Cat Hair

Owen and I have discovered a new game. How much cat hair/matted cat hair can Jennie get out while giving him a great pet? It is working out quite well. I have an extensive technique to distract, while I pull. Its almost as good as popping a zit in the joy category. Cat hair is the subject of an interesting study one of my colleagues just read. A bunch of lab rats played and enjoyed their cage. They never saw a cat, never had the pleasure of knowing their was an arch enemy out there in the real world. Then one day the researchers entered a single cat hair in the cage. Eventually all of the rats stopped playing, hid or froze powerless in a fear produced by the scent of a cat. The single cat hair was later removed. The rats never returned to their prior way of life. Fear/trauma had taken over their life and would not let go.

The nature of trauma paralyzes with or without the presence of real danger all that is needed is the perception of danger to change ones life. Humans unlike rats, have the capacity to unlearn, learn a new way of proceeding. Cat hair will never not remind me of the trauma response now. Owen's cat hair makes me happy. Knowing trauma doesn't have to determine ones path gives me hope.