Dancing on the Edge

My Personal Stress Indicator

Now I know this is going to sound weird but I really do have my own personal stress indicator and monitor system. I can tell when I am maxed out on stress and I can tell when things are feeling more under control. No seriously. It's true.

Taz, my 13 year old tabby cat, is my monitoring system.

It all started back in 2004 when we were trying to get pregnant with Kaylen (we had a bit of stress over that!). I suddenly noticed that Taz had begun chewing off the fur on her hind legs. And then, when I was about 6 months pregnant, and incredibly stressed out about adding a baby and Dakota applying to law school (a virtual single mom full-time to a 3 year old and a newborn?!?! Are you kidding me??? What was I thinking?? EEEEK!!!), Taz started shearing her entire back half - including her belly. We would joke about her being shaved for surgery (it's totally what she looked like) and how perhaps she needed a Hair Transplant or, in her case, a fur transplant.

She would periodically let it grow in and then BAM! It was gone again. We started noticing a pattern; the more stressed out I was over this, that or the other thing, the less hair she left on her hindquarters. When things calmed down, she would let her hair grow in.

When I left for Seattle back in April, the poor cat was practically bald and yet, five weeks later after being away from my stress, she was a furry cat again. For the past month she has left her fur alone and then today I noticed her ankles are bare again. Something tells me it's the stress of having Kaylen sick this week that is doing it.

Hopefully, now that I am working out, my stress levels can even out so the poor cat can have some fur. :)