Empathy & stepping into my world

This is me being a counsellor! This is the chair my human sits in when she's 'working' with clients. It doesn't seem much like work to me ... she just sits here & listens to people. Sitting in a nice comfy seat, talking & listening ...

She tells me that it's not quite as simple as that; but I'm not so sure. Apparently she listens in a special way & tries to 'step into the client's world' so that she can understand exactly how things are for the client. Apparently humans don't always do this, & can be quite selfish, just understanding things from their own point of view. So when a counsellor is able to provide this special kind of understanding ... 'Empathy' I think it's called ... it can be very helpful.

I think it's good of my human to listen so well to her fellow humans ... & I have to say, she manages to listen to me quite well most of the time. She's good at stepping into my world & understanding my world ... so she must be quite good!!

Ouch!! Crackly, static shocks!!

I don't know what's going on with my human just now, but there's been a few times recently when she's been tickling my head & I've heard a little 'snap' sound!? It's usually around the tip of one of my ears & it not only 'cracks,' ... but it hurts!!  I don't know what she keeps doing to me ... must be one of these weird things that humans do, that no cat in its right mind would ever dream of doing.

I heard her talking about it the other day to someone ... so it's not just my imagination;  he hears and feels it too.  And I think it hurts her fingers too. She seems to think that it's some kind of 'static shock' or something.

But apparently, it doesn't just happen with me.  She thought there was something wrong with one of her light switches, because the same thing happened there.  But then it happened again, on her laptop.  And apparently she gets really loud & painful 'shocks' from her car door!?  And the other night, she was wearing those lovely pyjamas that I love to snuggle in to & they were all stuck to her legs.  You have no idea how stupid she looked! It's all apparently something to do with the same thing.

I don't know what we're going to do about ... or rather, what my human is going to do about ... but it's time it stopped cos I'm sick of my ears getting hurt.

I think it's something to do with all of this energy she seems to have found just now ... doing her PhD, her website, working, etc., etc.

 Somebody left her plugged in to the socket too long & she's got so much energy in her, it's leaking out ... but hopefully her battery might run down soon ... ?!?! 
 Or maybe, it's all that time she's been spending on her computer ... 

Hello !?! I'm here !?! ...

She's at it again!? Sat at her computer, working on her new website! Now I know that her website is important to her & that it's important that she gets it right ... BUT ... does that mean she has to ignore me!?

I've tried all sorts today to get some attention ... miaowing & demanding more cat food, treats, to go outside. And to be fair to my human, she has listened to me & kept getting up (a little grudgingly it seemed at times!?) & doing all of these things for me ... she is quite a well behaved human & does too what she's told, most of the time.

BUT ... she's been missing the point today. What I really want if for her to get off that stupid computer & either play with me or let me snuggle on her knee.

I got so fed up of trying to get her to notice me that I've finally just had to sit on the horrible hard desk in front of her computer so that she HAS to look at me & talk to me ...

Humans are funny creatures ...

My human never stops ... I get tired of seeing her working; with clients, on her computer on her websites, her blog, her research & PhD, reading, etc., etc.  

What all this means is that she doesn't give me the attention I deserve.  Her and I share lovely cuddles and play good games together sometimes ... but she spends more time with her work things than she does with me.  And I don't think that's fair!

Take today for instance ... she's been out all day.  She came home, did something on her computer, shut me out of her counselling room whilst she saw one of those client-things, had her tea, gave me a little cuddle, and then she's been working on her computer and with her books all night ...

I mean, look at this picture ... I had to squeeze my way on to her knee, pushing her arms and that book aside so that there was room for me on there.  That can't be right can it?

Mind you, I do learn a lot from her books and the things she looks at and writes on her computer ... I'll tell you a little bit about it all someday.  It's quite interesting all this stuff she reads about humans.  They're funny creatures, don't you think?  

And if she has to read lots of books to understand them (& herself, I guess), what chance do I have as a cat!?

Ssshh; don't tell my human where I am

If you look very carefully at the picture below, you might just be able to spot my eye peeping out! This is me snuggled in my human's duvet ... where else would a cat want to be on a horrible cold day like today?!

I'm also hiding ... so, ssshh, don't tell my human where I am. I'm sick of her going on & on about the computer & her new website. Getting frustrated when it doesn't do what she's trying to do ... or when she's just been too stupid to know how to work it properly. I manage it, don't I? So why can't she?!

Anyway, you might be pleased to hear ((I know I am cos it means I might get a little bit more attention) that's she's got a version of it up & running! You might like to have a look at it.

You can find it at www.therapywithsharon.co.uk

And make sure you don't miss the most important & best bit ... my page!! This blog!! Yes, my human has been very kind & made a link between this blog & her new website !!

Kind of her, don't you think?!

Oops ?!

My human does some funny things sometimes, so how was I meant to know what was going on when I went to use my litter tray (as you do!) & found it not there!? The floor was all wet & smelly too!

I thought I should investigate cos I was worried that someone had crept into our house when we were busy on the computer & stolen my litter tray. What would I have done then?

But phew! There it was in the bathroom! Sitting with my dinners & the kitchen bin .. I told you my human does stupid things didn't I?!

What was even more odd though was that there was no litter in my tray! Now that's never happened before! I wasn't sure what to do cos I don't know where litter comes from ... there must be a cat litter shop somewhere that my human goes to; but she's never taken me there! Which is a bit of a cheek isn't it? I mean, I'm the one who uses the litter, shouldn't I get to choose it? My human does a good job though; she always gets good stuff.

Well, what's a cat supposed to do? So there I was, quite happily minding my own business doing my business when my human came in & started laughing at me?

"Could you not have waited 2 minutes, Elsie?" she asked. I was just cleaning the floor (that's what the funny smell was!) & your litter tray!"

Well; how was I meant to know?

And of course, she then had to wash my litter tray out all over again! Oops!

But at least it's nice & clean now ...

Saturday snuggles on the sofa

I've been a bit fed up with my human this week ... she's been off work, so I assumed she'd be spending lots of time playing with me. No such luck though!

I know she wants to get this new website of hers up & running, but the amount of time she's spent on her computer has been ridiculous. I've had to keep sitting at her feet & shouting at her to remind her that I'm still there. And then, she has the cheek to complain about me disturbing her! A cat deserves some attention, doesn't she?!

I can though, to a degree, understand how addictive these computer things can be. I'm quite pleased with how many times I've been able to write on here this week ... mind you though, most of my posts have been written on my human's mobile phone whilst she's been too busy to be bothered to play with me!

She'd had enough of the computer tonight though! And it's been lovely because she & I have been able to sit together on the sofa.

I just love nights like this ... snuggly cuddles on the sofa with my human ...