Liebchen is an orange cat who is lively, colorful, and energetic. We were instantly smitten with him when we first saw him at the Rifle Animal Shelter in Aspen, Colorado. We purchased Liebchen a harness when he screamed at the door to get outdoors and explore when we first brought him home.
Liebchen adapted to the collar and leash right away and went for his first trip at the age of ten weeks. He now joins us on all of our travels (his pawpaw and meow). On road vacations, he enjoys skiing, snowmobiling, hiking, camping, paddle boarding, swimming, and paddle boarding.
The cat exhibited a desire to go outside and explore as soon as we got him home. At the age of ten weeks, Liebchen embarked on his first trek!
In German, Liebchen means "sweetheart." My mother had a cat named Liebchen when she was my age. We felt it was a novel name, so we adopted it for our new pet. It also helps us to strike up discussions with new folks we encounter when travelling or out and about.
Meet Liebchen, a daring orange cat we acquired from the Rifle Animal Shelter in Aspen, Colorado
A friend forwarded us a photo of Liebchen that had been posted on the Rifle Animal Shelter's Facebook page. There was something about the gleam in his eyes, the half-white moustache, and the fact that he was so little and full of life. When we arrived, he was alone in a corner hissing at the other kittens who were playing, as though irritated by them. He wasn't afraid; he was spread out luxuriously, apparently disturbed by the other kittens. He nearly seemed to be pleading, "Adopt me, not them!" We felt he was feisty and humorous, and his large personality came through immediately away.
He now joins us on all of our excursions!
He takes up snowboarding
Liebchen has never complained about the gear we put on him. We generally strive to just put things on him that are useful and functional. It's almost as though he understands why the goggles and coats are there. Snow blindness, sunburn, and windburn are all avoided with the eyewear. In the summer, they also assist shield his eyes from dust and sticks. We only put on the coats when it's chilly and he needs them.
Liebchen has always been unconcerned with the equipment we strapped on him. We aim to only put useful items on him. It's almost as though he understands why he's wearing the goggles and coats. Snow blindness, sunburn, and windburn are all avoided with these goggles. In the summer, they also serve as a shield from dust and sticks. We just put on the coats when it's chilly and he requires them.
Snowmobiling
Camping
Hiking at Aspen, Colorado's Maroon Bells
Liebchen enjoys hiking the most of all the activities we do with him. He enjoys going for walks in the woods or in the desert. He enjoys leaping from rocks and logs. He loves exploring new locations and discovering new flora, bugs, and creatures. He also enjoys exploring the many terrains found in the Western United States. He likes to stroll with us, leading the way, or trailing after us. He enjoys being outside, but there are numerous predators in our area, including mountain lions, bobcats, foxes, eagles, hawks, and bears. We're too afraid to leave him alone outside, and it's also too hazardous, so we've adapted, and he now enjoys his walks and treks. Hikes allow him to appreciate the outdoors in a safe manner.
He enjoys skiing with us as well, although that season does not last all year. He just hangs out on our shoulders or in our bag, his small face in the breeze. He adores the feel of the wind in his whiskers, naps on the gondola or chairlift, and meets new people.
We frequently state that Liebchen saved our lives and that we cannot picture living without him
Before purchasing a pet, we encourage everyone to consider rescuing and adopting from a shelter. Every year, millions of animals become available to become your best companion. Rescue animals have a certain quality about them that makes them a fantastic addition to any family. They act as though they knew you saved them, but we are confident that they will save anybody who adopts them. We often claim that Liebchen saved us.
Anyone's position, living condition, and family structure can all benefit from a rescue animal. Animals have such a diverse range of characteristics that you will undoubtedly discover the ideal match for your lifestyle. Any cat may become an adventure cat, and any rescue animal can become your new best buddy, in our opinion.
Why we love cat?
We mentioned this as follow:
1. Happiness
Cat owners, according to one Australian research, have greater psychological health than persons who do not have pets. They report to be happier, more confident, and less frightened, and to sleep, focus, and deal with issues in their life better, according to questionnaires.
Adopting a cat may also be beneficial to your children: Kids who had a deep link with their cats had a greater quality of life, according to a poll of more than 2,200 young Scots aged 11 to 15. They felt more healthy, active, and attentive, and less depressed and lonely, the more attached they were, and the more they loved their time alone, at leisure, and at school.
Cats may also charm us out of our bad moods with their gravity-defying antics and yoga-like sleeping positions. Persons with cats reported less unpleasant emotions and feelings of solitude than people without cats in one research. Singles with cats were in a better mood than persons who had a cat and a partner. (After all, your cat is never late for supper.)
Even cats on the internet may make us grin. People who watch cat videos online report feeling less negative emotions (such as worry, frustration, and melancholy) and more good emotions later (more hope, happiness, and contentment). As the researchers discovered, if we do it for the sake of procrastination, this pleasure becomes a guilty one.
2. Health
Finally, despite what you may have heard about cat-to-human brain parasites, there is some evidence that cats may be beneficial to our health.
Researchers monitored 4,435 participants for 13 years in one study. Even after controlling for other risk variables such as blood pressure, cholesterol, smoking, and body mass index, those who had previously had cats were less likely to die of a heart attack at that period.
The researchers add that this was true even if the patients didn't have cats at the time, implying that cats are more like preventative medication than therapy for an ongoing ailment.
In another research, University of Pennsylvania's James Serpil monitored two dozen persons who had recently adopted a cat. They completed questionnaires within a few days after bringing their cat home, as well as multiple times over the next ten months. People reported fewer health problems including headaches, back discomfort, and colds after one month, however those advantages tended to wane with time (on average). Serpil speculates that those who have a solid relationship with their cat may continue to reap benefits, while those who don't may not.
Much of this cat study is correlational, which means we don't know if cats are genuinely beneficial or if cat owners are simply happy and well-adjusted individuals. Unfortunately for cat lovers like us, this does not appear to be the case. We are, at least in comparison to dog lovers, more receptive to new experiences (even if our shy cats aren't). We're also more neurotic, less extraverted, and less warm and pleasant. We have more negative feelings and conceal them more, resulting in us being less happy and content with our life.
On the plus side, this indicates that cats are more likely to provide us as much pleasure and satisfaction as we say, albeit the data is far from definitive. In reality, dogs are the subject of the great majority of pet studies, partially because they are simpler to train as therapy helpers. "The study has put cats a little behind," Serpil explains. Another point of contention with our canine colleagues.
On the plus side, this suggests that cats are more likely to provide us as much pleasure and happiness as we say, albeit the research isn't definitive. In reality, dogs are the subject of the great majority of pet research, owing to their ease of training as therapy helpers. "The science has put cats rather behind," Serpil explains. Another thorn in our canine adversaries' side.
3. Personal relationships
Cats are creatures that we love and who love us back (or at least we believe they do). People who invest in interspecies bonding may also perceive improvements in their human-to-human interactions.
Cat owners, for example, are more socially sensitive, trust other people more, and enjoy other people than non-pet owners, according to study. If you identify as a cat person, you are more likely to believe that other people like you than if you identify as neither a cat nor a dog person. People who watch cat videos, on the other hand, feel more supported by others than those who aren't great fans of feline digital media.
It increases our capacity for kindness and generosity toward others when someone, human or animal, makes us feel good and connected. Kids who speak effectively with a best friend are more devoted to their cats, according to a study of Scottish teenagers, perhaps because they spend more playing as a trio.
"Pets appear to operate as 'social catalysts,' promoting social contact between individuals," write Ferrand Misassemble and colleagues from the United Kingdom. "A pet can be welcoming, openly loving, constant, loyal, and honest, qualities that can satisfy a person's basic desire to feel loved and valued."
4. Stress
One of the finest types of stress reduction, in my opinion, is having a warm cat on your lap kneading your thighs. "I wish Cora would sit on my lap," I muttered aloud one afternoon, overwhelmed. She trotted over and put herself down on me seconds later (though attempts to replicate this phenomenon have been unsuccessful).
Researchers visited 120 married couples in their homes in one study to see how they would react to stress and whether cats may assist. People were put through a grueling series of activities while wearing heart rate and blood pressure monitors, including subtracting three from a four-digit figure repeatedly and then keeping their hand in cold water (below 40 degrees Fahrenheit) for two minutes. People either sat alone in a room with their pet, with their spouse (who may give moral support), or both.
Cat owners had a lower resting heart rate and blood pressure than persons who did not own any pets before the stressful duties began. Cat owners also performed better throughout the tasks: they were more likely to feel challenged rather than intimidated, had lower pulse rates and blood pressure, and made fewer math errors. When their cat was there, cat owners appeared the calmest and made the fewest faults of all the scenarios. In average, cat owners recovered physiologically faster.
What makes cats so relaxing? Cats don't condemn us for our weak arithmetic abilities or become too concerned when we're distressed, which helps to explain why, in some circumstances, cats had a more soothing impact than significant others.
Cats aren't just little creatures who rely on humans, as Karin Stomach and Dennis Turner of the University of Zurich demonstrate. We also gain comfort from them—even there's a scientific scale that assesses how much emotional support you get from your cat depending on how often you seek them out in different stressful situations.
Cats provide a steady presence, free of the troubles of the world, that may make all our small problems and fears appear insignificant. "You can't feel tense looking at a sleeping cat," journalist Jane Pauley stated.
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Animal