{"id":19739,"date":"2020-03-22T00:10:21","date_gmt":"2020-03-22T04:10:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zeezoey.com\/blog\/?p=19739"},"modified":"2020-03-22T07:58:03","modified_gmt":"2020-03-22T11:58:03","slug":"cats-comfort-and-coping-with-coronavirus-the-new-normal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zeezoey.com\/blog\/cats-comfort-and-coping-with-coronavirus-the-new-normal\/","title":{"rendered":"Cats, Comfort, and Coping with Coronavirus – The New Normal"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Staying in and working from home is becoming the new normal for many of us.<\/p><\/div>\n

Like many, I\u2019ve had to reinvent myself numerous times. I\u2019ve been a child of divorce and a child who was bullied. I\u2019ve been divorced myself, resulting in me being a single mom of two boys, struggling to keep us afloat. I\u2019ve also been unemployed several times over the years, wondering how I\u2019d ever pay my bills – all circumstances giving me the resilience and fortitude to survive. With the coronavirus epidemic, I\u2019m reinventing myself again, only this time it\u2019s not just me, it\u2019s the whole world reinventing themselves and the planet we live in.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m rather practical and stoic by nature, but I am scared, too. I know we\u2019ll get through this, but I worry about those who have already lost their jobs, or can\u2019t visit with loved ones, or are sick, or know someone who is sick. And going to the grocery store and seeing the shelves stripped to the bone and people wearing plastic gloves and masks is jarring. Hand sanitizers in every room and signs posted everywhere to wash hands, a constant reminder of the enormity of it all.<\/p>\n

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Our cats give us constant reminder of how important it is to keep those paws clean.<\/p><\/div>\n

But we\u2019ve also learned many lessons over the past several weeks and there has been some good. The world needed to slow down, and we are finding new ways to interact and communicate, especially as many of us are now working from home as a result of social distancing. My place of employment now has most of us set up with home offices and I will be working from home 3-days a week, driving to work only 2 days now until further notice.<\/p>\n

Not having to drive in stressful, rush-hour traffic every day and gaining a couple of hours to devote to my cat writing and blogging, something that has sorely been suffering of late, has been a wonderful gift in the midst of the 24\/7 uncertainty and barrage of never-ending, often conflicting and confusing news reports. I love working with my cats around me, as they calm me better than anything else, and I find myself communicating more with family and friends than I ever did, making sure they are okay.<\/p>\n

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My cats have been successfully practicing social distancing for years.<\/p><\/div>\n

I\u2019m also dealing with the stress of the unknown in other aspects of my life. I\u2019m president of the Cat Writers\u2019 Association and our conference is scheduled for July. Sponsors, speakers, fundraisers, book signing events, our awards banquet – right now, everything is up in the air, but the good news is the overwhelming support I\u2019m receiving from everyone. Whether we must cancel, change the date, or possibly conduct the event virtually, I know everyone will help get me through this with the safety of everyone our main priority.<\/p>\n

I also do my best to be positive and uplifting to those around me \u2013 we all have our own unique strengths and mine is to use pictures, words, graphic design, and humor to make a difference on social media. Yes, coronavirus is serious and not something to take lightly, but I also think people need a reason to smile and what a better way than with what I do best, cats. For example, yesterday (Saturday) I shared a silly picture of my cat, Peanut, on Facebook looking like a vampire (see the graphic to follow) with this caption:   <\/p>\n

\u201cI think we could all use some levity in our lives today and what better way than by sharing a funny picture of your cat(s) to brighten everyone’s Caturday! Come on everyone, share those funny feline cat pictures!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

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Peanut brightening the internet as she does her Count Catula impression.<\/p><\/div>\n

On one site alone (The Cat Whiskers) over 200 people shared pictures of their cats doing something funny. I know in the scheme of some Facebook posts that 200 is not a high number but for me it is. Touching the lives of 200 people and brightening their day during these stressful times is something I\u2019m happy I can do, and I\u2019ve been sharing my style of pictures every couple of days with the help of my feline gang to help educate and entertain. Click here<\/a> if you want to check out the Peanut post on Cat Whiskers.  <\/p>\n

On a more serious note, I leave that to the experts. Steve Dale, radio host, author, and certified animal behavior specialist who has been a trusted voice in the world of pet health for over 20 years shares an excellent article<\/a> on his Pet World blog, answering the most common questions people have regarding COVID-19 and their pets.<\/p>\n

How about you all? How are you reinventing yourselves during these difficult times? Are your cats inspiring you and providing you with creativity? I know they touch our hearts and souls and bring us companionship and comfort. And in light of these serious times, they can also provide a bright spot with their humorous antics and funny ways and we all could use some levity right now. <\/p>\n

Stay safe everyone – love and purrs to all.<\/p>\n

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Rolz – reporting for duty. What a paper towel, you know the rules.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"hearts\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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It’s a Blog Hop!<\/p><\/div>\n