Love is in the air!

Happy Valentine's Day! Happy Single Awareness Day! 😸

Us cats show mamma love every day.

We purr, we head bunt, we play, we cuddle, we knead on her, and we purr some more.

What will you be doing today to show your love? 😻

Our mamma decorated the house with hearts, candles, and silly stuffed toys. We like to knock them down and attack them all.

We display our love in all sorts of ways. While romantic love is said to be a purely human emotion, we have rituals and behaviors that we know expresses love, too. For instance, my little brother Pasqua definitely loves me. We aren't really related, so it is okay. 😹  He chases me and forces me to play with him. He grooms me, and I groom him. 

I love him, but don't show him very often. Shhh...

My older brother, Stray Cat, loved a dog. That is right, a dog. It was incredible. The two would nestle together to nap, they would play together, and were inseparable.

Don't believe me? Here's a picture to prove it: 

Zoe and Stray Cat, 2009.

In my humble opinion, humans have to do a better job of celebrating all types of love.

This Valentine's Day, whether single or in a relationship, we encourage you to be kind, show compassion, have empathy, and celebrate every type of love. It may be difficult for you at first, as you will have to set aside judgment, bias, and prejudices. Try to find anything that you can relate to about a person, so that you will be able to connect at that level. For people you do not know, remember you are a stranger too, so think about how you want to be treated, and act responsibly with that in mind.

Every animal and human deserves love, respect, compassion, and empathy. 

Celebrate every love! 💘

Have a happy day, Readers.

Purr & Paw,

-Stivali. 🐾

When we were born, nobody gave us a lesson on how to breathe - we just did. The same thing happens with love. Nobody tells you how to love - we just do. - Connor Chalfant.

Grateful for having a cup!

Last week, we offered an acronym to help us maintain optimism - PERMA. How did you do this past week displaying happiness and maintaining a positive outlook? We hope it was a week of being grateful for having a cup instead of viewing that cup as half-full or half-empty. 😸

Since you liked the PERMA acronym so much I thought I would share another one my mamma uses to foster a positive world. We all are going through so much right now - we need to let one another vent, and maximize personal connection by caring, actively listening, and creating transparency. We all deserve to be treated fairly, and connection happens when we practice empathy. 

Listen
Acknowledge
Understand
Relate
Act

Listen to your friends and family, acknowledge the emotional impact and their feelings, understand their needs, relate to them, and take action to make things better for them.

LAURA - it is that simple. 

Putting PERMA and LAURA together could truly help all of us, don't you think? 

Grigio's Fall Portrait.😻

                                                            When all else fails, nap! 😽

Every one is unique, and empathy is an important factor in adapting to someone and their current situation. Being empathetic creates positive friendships and relationships while reducing conflict and misunderstandings. Next time you are chatting with someone who you have a difference with, try out the LAURA technique, and see if the conversation is smoother than usual for both of you! 

Have a blessed week, Readers.

Purr & Paw, 

-Stivali. 🐾

"You only have twelve notes, do what you want with them." - Eddie Van Halen. 💓