The one thing you should never do when you are really angry is walk into a room where a couple of kittens are at play – not if you plan on staying angry, that is! There is no anger diffuser or stress buster quite as amazing as watching two kittens smack each other, roll around in combat, only to be totally distracted by their own tails, and suddenly go round in comical circles and tumble over in blissful clumsiness.
There is also no feeling quite as warm as watching a kitten purring when you stroke him, stretching his furry little limbs into the air. Panda, Belle and Feather, my three gorgeous rescued kittens, used to chase a laser light up the wall – they could do this for hours while we collapsed with laughter at their antics. I strongly recommend that you try it with your cat or kitten. A little laser pointer brings out the funniest cat moments, as do crumpled pieces of paper.
Give a kitten a stray feather and watch him pretend that he’s just caught his first prey – he’ll creep towards it, quivering in anticipation and pounce on it, all the while looking at you proudly and waiting for applause.
As for big, angry family fights, however heated an argument is all it takes is the sight of a kitten trying to frighten his own reflection in the mirror, for laughter to take over. Remember, kitten therapy blossoms into cat therapy.
Adopt a kitten and get years of love and quiet companionship that will enrich your life like nothing else ever will.
(The author is founder of the Cattitude Trust)
