The mystery of the 'acupuncture cat'

[n2doc]

By Christie Keith, Special to SF Gate

Jezebel the Acupuncture Cat, left, with her mother, Luna, engaged in one of her other hobbies, cooking.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

If cats, as the cliche has it, are mysterious creatures, then it's partly due to circumstance: Their nocturnal natures, slinking walk and an ability to vanish at will can make them tricky for humans to read.

Dogs, on the other hand, may have their secrets but seem transparent in their needs and desires: Pet me, throw the ball, call in sick from work today and take me to the beach.

That's why I've always considered "the mysterious cat" more a matter of image than reality. We give them a home and love, we pet and feed them, and they purr, sit on our laps and occasionally shred the sofa. Where's the mystery in that?

But there is one feline mystery I've never solved, and it was about one of my own pets.



Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2010/05/18/petscol051810.DTL


cool story

[geardaddy]

1. Don't let the cat wander into this post.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=8346382&mesg_id=8346382

Cool story btw.

[Arugula Latte]

2. Very interesting story!

I can haz Chi? :)

I've lived with kitties my entire life (life without 'em is unthinkable to me), and they fascinate me and bring me joy every single day.

[MorningGlow]

3. Awww sweet

Cats certainly are mysterious creatures. I have two, and both of them love to knead (claws included). When one of them starts on either me or Mr. MG, the other will always say, "You need kneading." We've always suspected they're not just indulging their mama-memories when they do that, but also are supplying acupuncture because we need it, even if we don't know we need it.

One of our cats is also a "therapy feline"--she rocked when I went through a rough patch around this time last year. I found out later that it was because Armour was messing with its thyroid med formula and it stopped working for me; it manifested as a minor depression, and I spent the better part of two months crying nonstop, especially before falling asleep at night. Even though I cried silently so Mr. MG wouldn't notice, Jasmine always did, and she took to sleeping on my pillow, curling over the top of my head like a hat, purring mightily. It was very soothing and did help me feel better. (Now she sleeps on my head all the time.)