If anyone has ever watched a cat for more than three seconds, you will know they are experts, nay, masters, at self care.
A term that has become a watchword for humans lately in that we all need more of it.
Well, I say, just watch a cat for awhile.
They nap when they need to nap - and there is no explanation or excuse.
Where there is a sunbeam - there is a perfect spot for a cat nap.
If there is a soft throw on the sofa or bed, thank you very much!
They do seem to need a lot of sleep.
I read somewhere about 18 hours a day is needed in order that they can expend the energy to capture their dinner.
Not that they have to do that in these days of high domestication.
No, dinner is served - as is breakfast, lunch and snacks in between.
Only the highest quality of deliciously crafted meaty bits in a savoury gravy sauce.
And the most delicious dry bits offered as a constant throughout the day so they can eat when they wish.
Grooming is another area where cats take the cake regarding self care.
They say cleanliness is next to godliness, well, cats must be angels.
I have often seen a cat stop mid-stride to stop and groom a paw, a haunch, a tail.
Princess gives herself a complete bath while watching tv in the evenings.
Between naps of course.
Chester wipes his face clean with both paws after a messy drink of milk.
They even carry their fastidiousness to their toilet habits - digging deeply into the litter to make a deposit - and then covering it up so that they can't see it - and then cleaning their paws because, well, you know, they just walked into their bathroom.
I will include their propensity for play here as well, because that is so good for mental health and physical health too as it offers EXERCISE!
They take great care in that - Princess is always ready for a little ball to bat around, a springy play thing to take aim at. She can self-occupy herself, even if no human is around to throw the ball for her.
She will run up the stairs beside me, always beating me, even given her age.
She and Chester both sometimes have the "zoomies", running around for no apparent reason, up and down the hallway, skidding on the hardwood, just for the sake of it, escaping their own imaginary playmates.
And they have a sense of community and socialization - the two cats between each other, although it is more a tolerance than friendliness, and with us humans too. They are constantly talking to us, being around us, being on us, with us, connecting on a very base level, seeking out our company. Whoever said cats are solitary creatures was mistaken.
And those are all the so-called "secrets" for a long and happy human life too: all parts of the self-care craze that is having a moment right now.
We should all eat well and have a good diet; we should all get enough sleep; keeping ourselves and our homes clean is paramount to being healthy; play is good too - because all work and no play, well, you know what that does; and community connections too, with neighbours, friends, coworkers, etc.
And the proof is in the pudding with the cats.
Princess is 18 this year; that is akin to a 90-year-old human; and Chester is 15.
Princess' two sons, Peanut and Ivan, passed away two years ago at the ages of 15.
Good long lives for cats.
(And yes, if you're doing the math, Princess was a teenaged mother, barely a year old when she had her litter of kittens. Clearly a tomcat at the barn had his way with her.)
Studies of the Blue Zones, various parts of the world where people live to be 100 on a regular basis, show that all of these things can contribute to a good, long life.
And so, if we can't move to Sardinia or Loma Linda, we can take a page from the life of cats.
Keep it clean, nap without apology, eat well and on the regular, socialize and connect, and of course, play.