Saturday, November 07, 2009
Franklin, the Spa-Kitty
My sister's fuzzy furball is a spa-kitty named Franklin. You can barely see his handsome blue eyes amidst all that fur. Naturally, he's a Himalayan, but he wouldn't survive for one second near those mountains. He sleeps about twenty-six hours per day drowned in the relaxing wine-filled air of Temecula, California. While Franklin is neither tough nor lean, his real prowess is evidenced by his too-cool attitude and his calm state-of-mind.
His bravery may be falsely labeled as stupidity, but he does not back down from an oncoming attacker ten times his size. Nor does he freak out when sprayed with water. He actually loved taking baths with my sister when he was just a kitten. Now, as an adult cat, he lies on the side of her Roman tub while she soaks amidst a plethora of candles. He's so knightly that he's even caught his tail on fire a few times. He probably does it intentionally so he can jump in with her.
Perhaps Franklin's most noble attribute is his ability to roll with the punches. When my sister adopted a female Tonkinese kitty named Tonka, Franklin willingly gave up some of the space in his pad. Even though Tonka took months to appreciate his sacrifice, they eventually became buddies. When confronted with Tonka's perpetual hissing, Franklin just decided to turn up the volume on his iPod. Tonka's ally-cat attitude melted away over the subsequent months from Franklin's spa-kitty demeanor, whose real concern is always about the timing of his next cucumber facial.
Last year, when my sister brought home a Weimaraner named Cali, Franklin was certainly less than thrilled about it. But, he adjusted to the new situation by letting the Weimy know that he was still the boss. No fear also means no brains, but don't tell Franklin that. Cali would leap around like a wild gazelle with her gangly legs flying everywhere. It was of no consequence to Franklin, even though his space was shrinking yet again. He didn't let it get the best of him because at least he was getting some doggie-licks in between his spa-treatments.
Jump ahead five more months and make room for a seventy pound female chocolate Labrador named Bella. She's definitely less active than Cali, but a bit more floppy on the bed at night. Franklin would announce, "Move over wide-load. We're cool as long as I'm right next to Mommy." He was especially understanding because this was Grammy's dog and at least they'd already met before. More licks. More unwelcome brown hair amidst his pearly white blanket of fur. Once again, Franklin pulled through.
The lesson I've learned from Franklin over the years is that you have to be flexible. Just as we can not control the weather, we can not manipulate life's changes or its disappointments. The fact is that pay-cuts, lay-offs, and illnesses affect good people like you and me. Even our kids struggle. Whether it's with health problems or difficulties at school, we see them working through their own issues. Although it's not easy to adjust to the ebb and flow of life and its inconvenient glitches, it is necessary.
When life gets you down, try to respond like Franklin by keeping your cool. When new animals entered his world, he didn't get incensed and he didn't give up. Instead, he just took it in stride. He realized he couldn't control the situation, so he minimized his pity-party feelings and trusted that things would turn around.
With each oncoming challenge, Franklin reminded himself of his blessings: his unending supply of hugs from Mommy, his surplus of tasty treats in the drawer, his daily allowance of naps, and his toasty warm bed. Even though Franklin has had to learn to share the spotlight, he's adjusted to the changes.
Share your funny cat stories here. Also, let us know how you've benefited from going with the flow.
His bravery may be falsely labeled as stupidity, but he does not back down from an oncoming attacker ten times his size. Nor does he freak out when sprayed with water. He actually loved taking baths with my sister when he was just a kitten. Now, as an adult cat, he lies on the side of her Roman tub while she soaks amidst a plethora of candles. He's so knightly that he's even caught his tail on fire a few times. He probably does it intentionally so he can jump in with her.
Perhaps Franklin's most noble attribute is his ability to roll with the punches. When my sister adopted a female Tonkinese kitty named Tonka, Franklin willingly gave up some of the space in his pad. Even though Tonka took months to appreciate his sacrifice, they eventually became buddies. When confronted with Tonka's perpetual hissing, Franklin just decided to turn up the volume on his iPod. Tonka's ally-cat attitude melted away over the subsequent months from Franklin's spa-kitty demeanor, whose real concern is always about the timing of his next cucumber facial.
Last year, when my sister brought home a Weimaraner named Cali, Franklin was certainly less than thrilled about it. But, he adjusted to the new situation by letting the Weimy know that he was still the boss. No fear also means no brains, but don't tell Franklin that. Cali would leap around like a wild gazelle with her gangly legs flying everywhere. It was of no consequence to Franklin, even though his space was shrinking yet again. He didn't let it get the best of him because at least he was getting some doggie-licks in between his spa-treatments.
Jump ahead five more months and make room for a seventy pound female chocolate Labrador named Bella. She's definitely less active than Cali, but a bit more floppy on the bed at night. Franklin would announce, "Move over wide-load. We're cool as long as I'm right next to Mommy." He was especially understanding because this was Grammy's dog and at least they'd already met before. More licks. More unwelcome brown hair amidst his pearly white blanket of fur. Once again, Franklin pulled through.
The lesson I've learned from Franklin over the years is that you have to be flexible. Just as we can not control the weather, we can not manipulate life's changes or its disappointments. The fact is that pay-cuts, lay-offs, and illnesses affect good people like you and me. Even our kids struggle. Whether it's with health problems or difficulties at school, we see them working through their own issues. Although it's not easy to adjust to the ebb and flow of life and its inconvenient glitches, it is necessary.
When life gets you down, try to respond like Franklin by keeping your cool. When new animals entered his world, he didn't get incensed and he didn't give up. Instead, he just took it in stride. He realized he couldn't control the situation, so he minimized his pity-party feelings and trusted that things would turn around.
With each oncoming challenge, Franklin reminded himself of his blessings: his unending supply of hugs from Mommy, his surplus of tasty treats in the drawer, his daily allowance of naps, and his toasty warm bed. Even though Franklin has had to learn to share the spotlight, he's adjusted to the changes.
Share your funny cat stories here. Also, let us know how you've benefited from going with the flow.
Labels: cats, Franklin, go-with-the-flow
