Listening With Your Heart

To be a good listener, we need to practice empathy; attempt to feel  
what the other person is feeling by listening with your heart and not  
your head. There are times when we all need a shoulder to cry on (as  
the saying goes) and we would like to feel understood when we "cry in  
that shoulder."
 
To be a good listener, we need to refrain from interrupting the person  
when they speak and curb the desire to say phrases such as,  
"Everything will be okay", "There are others in worse situations", "Be  
strong, crying won't solve anything", "You have to be positive." This  
makes the person in need feel lonely and misunderstood. They might  
even feel that they are weak because they don't know how to cope.
 
If we can't offer empathy or don't know what to say, we can remain  
silent and even admit that we don't know how to handle the situation,  
but always offering ourselves to be there to lend a listening ear, or  
comforting touch.

Strengthen a Loving Relationship

Love relationships can be difficult at times with varying degrees. They
can keep you in a constant state of anger, make you not want to see
the person, and even the thought of that person can put knots on  your
stomach. On the other hand, there are times when things are bliss. You
have loving thoughts for the person, enjoy their company, and there is
always understanding and agreement. And of course, there are
relationships that are somewhere in the middle; the area for the
majority of relationships.
 
One thing is certain, that for a relationship to flourish, the good times
have to predominate the bad times. Good times predominate when
there is a mixture of understanding, respect, generosity, unselfishness,
trust, levelheadedness, empathy, and even creativity. Both members
need to be on the same team. In addition to having in common love,
ideas, and interests, a common space also needs to be maintained.
That is not stating that everything has to be shared, because it doesn't.
The key is to respect the differences.

Cats Social Bonds

Cats form strong social bonds with each other, although some may be introverted or lead solitary lives. I had 3 cats that were always together. One cat (Lubissa) was unsocial who would come to me only at feeding time. I was unable to touch her. She remained with me 13 years and in the last year would allow me to pet her on her terms; sometimes coming up to me. Although she was unsocial, she craved the togetherness of the other 2 cats. At times she would seek Tara (the dog), but Tara was never interested. There was another cat (Silo) who was also unsocial but not as bad as Lubissa. His bond with Lubissa wasn’t as strong as with Alaima (the other cat). He was always in search of her and tolerated Lubissa. Alaima, seemed to be the matriarch of the group, always on her own but tolerating Lubissa and Silo at all times. I recently lost Lubissa and Alaima so Silo is always alone. There are 2 other cats but they remain to themselves seeking only human affection.

Communication among cats consists of nose-touching, grooming each other, playful biting with purring, chirping, and meowing. They establish hierarchies, although they don’t remain permanent. They usually enjoy companionship, weather it’s another cat, human, or other animal. They do depend on humans greatly, although they practice a great deal of independence.