Tuesdays with Dory: Handling January Blahs

I am a Trivial Pursuit Champion

Dear Dory,

Christmas is over, and my kittehs and I seem to have the January blahs. We're grumpy and out of sorts. How can we cheer up?

Signed,

Sad in Salinas

Dear Sad,

I completely understand. My Christmas tree sleeping spot is gone, and no one is drinking egg nog anymore, so I can't steal any. It's a real bummer.  

Here are some ideas sure to cheer your kittehs up--and you too:

A new toy. It doesn't have to be anything fancy, or even an actual toy. Yesterday I found one of my own whiskers on the floor and spent 10 minutes batting it around. Kristen found this really amusing, and I think we were both cheered up. So find something funny for your kittehs to play with, and watch them go! Don't forget to have the video camera ready!

Fresh air. This is especially a good idea if there is something called "snow" on the ground. Snow is a weird thing that is cold and wet, and all kittehs react differently to it. Most reactions are pretty funny. So you get a new (or perhaps just forgotten) experience for your kittehs, and a laugh for yourself.

Naps. Give yourself and your kittehs permission to take extra naps this month--that's what winter is for. There's plenty of time to get stuff done in the spring. It's perfectly acceptable to spend a day in bed watching movies in January; not so much in July.

Distraction. Sure, it's cold and yucky now, but better weather and brighter days will be here before you know it. Distract yourself with some plans for the future--book your summer vacation (including a babysitter for the kittehs!) or plan out your vegetable and herb garden (don't forget the catnip!).  Cats aren't great at planning, but we'll enjoy laying down on whatever notebook you're using and trying to play with the pen.

Hope you're feeling cheerier soon!

Have a purrrrrrfect day!

Dory.