If Cats Could Blog

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If Cats Could Blog

Written by Dan Schaefer

This morning as I left for the office, I walked past my cat, who was sitting on the back of the sofa and looking out the front window. She is 18 years old, and her health is failing. She is trying to recover from a bladder infection, and it’s taken a lot of life out of her. Just before Christmas, I thought I might lose her, but she seems to be bouncing back for now.

So as I left the house this morning, I decided to walk around to the front yard and see if she would respond to me on the other side of the window. Her response? Nada. Nothing. No way. She had her eyes fixed on something else, and no matter how much I tried to get her attention, it was as if she didn’t even see me. Finally, I turned to see what she was capturing her attention, and I discovered that a seagull had landed on my neighbor’s garbage can. As sick and old as my cat was, she still had laser focus. She wanted that bird and could think of nothing else.

Seeing her focused state of mind despite her ailing body was an inspiration for me. If only I could have that much focus, perhaps I could accomplish more. After all, I’m in better physical shape, so my body wouldn't distract me, and thus I should be able to focus my mind even more, yes?

For example, when it comes to writing an entry for my blog, it would be good to focus on a topic and not let go until it is completed. Instead, I find my mind wandering around. I don’t forget about my topic, but I often find myself taking lots of breaks to read other blogs or check out the weather forecast or watch the news or help my wife with her blog.

On second thought, however, can you be tightly focused and creative at the same time? To be sure, focus will allow you to pursue a goal in a straight-line-shortest-distance fashion, yet distractions can often foster a more creative solution.

To illustrate this point, let’s consider writing about my cat's favorite subject: birds. More specifically, let’s see compare how a poet might write about a bird, versus a cat with laser focus:

Poet:

Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter,

In there stepped a stately raven of the saintly days of yore;

Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he;

But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door-

Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door-

Perched, and sat, and nothing more.

Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,

By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore.

"Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou," I said, "art sure no craven,

Ghastly grim and ancient raven wandering from the Nightly shore-

Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night's Plutonian shore!"