11 Jun Chasing in the garden

‘Zzzzz,’ I hear followed by a dull ‘splat.’ I turn around and look into the blue eyes of Gingko. Gingko is the cat of the upstairs neighbors. He is a young gray tomcat with elegant movements and fine manners. Except not now. For days he has been studying the most efficient way down. First, he carefully makes his way through the winding branches of the Wisteria. This way he can reach the roof of the garden shed which is a bit lower, and from there observe the garden with his big eyes.​

Slipping
Gingko is a calm cat. Until today, he did not take any reckless risks. For days, the roof of the garden shed has been his base camp for observation. His research into the next phase mainly consists of a tragic downward glance. Maybe it was an accident, but today he slips down the door of the garden shed, his claws failing to provide grip, vertically downwards, ending with a thud on his paws. Gingko pretends it was intended and looks calmly into the garden. A few meters away, there stands our predator disguised as a dog. He also heard the thud.​

Instead of a wild chase through the garden, we see Gizmo running to the other side of the garden, towards the cat flap, barking loudly there. He is protecting the entrance to the house, where danger can lurk at night because sometimes a strange cat comes to cry in the garden. But that is not the case now. While Giz barks furiously at the flap, my wife quickly takes care of Gingko. With a firm swing, she places him back on the roof of the garden shed.

The upstairs neighbors are aware of Gingko’s troubles and have personally made a cat ladder. It is now being hastily prepared and placed by the fence. Gingko contemptuously ignores this far too easy access. Is it because the ladder looks so perfect with its support slats and weather-resistant coating? Is it because, as a cat, you simply do not want to choose a straight path?

Intermediate Landing
Then it happens again. Gingko has now used a garden chair as an intermediate landing. This time, Gizmo is onto him and comes charging in boldly to chase the intruder away. Gingko doesn’t hesitate for a second and jumps back onto the roof via the chair. My wife takes Gizmo under her arm. She gently explains to him that this cat is also welcome to sniff around in our garden. We will only know the effect of this message in the future, but it will require a lot of patience.

Calming Emotions
Animals experience their emotions purely and primarily. With humans, there is often a small but disruptive step in between: we think about it and resist the emotional response when it seems inappropriate to us. Our thoughts spiral in circles when we worry, and at the same time, we almost imperceptibly tense our bodies. By becoming aware of this process, you can learn to relax the body and let the emotion flow through you, after which it disappears. Your mind becomes clear, and you can act appropriately.​

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