Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Whose Cat is it Anyway?

Backstory: back on Aug. 7, Reggie the Cat's father paid a visit, claiming him and explaining that his cancer-stricken wife was beside herself with worry over this missing cat who was her sole source of comfort and so on and so forth. Since then, a little urchin from that house (evidently a grandchild) has also come looking for Reggie. I've gotten into the habit of walking Reggie down to his house when I decide he's been up here too long and is probably missed by his "real" family (even though he's here about 80% of the time.) So:

I just got a visit from his mother, the cancer-stricken one, who had just observed me bringing Reggie home again. She drove up here ("I tried to catch you, but I can't run anymore, I can't even get down the driveway") to tell me not to do that anymore. It seems that they have three kittens that Reggie can't stand, and consequently he's something of a terror when he's trapped inside their house. She says she wants him to be happy, and anyway you can't keep a cat where he doesn't want to be (oh, really?) and Reggie's gotta be Reggie and if he's happier here, then that's fine with her. It was all a little confusing, as well as a little pathetic. I told her that I thought Reggie was a great cat and that he certainly loves being here, and her response was essentially "so be it; I have other cats anyway."

And I was actually going to the Humane Society this afternoon to get another cat. Now I'm not sure what to think, especially if Reggie/Trouble has issues getting along with other cats.

There's Good Advice for Me in Here Somewhere

Brain Is a Co-Conspirator in a Vicious Stress Loop, by Natalie Angier, New York Times, 8/17/2009, Page D2 of New York ed.

The Times has been reading my diary again:
chronic stress has been shown to raise blood pressure, stiffen arteries, suppress the immune system, heighten the risk of diabetes, depression and Alzheimer’s disease and make one a very undesirable dinner companion.

The article reports on new research that indicates that natural stress-fighting techniques can be habit-forming, even when they are no longer needed and actually may inhibit positive outcomes. In other words, chronic stress can become a self-sustaining feedback loop. No duh.

There's hope, though. It seems that rats subjected to Gitmo-like torture regimens that subsequently lost their ability to see any situation as non-stressful and turned into little automatons were able to regain their natural brain function by going on an extended stress-free vacation. That seems like a good prescription (doesn't it?), until you recognize one crucial difference between rats and humans:
In humans, though, the brain can think too much, extracting phantom threats from every staff meeting or high school dance.
I've been able to find small stress-free islands of calm and luxury, but maintaining that state is difficult. It takes a lot of focus to keep the nagging worries at bay, especially when one is engaging in a completely self-indulgent manner (such as soaking in a hot spring, my current favorite stress therapy) that holds no promise of providing a real-world way out of the rat maze.

Still, it is a little comforting to know that, when I feel better during and immediately after another 24 hours at my spa, it may be because I am better; a little bit of brain healing may have taken place.