Every day, I take care of all our cats’ needs and this often involves some sort of physical workout.
My husband calls it my Blue Zone workout. If you are a follower of Dan Buettner’s research, you will know about the Blue Zones and one thing in common in these zones where people live so happily, healthily and have extraordinary longevity is that they actually do not exercise per se (except for the modern Blue Zones like Loma Linda and Singapore). In Okinawa, Ikaria, Sardinia and the Nicoya Peninsular, their people do not specially exercise; they just do their regular activities like tending to their farms which involves a lot of walking. That is their “exercise” and because it is a big part of their daily routine, that is already sufficient exercise for them. So they do not purposely go for brisk walks or work out in the gym.
But most importantly, they do what is meaningful to them and partake in activities which make them happy.
However, what is meaningful and what makes a person happy is a very individual trait. Some people are happy conquering mountains, some are happy travelling the world, some are just happy staying home looking after animals.
I am very happy staying home looking after our cats. And there’s nothing else I would like to do except this. And yes, I do have time for family and my own hobbies too. I take ballet lessons twice a week, which I totally enjoy. And there’s always Ryan and Jayden to liven things up; watching them grow up day by day, is such a joy, as is watching all our cats and their antics, and looking after them through thick and thin.
We met an old friend yesterday; he must be in his mid-sixties now. He had worked very hard all his life and is still working now, but he told us it was time to “enjoy” life and so he bought himself a huge bungalow and a very expensive sports car. To each their own, I’d say. Everyone has their own definition of “enjoying life” and it is impolite for someone to impose their values on another or judge another. It is also impolite to tell another person what they “should” do or how they “should” live their life.
My definition of “enjoying life” is doing exactly what I’m doing now, so let nobody tell me I “should” do otherwise! That word, “should” is just so condescending, it really puts me off the moment someone uses it on me: “You should do this, you should do that”. It is so supercilious and I will just distance myself from such patronising people. It amazes me why someone would like to control how other people live their lives. It’s just so disrespectful, isn’t it? Why can’t you just let me be happy doing what I chose to do (I am not mentally retarded, I can think for myself), why must you insist that I live my life the way YOU want? Is yours the ONLY correct way to live? I asked a friend why such people exists, and she told me that unfortunately, there are plenty of such patronising people around.
So, having said that, let’s get on with my Blue Zone workout yesterday.
The morning started with the Blondie Army up on the top-of-the-world platform. I know it’s a waste of time trying to get them down. They are there to protect their territory from Rey. I used to climb up on a tall wooden stool to get Indy down last time (that’s also a Blue Zone exercise, by the way!), but that was because he had to have his medication. The Blondie Army will eventually come down…later.
So I went to feed the Ginger and the Monsters first.
 
As always they are such a joy to feed. There is no food they would reject. They welcome any food! Ginger is huge, but I think it’s due to his genes. He may be huge, but when it comes to climbing up the platforms, he’s just as agile as any of the Monsters too! That would be Ginger’s Blue Zone workout!
If appetite is an indication of good health, then Ginger and the Monsters have it. And if it is, I worry about the Blondies. They only eat one good and proper meal once in two days. At other times, they just want to snack. But despite that, they have definitely grown and all three Blondies are of a healthy weight now in spite of their poor eating habits.
I’ll have to ask the vet about them the next time I go to the clinic (for Tabs and Ginger’s check-up). I did ask the last time and was comforted by the vet that some cats are just like that, and it’s fine. I remember Cleo ate very little too.
Right after eating, Rey stalks his prey. Indra is all prepared for him.
“Bring it on, you big bully”, Indra says.
After the Monsters had feasted, I went back to feed the Blondies.
Lucky me, I managed to get Kai to eat. It’s raw food too. Yay!
Indra as well, but this time, Samantha only ate a little bit.
With a lot of persuasion, I managed to get Akira to eat as well.
The Blondies are SO fussy, I have to bring in Coco&Joe’s, Cubgrub and cut-up raw chicken breast meat, and see what each one wants. Just keep trying until you get it right. Sigh…but never mind, it’s also a Blue Zone workout!
And the moment anyone starts eating, I will have to monitor closely and keep topping up their bowls until they have had their fill and walk away. If I’m slow in topping up, they would just walk and that’s that. So monitoring them and keeping their bowls full is another Blue Zone workout, especially when they don’t eat at the same place but are scattered throughout the garden. You have to literally run after each one to keep topping up their bowls.
What a great workout, eh?
Doing Tabs’ subcut here.
It’s a little sad, I used to write the names of all the cats whose subcut I have done for the day, but now it is only Tabs alone. Cow Mau and Indy are gone. Well, I should be grateful that no other cat needs subcut as yet.
Looking after Tabs doesn’t require much workout, because she is completely sedentary! That may not be a good thing for her because cats need exercise, but it’s who she is. My father was a sedentary person, he didn’t like physical activity, that’s just who he was. Some things cannot be forced. We cannot force someone to be what he isn’t or to do what we think is best for him. After all, a person knows what’s best for themselves, right? This is especially so when they are elderly.
Tabs’ appetite hasn’t been too good lately too. We will know more after her check-up later this month, whether her PKD/CKD has progressed or she’s just being fussy.
But she’s always with me.
Riley is another very hard cat to feed, but thankfully she can be force fed. She’s an all-day grazer. And running after Riley is definitely a Blue Zone workout! I have to run after her to feed her every day and this includes running up the stairs! Now, that is actually a fantastic Blue Zone workout too – climbing the stairs!
Gerald and Misty came back later and had their breakfast, then they accompanied me for my walk in the sunshine. I’m still seriously contemplating if I should bring Gerald and Misty into Bunny’s Place. My main consideration is: Will they be happy? But if I let them continue being outdoor cats, my question would be: Will they be safe? Between happiness and safety, which comes first? It’s a difficult question to answer, isn’t it? Watching them climbing trees and trotting around in the big playground is a joy. They are so happy; they are doing what cats like to do, naturally (although Tabs might disagree with that!). I think Gerald may have another “home” too, because he sometimes disappears for hours and also, sometimes he just isn’t hungry. This could mean that another home might be a food source for him. That won’t be surprising because he’s such a friendly and good-natured totally manja cat. But I don’t think Misty has another home. I think Misty only has us. In our neighbourhood, we have several RYABK (Rumah Yang Ada Banyak Kucing); they don’t neuter their cats, but at least they are kind to them and feed them. It’s the animal-haters that I have a problem with. Those who complain till no end that “that cat sat atop my car” or accuse a cat of scratching their walls when the prints clearly show it’s a musang and not a cat, and they simply insist “I don’t care, it’s a cat, and it’s all the fault of someone who feeds cats”. Of course, I am that “someone”. I’m so fed-up with my neighbourhood chat group, I’ve left it.
Anyway, that’s how humans are and some people are never going to change. Nowadays, when I am not happy with anyone, I just walk away and stay away from them. That’s the best solution. There is no use talking to them, they will never understand.
So, back to my minimum Blue Zone workout for the day, running around looking after the cats is a joy for me and it also gives me some Blue Zone workout! I also do the Sun Salutation in yoga. And there’s always more Blue Zone workouts with Jayden too!!
As for my mental health, I really have to stay away from people who say or write things that annoy or hurt me, especially those who use the word “should”. I guess that is why it’s such a joy looking after animals – they never say anything that hurts you and they can never ever annoy you too!
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