Oscar the Counselor Cat

This is Oscar.......  

When Oscar was 7 months old, his little paw was slammed in the door when a gust of wind came.    The vet told us that he broke his leg on the growth plate...that he may be a little sore from time to time as he grows, but otherwise, once healed, Oscar would be a typical healthy kitty.

Scott decided call Oscar "the little counselor cat" ever since he noticed how "in tune" with me Oscar was while I recovered at home after my climbing fall.   He was an amazing little buddy.    Kai even decided to play doctor with Oscar on occasion, and Oscar was happy to oblige.  



....little did Oscar know, but he was helping Kai to learn age-appropriate play skills.   Oscar was also helping me to stay in the moment, which is hard sometimes, especially with lots of worries and concerns about future and such. 

Surprisingly, Kai really gravitates toward Oscar....we can find him often scratching him under the chin or on his head, eliciting a little purrrr.    

I'll never forget one day a few months ago, on a rainy, dreary day...sort of like today, while I had a nice warm soak in the tub (always feels good when the body is sore.).   It was one of those really emotional "am I always going to feel this way?"  kinds of days, and I let my tears drip into the sudsy bath water.   Wouldn't cha know it....guess who came to bring comfort, purring his way around the corner and up to the edge of the bathtub, looking me directly in the eye and uttering a little squeaky meow (without the m.  Oscar's squeak is a little odd).  It was as if he had some sort of inclination, from downstairs or wherever he was, that I needed a reminder to just be and literally soak in the moment.   Pets are wonderful in that way.    

I've often wondered if Oscar is more in tune because he intuitively knows about the little "ouches" of life, yeah....from his own early experience.   Call me an odd-ball, but I really believe that we have a lot to learn from our four-legged furry friends.   Sometimes they just "get" it, while we humanoids frequently need to be whopped upside the head....to slow down, connect, and be.  

Today I am thankful for my furry friends (and my human ones too), for helping me to embrace the now.  An ever-present gift.