on situations and improve decision making. Sometimes we don’t need to voice our thoughts, but the Cat Connection assists in providing an optimal environment for us to help sort them out!
Additionally, cats are always reading our body language (most of our communication is not verbal (i.e. body language)); so to promote your Cat Connection, you should learn how to read theirs! For example, yes cats can pick up when you are stressed, and their reaction to your stress can be One where your cat freaks out, and if you read your cats body language, this should highlight your stressed out state to you (as yes, sometimes we can be highly stressed without quite realizing it) so you can do something about it (yep, tune into your cat and not the TV or electronic device!). It also may be that when your cat reads you are stressed, that they come over and sit or lie down on or next to you, encouraging you to pat them and listen to their purr, which calms us down.
We hope you experience the cat connection.
