We've been talking about having peak experiences brought on by nature through the use of bird watching. However, it's important to remember that we're not the only species on the planet that enjoys peak experiences. We've turned our backyard into a "bird watching stage" simply by throwing wild bird seed out onto the back patio. While the humans who live here enjoy the birds, our cats Arwyn and Agatha possibly enjoy them more.
Our cats are total wussies. They're house cats and would last outside 'in the wilds' for approximately 43 seconds. Agatha, especially, is scared of everything. Yet they sit on the chair we've set up for them and glare at the birds for hours on end. Sometimes we hear a low, threatening rumble come from their chest and we know they are threatening the birds with dire consequences if they every get ahold of them. The truth is that if they did get close to a bird who flapped and flew at them, they'd be so panicked they would set a world-record for cat speed. In the other direction.
The birds, for their part, seem to ignore the cats. Clearly, the birds watch everything around them with great care and are constantly on the alert. Yet somehow they know that Agatha and Arwyn are no threat at all. So it seems that the peak experiences brought on by nature are endless: the birds get easy food, the cats enjoy playing tough hombres and we mere humans adore the cat and bird watching circus right in our own kitchen.
apelle40 says
my cat has a ball bird watching . she’s an indoors cat and loves to sleep by the patio door and look at the birds
Pauletta Melago says
I have 2 siamese cats–Merlot & Shiraz who, like yours, are total indoor wussies who do the same thing. I don’t have a patio window, but I do have one of those “cat perch” things that attaches to a window frame. I hung a bird feeder right out side the window. Watching the birds is fun, but watching the cats watch the birds is so much better!