Many of us have been at home now for over a month. Maybe your husband is driving you nuts; maybe those angelic children have turned into beasts you don’t recognize; or maybe you’re lucky enough that everyone is getting along, but you are just plain going stir crazy! It’s ok; we’re all getting through this the best we know how. One of the things I have found most enjoyable, and that I hope continues even once we get through this, are Zoom Cocktail Hours with friends.

And happily, I keep hearing not only how our pets love having us around so much, but how WE are finding so much love and joy in spending more time with our pets.

From a personal standpoint, my studio is in my home, and so there hasn’t been a huge transition for me. By nature, I consider myself an introvert and being at home with my two cats, Claudette and Mr. Bud, has always been one of my favorite places to be. As a matter of fact, the only times I remember being lonely in my life, are the few times I didn’t have any cats! 

Mr. Bud & Claudette

And let me just say, cats are getting kind of a bad rap on social media these days. I keep seeing memes about how dogs are so happy to have their people home and cats can’t wait for them to go back to work. Yes, cats are independent, and yes, a few can be kind of anti-social, but I’ve been very lucky to have friendly cats who are always up for a snuggle or some quality lap time.

Mr. Bud on his tower.

Claudette enjoying the sunset.

If you have pets, I’m pretty sure you know how I feel. If you don’t, consider fostering from your local humane society. The dogs and cats out there don’t know about this pandemic thing, so there are still plenty of them looking for temporary or forever homes. If you’re unsure if a pet is for you, I highly recommend fostering first. This is the opportunity to take care of a pet for a short period, giving you time to figure out if a fur baby is for you. If you know you’re a “pet person” then consider adopting…my guess is you have more time now to devote to a pet than ever before! To find a shelter near you, check out the ASPCA's Find a Shelter Page.