Counterclockwise Cat

Everything I know about living counterclockwise I learned from my cat.I could make a bundle publishing a book with that title, right? It appeals to that most lucrative, literate and thus far untapped demographic (you know who you are) of counterclockwise cat-lovers.Alas, no book. Instead, I will give away all my insights for free right here. This is your lucky day. My cat is pretty excited too.My cat, Sonny, is 15 years old. That’s 76 in people years. (fyi: A cat reaches the approximate human age of 15 during its first year, then 24 at age 2. Each year thereafter, it ages approximately four "cat years" for every calendar year.) He is alert, frisky, fighting-weight, clear-eyed, and soft-furred. From your typical sitting-on-haunches cat position, he can leap 3 feet in the air and nail a landing on the 4-inch wide porch railing. He sleeps soundly. He is happy (as evidenced by incessant purring).What’s his secret? What does Sonny do right? As cats are said to have 9 lives, here are Sonny’s 9 counterclockwise strategies:1. He grazes on high-quality, no-garbage food all day, eating a mouthful of food at a time, never a big meal.2. He stays hydrated.3. He gets ample physical activity that is integrated into his daily life.4. He plays.5. He pals around with someone much much younger than himself (my other cat, Simon, who is a human twentysomething).6. He continues to challenge himself cognitively and physically by hunting (note semi-revolting pic of Sonny chewing bunny guts)7. He is surrounded by a loving and supportive family.8. He has a useful place in that family (well, as useful as cats get).9. He is treated as ageless.  Now, here’s your reward for reading about my cat.Counterclockwise was just published as an audio book on audible.com.  I am offering a FREE download to the first three of you who send me a good (new) idea for a future column for the blog. Just send as a “comment” to this post. The audio book is wonderful, btw, voiced by the very talented actor Hollis McCarthy.