We have a cute little cat named “Pippin”, in reference to the character from the Lord of The Rings. He got this name, because he was the smallest kitten from his nest, and he’ll always remain a tad small in size compared to the average cat.
Pippin used to be quite shy and cautious. Intimidated by the small sounds and unexpected movement around him. He would get terrified seeing the neighbor’s cat. Also because of his size, the vet told us to keep him inhouse for a bit longer than normal, because of his smaller size there would be a risk letting him go out and face the ‘giants’ of the neighborhood. It was after around 6+ weeks that we first let him go outside. It was more than natural to do, because he was getting more and more eager to escape and go out whenever we left the backdoor ajar. His curiosity to the outside world was growing. I remember on his first adventure going out, he was both very intimated, frightened but also super curious. It was a battle between his curiosity and timidity, where curiosity eventually won. He would sit in the bushes for a long time and carefully observe everything around him before making a few more steps into new uncharted territory.
Over time he gradually became more and more confident, as he went outside daily and dared to move further from the backdoor. In the beginning we would have to leave the door open, so he would have a safe plan of escape in a moment of danger. He would just be outside for a while, and quickly run back into the house after if he suspected any danger. After that he would stay out for longer and longer and would come back later as he strayed further away from home.
What fascinated me is how his character changed. The timid boy, grew more into a man. He’s still cautious and a little timid, but the adventures shaped him to grow up. He’s now more confident, more bold, and has a different attitude. What I saw him do now is opening doors by himself, that is if they are not fully closed, doing it just by his own strength and smarts, giving it a little push and sneaking through. I enjoy seeing the change in Pippin. It makes me think of how going on adventure, going out into the wilderness, the jungle, facing the giants and challenges of life and gradually growing up and becoming more bold, brave and wise as you mature faster. Imagine if we kept him inside the house, his comfort zone. He wouldn’t have grown up like this, he’d still be much timid, and it would be unnatural as he desired for more space to play, explore and see and to go outside. Too early could have been fatal, but too late too in a way that it might have crushed his passion for bigger adventure and curiosity to explore. He would have suffered not being able to find out what’s outside and maybe resented or distrusted us for apparently keeping him locked. Or maybe eventually he would get so used to living inside that he’d get comfortable being a house cat. Anyway, the most natural thing to do was to leave him outside to explore on his own. As long as we are there, he’ll have a safe home to return to, for receiving love, care, food and fresh water. That safe place to be fed, cared for, and sleep, restore and replenish, is just what he needs for fresh energy to go on a new adventure. Without the safe place he would not have the strength to deal with the outside. But if he’d be ‘stuck’ at home only, he’d never be able to grow and learn as much as he has ’till now. So both the safe place of home to come back to and the outside world to explore he needs to live a full life.
We love you Pippin. That’s why we let you go outside and create your own journey, though we know there’s risk to it and you might get hurt or lost. But we know it’s what you need and what you want, to live a fulfilled life and grow from a kitten into a prime and mature cat on the inside and outside.
Are you able to apply this story about Pippin to your (family) life in some way? I sure can!
