When I first found Alley, I had never owned a cat before. I had no clue what to do with a cat, let alone care for one. Slowly, over months it seems to me, my Alley showed me what it takes to live in the same house with a cat. Since that time, now more than three years ago, she has taught me quite a few things about life and myself.

Lesson #1 Get yourself into a manageable routine and stick to it! This first one was a little hard for me. At the time I had a job where I was in and out, and gone for sometimes 14 hours a day. But, as long as there is some order, even a small fraction of order, it seems to make more sense of the day. Finding even a simple general routine to follow tends to give some sense of control to the chaos that you may be dealing with at the time.

Lesson #2 Slow Down! Yes, this one sounds obvious. Cats tend to take things very calmly and very slowly most times. Being hectic and rushed tends to lead to shorter days and confusion. Cats never seem confused. If you sit back, be patient, and not rush around all the time, life won't seem so scary and strained.

Lesson #3 Learn how to enjoy just "being where you are" Yeah, here's one that took me a little while to get. Cats have a way of just "hanging out". They also have a way of conveying the sense of "ok, we're here, let's just sit back and enjoy the view". .

Lesson #4 The phrase about letting something free and it coming back to you if it is meant tois actually true. This one comes from a stormy time in my life, literally. I was living in a trailer back in 2006, when the flood of June 2006 hit Upstate New York. I managed to pull all my clothes and some needed things together. I was in the middle of actually tossing stuff out the front door into a pick-up when Alley gets out of her carrier and runs out the front door. I panicked, and spent another hour trying to catch her. We ran out of time, and I had to leave her behind. A couple of weeks later I found a way to get back to the trailer by boat. I left some food and open bowls of water in case she came back. Well, about a month and a half later, I got home again. And would you believe, the moment I walked into the trailer I heard a faint sad meow. Alley was right behind me. She was skinny as hell, but she stayed near the trailer. She actually waited for me to come back. I knew then that this cat would be with me for awhile.

Lesson #5 Boredom happens, deal with it. Cats do get bored. Usually

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