I know I can climb trees, I know I can climb up the scratching posts, that’s easy but it can get a bit boring going up and down the same way every time. I can’t expect mummy and daddy to put up new scratching posts every time I want to try something new so I find different ways of doing the same thing to stop myself from getting bored. It’s not always easy finding new ways of doing things but that’s part of the challenge and it means I have to exercise my mind to figure out a new route or find something new to climb. I know that it can just be really nice to just hop up to the top of the post or climb the same bit of tree as it’s familiar and easy and you know it’s not going to be risky or difficult. That’s fine as we all need to do things that are easy, fun or comforting but every so often I just need a bit more of a challenge, I need to mix it up a bit and change how I do things so I don’t get bored or complacent. Change challenges the mind as well as the body.
Change is good for the mind, it challenges you to think of new ways of doing the same thing. For me, it stops me getting bored and means that I can keep my mind sharp and my instincts honed. It also helps to build confidence – yes! I can do it. I get a different exercise routine to keep fit and exercise different muscles, it also means that if I need to get out of trouble sometime and need to use a different route then I can do that easily and without even thinking. Sometime I might just need to get away from the mental Millie ginger tornado that sweeps through the flat every once in a while. If I’m inside then of course I can’t see if there is another route up the scratching post but that’s ok I can use all of my other senses to work things out. I can smell if Millie, Peppar or Angelin have been up there and smell where their paws have been and follow that or just use the same route but in a different way, making it a little bit harder and more challenging to get the top.
Even outside I’ve been challenging myself to do things differently. So far I’ve taught myself a couple of new trees to climb outside, I can smell if other animals have been up the trees but I can also hear the birdies at the top and I try to climb up to catch them but following their little chirping noises. It’s fun having lots of trees around as each tree is different, some are big, some small, some have big straight up trunks to climb, some have lots of little branches to explore. I’ve also explored a new bit of an old familiar favourite climbing tree, a new section of its trunk and branches to explore, this really is just as fun as exploring a whole new tree. Sometimes mummy lets me explore just a little bit further on a branch I already know, just going that little bit further, that little bit higher. Each time I explore somewhere new I can expand my mind map and get a bigger picture of the world around me, it’s so exciting exploring new places as there’s a whole host of new smells to discover, different sounds to hear and different textures under my paws.
When I try a new route somewhere then I need to make sure that my paws are on a strong surface. When up a tree I can move slowly so I can feel if a branch is bending too much when it’s not quite strong enough to hold my weight. On solid surfaces though I need to make sure I can feel my way so I use the double tap technique to make sure my paws have a good grip. The more times I use the new route the more confident I become and over time I don’t need to double tap anymore.
New things can be fun, I’ve told you before how I’ve been using mummy to help get down from the trees and now we’ve gone one step further and I’ve started to sit on mummy’s shoulder once I’ve climbed down her arm. She says I’m like a parrot sitting on a pirates shoulder. Sometimes we have a little walk about like this, it’s good practice for me balancing here and good exercise for mummy keeping her arm up to make sure I can sit comfortably. Mummy’s arm is also a handy ramp if I excitedly climb up a new tree a bit too quickly and don’t quite map my route up, making it pretty tough to get down again. Also, when I go up a tree with lots of tiny branches, weaving my way through on the way up makes it hard for me to follow the lead back down again and occasionally it gets caught round the tiny branches. If this happens then I can just shout for mummy and if I’m really stuck rather than just being lazy then mummy can reach up and I can use her as a ramp. Getting stuck doesn’t put me off though, it just makes me more determined next time.
People seem to think that I’m a brave cat, going outside and exploring and being an adventure cat but rather than being scary I find it fun and exciting. I’m naturally curious and I’m not one to just be satisfied with doing the same thing every day, I need to be challenged, stimulated and learn new things. If I didn’t go exploring then I’d never have found out how fun it is to climb trees, meet other animals (we met a fox 🦊 the other day) and make friends with the local doggies, hunt the birds, meet the little humans, this all makes life exciting and interesting. I might make the odd mistake and slip on the tree branch or run into something when I’m having zoomies outside but it’s all part of learning – I remember not to do it again the next time (mostly) and as long as mummy or daddy is with me then I know nothing is going to hurt me, I might get a bit embarrassed but never hurt. Oh except when I tried to catch the buzzy bee 🐝 in my mouth, that did hurt and now I stay away from them altogether!
Jenny’s Story 