Cats, Books, Lids and Pots - Just Say Yes to Cat Salt and Pepper Shakers

I admit it! I'm a crazy cat lady. I'm one of thoseworse, not better. Prostitution, alcoholism, drug
people who, if I was to decorate my house,addiction, gangs.
would do so in "cat" - cat clocks, furniture withEven people who stay on the "straight and
feline designs, cat salt and pepper shakers. Younarrow" face a much greater risk and degree of
get the picture. You may be wondering how myheart disease and depression if they are lonely. I
husband of almost 28 years stands it? It's quitewill never forget the study known as "Harlow's
simple - Laurence is a crazy book buff. For him, aMonkeys" where monkeys were separated from
house is a place to store books in - and livingtheir mothers at six to twelve hours after birth
space is what's left over after all the books areand were raised alone with two 'surrogate'
placed. When we moved here some 23 yearsmothers - one made of wire that offered
ago, the first thing to go in the moving van wasformula, and the other providing only soft terry
his books. If my spouse and I quarrel aboutcloth. The baby would get the food from the wire
anything it's about whether a box or a room getsmother but quickly return to the cloth surrogate
used for cat rescue or book warehousing.to cling to. But even having access to a comfort
And maybe this is the secret for staying togetherobject wasn't enough - these monkeys became
for a very long time. It's finding someone who isseverely mentally ill and, in time, unable to form
as eccentric as you are. My mother has thishealthy relationships of any kind.
saying when someone describes another as beingWhat is the answer, especially if you haven't
unmarriageable: "There is a lid for every pot." Myfound the lid to go with your pot? People in a
father-in-law has a less generous comment thatFaith tradition pour their hearts out to God and
he shared with my mother at Laurence's and myreceive comfort from their Creator. They
wedding - "Good thing they found each other - nobecome part of a church family where people
one else would have them!"genuinely miss you when you aren't there.
In Hebrew scripture we read that after GodWhether or not you are a part of a Faith
made the heavens and the earth, he fashioned acommunity, you can adopt a pet. Pet owners, and
man but noted, "It is not good for the man to beI'm speaking from statistics as well as anecdotal
alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." Indeedevidence, have significantly less heart disease and
it is not good for man or woman to be alone.depression. In one study, a group of men who
Mother Teresa said, "Loneliness and the feeling ofhad been in jail were given the opportunity to
being unwanted is the most terrible poverty." Andhave a cat to keep them company on their
while I maintain that the need for a reliable sourcerelease. The recidivism rate of cat owners was
of clean water, nutritious food, safe housing, anddramatically lower.
education is paramount, I do agree that feelingsThe lid to my pot, Laurence, wishes to add:
of loneliness and alienation eat holes in our hearts"Notice Jan said 'a' cat to keep them company, 'a'
and souls. They push people to search for lovecat. Not 'several' cats ... they'd have no place to
and acceptance in places that will make them feelkeep their books!