I’ll admit it----I’m a cat-aholic. I love cats. Some of my friends would say I’m obsessed. Some would even say I’m over the edge with my cats. Some would even say there’s something wrong with me. I don’t care. I love cats.

I’ve loved them all my life. My mother will tell you how I begged and begged for a cat when I was little even though I had never had one before-----well, not in this life. My husband points out how I sometimes even act like a cat----I’m sure he means how mysterious and intriguing I can be. I have three cats now. I can only remember sixmonths of my adult life when I didn’t have a cat. That was horrible. But I was grieving for a dear Muffin who had died and it felt right to be "cat-less" for a time.

Well, for those "friends" who tease me about my connection to the feline kingdom, I have come to realize why it’s so appropriate for someone like
me to be enamored with cats. Cats are natural Feng Shui practitioners. Really.

I first noticed their involvement in my Feng Shui practice a few years ago when I realized that 95% of the consultations I went on, the client had a cat or two, or three. It became a matter of course to look for the kitty when I got there. There was always evidence of cat bowls and kitty toys, so I knew there was a cat living there if I wasn’t greeted at the door. Some of the cats would have a look of recognition when I walked in, like they’d been waiting for me. One cat even gave me a knowing wink when he saw me arrive. It began to spook even me. After some serious and intense research, I have figured out how this phenomenon works. A cat (or cats) will inspire their owner (or owners) to want a Feng Shui appointment. They will do this by a mere gentle nudge or some subtle action. Seemingly out of the blue the owner (or owners) decide they want to have a Feng Shui appointment. Because of my connections to the cat kingdom, the owner (s) are inclined to call me. My cats, hearing the call from this particular owner, arrange for positive ch’i around me so that I’m open to taking the appointment. And thus the cats see to it that all has worked out as it should.

What most people don’t realize is that cats practice a highly evolved form of Feng Shui. This is because they have a natural affinity for the flow of ch’i. They can usually find where it is the strongest in a space and then they go sit in it-----like in the middle of a group of people, or on top of the book you’re trying to read, or in the middle of a hallway. I am fascinated that they can pick upwhere the energy is most focused and intense. Since Feng Shui is based on the flow of ch’i, it is necessary to know where it’s most concentrated. Thanks to our cat friends, we can now determine that more easily.

Cats’ natural affinity to Feng Shui is also evident in the way they get the ch’i around them to move. In their wisdom, they have come to realize that if they stare at something long enough, a corresponding something will happen. If they stare at a door, eventually it will open. If they stare at their bowl, it will inevitably get filled. If they stare at you in a chair, you will eventually move because you’re in their chair. What superb use of ch’i! What mastery of Feng Shui principles! It’s all a matter of intention.

As I mentioned earlier, I have three cats. I’d have more, but my husband has been firm about the fact that we can only have two cats at any one time. He compromised with three. What most people don’t understand is that these cats are continuously training me in the art of Feng Shui. I never stop learning by watching these felines move through a space. I feel honored to be an understudy.

You may wonder how I know if I’m learning anything at all from these cats. I can attest to the fact that I am seldom inspired unless there’s a cat in my lap. My first book was written under the wise and steady supervision of the aforementioned Muffin. Only when she figured I could finish it on my own did she decide to spend some time in Kitty Heaven. As you can imagine, this article was inspired by one of my kitty-cats, as are most of the articles I write. The second book I’m in process of finishing has had continual guidance from cat paws. My Feng Shui bag is regularly, and quite ceremoniously I might add, inspected each time I bring it home from an appointment. Whichever cat has been delegated the inspector for the day makes sure I have not brought any evil ch’i or dog energy into our house. They bless every blueprint I spread out on the floor by lying in the middle and assessing the site from their vantage point. Sometimes a little paw will point to an area which I surely would have missed-----a missing corner or an angled door. Their wisdom and patience knows no limits.

My husband and I just returned from a trip to Mexico. Spontaneously, we packed up to go to a remote resort for five days. Naturally, I was concerned about our three little cherubs during our absence. Having their natural flow of ch’i suddenly curbed and blocked could be drastic for beings as evolved as these. Not to mention what it would do to my Feng Shui business. So that they would hardly notice our being gone, three sets of visitors came each day to see to it that their lives were hardly disturbed. Some people thought that was extreme. I, however, am proud to be a designated caretaker for the Feng Shui Felines.

Just to show all of you disbelievers the power of Feline Feng Shui, I want you to know that of all the places we could have gone in Mexico, all of the resorts we could have checked into, we went to a resort where they had not three cats, not four cats, but five cats roaming the grounds. Is that not proof that, when all is said and done, cats rule. How else could this have happened? How could we have known? I say, only through the wisdom of our feline friends do any of us manage to get through our days. Only through their foresight does the world go round. And only through their beneficent control, do we eventually find our way.

For those of you who have cats, I’m sure you will begin to look upon them with a new and profound respect. For those of you who don’t have one or two, let me tell you, you can vastly improve your Feng Shui by welcoming a cat into your space. For those of you who have a dog, I’ve noticed that a cat’s evolved sense of universal intention will extend to their canine counterparts at times. So occasionally I am guided into dog domain to do my work.

It is my hope and dream that there will be a day, not too far off into the future, when a Feng Shui practitioner (that would be me) will show up on an appointment, feline in hand, ready to serve. I know that my true role is to be of service to ones wiser than I, being continually guided by the higher power of Feng Shui Felines.