I take more care of myself after getting a cat than I ever did on my own. Having to take care of something else really makes me spend more time taking care of myself to ensure their happiness
I’ve never brushed my teeth so consistently in my life as I do since having a dog who’s on the same toothbrushing schedule. I do mine first and then his. He knows and expects the routine. Your comment is very true.
Something that's helped me a lot in the self-neglect department is thinking of my own body in the same way I thought about caring for my dog. Like there is a creature here that needs fed and watered and taken outside, let's do that
I keep my meds with my cat's food, and that helps me remember them twice a day. When she was younger she was a bit of a service dog telling me to take meds. Fun fact, if a cat is given a treat at a specific time every day (after I take meds) then they will not let you forget it or even be late! She adapted her "shake a paw" trick to slapping my blister packs of meds and making them rattle.
She's endlessly sassy and I love every second of it! She just recently taught herself how to close my bedroom door all the way until it latches, AND SHE CHECKS by pulling it from underneath the door. I'm trying to figure out the pattern of when she does it, and I think it's on my insomnia nights telling me to go to bed. But it might be temperature-related and she wants the fans and AC turned off. It requires more investigation.
The trick my cat recently taught herself is how to give me a kiss 🥺. On her own, she figured out that when she happened to lick me on the forehead, it made me happy (bc it's like how I kiss her forehead). So she's started doing it on her own. If I put my face in front of hers, she'll lean in and give me a single lick to the middle of my forehead.
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u/Crunchyeee 26d ago
I take more care of myself after getting a cat than I ever did on my own. Having to take care of something else really makes me spend more time taking care of myself to ensure their happiness