The Furry Art of Nurturing -- Listen Up Shadows!

Hobo here. Damn, it’s been forever since Shadows let me near the computer. I got her the other day though. She spent some time visiting with her brother and sister-in-law, leaving the computer wide open and not paying any attention to me.

Did I have fun exploring. Been watching her messing around with something called ChatGPT and Midjourney. I poked around in that ChatGPT thing though. I’ve heard Shadows call it ‘artificial intelligence’, it may be artificial but I’m not sure about that intelligence part.

Do you know I had to tell it to answer me like a cat would answer? Like really? How stupid could it be to not know I need to know cat answers not human answers? Well, at least it takes direction. After a few attempts it got the message not to give me anything but cat stuff.

So why did I want to bend it to my will? After all, it wont be feeding me any time soon or cleaning my litter box. There’s nothing warm and cuddly about it. But, if Shadows can get sense out of it, I can do better. So there’s that. I’ve been kind of curious.

Shadows has been listening to something called ‘Clubhouse’ and I hear conversations on there about personal growth and nurturing. I’m not sure what that nurturing thing is but I have never put personal and growth together. What the heck, if that gets me better living, I’m all for it.

OH, I might warm up to this AI thingy, it’s said “nurturing is as important to personal growth as a warm spot in the sun is to a perfect afternoon nap.” I’ll read on. This thing might be smarter than I thought.

It’s mentioning nurturing is not just about a well-groomed coat and the bliss of a good brush down. Apparently I needed to inform the dummy I’m a short-hair cat. I do my own coat grooming and don’t need brushing. Speaking of which though, Shadows, you really should brush that long mop of yours more often. It looks great when you do, rather ratty after a while when you don’t. You know I’m not a fan of rats or mice for that matter, well except to play with.

It says my curiousity needs to be stimulated and I need the right support to boost confidence. What the heck? I don’t need anyone stimulating me to be curious, what would life be without me being able to poke my paw into everything Shadows does? It would be BORING.

And yes, I clearly have confidence. You think it doesn’t take confidence to stroll in and dump everything that Shadows is using onto the floor? It takes even more confidence to hop up, stick my paw on the back of her tablet, press it down flat and stand on it. Sure stops her reading and makes her look at me. Now that takes confidence and nerve. My fav though, that’s hopping up and parking myself on her nice cozy chest when she’s working. After all the confidence work, I need a cozy place to sleep.

Well, I’ll give this AI thing some credit, it does suggest that uninterrupted naps on Shadows is a good thing for my nurture. Those naps are the best, if I could just get her to stay still so I don’t have to keep checking that I’m safe. I can roll with it when she’s typing on the puter but when she decides to reach for something, that just throws my game off. Speaking of which, how come a human can’t go hours without going to the washroom? I can and I’m little.

Okay, now this thing says I lack the tools to deal with life’s hiccups. What a dummy, humans get hiccups, we cats don’t get them. It’s funny as heck when Shadows gets them occasionally. She should do that more often, they are fun to watch her trying to stop them.

Hmmm it has this to say: “nurturing is the lifeblood of personal growth and development. It's the water that quenches the thirst of potential, the sun that encourages growth, and the stake that supports when we sway. It gives us the courage to explore, the resilience to overcome, and the confidence to achieve.”

It must be talking about humans again. I got all that. OH, does that mean that maybe Shadows does already nurture and support Tramp and I? She does let us do mostly what we want. She is pretty patient with Tramp and her skittish ways. BTW gang, Tramp has recently started sleeping up against Shadows and on her sometimes.

What a wuss I was doing that the first day. Tramp has taken three years. But, she’s my buddy. I do support her and cheer her on. OH, that’s nurturing her. I guess I do get this nurture thing.

So Shadows, next time I curl up on your chest, how about taking a pause and just read or something? You will be disturbing me less and taking some ‘me’ time for you. Sound like a deal?

Shadowspub writes on a variety of subjects as she pursues her passion for learning. She also writes on other platforms and enjoys creating books you use like journals, notebooks, coloring books etc. Her Nicheless Narrative podcast airs on Thursdays each week.

NOTE: unless otherwise stated, all images are the author’s.

Some of the image work may have been done in Midjourney for which I hold a licence to use the imges commercially.

How to Connect With ShadowsPub:
.

Twitter: @shadowspub wqq
Instagram: shadowspublishing
Medium: @shadowspublishing
Publishing Website: Shadows Publishing
Nicheless Website: Nicheless & Loving It
(Podcast & subscriptions for: Prompt A Day, PYPT Reminder & Newsletter)


Pimp Your Post Thursday (PYPT):
join us on the DreemPort Discord12pm EST Thursdays

Get eyes on your content and meet new friends. Join DreemPort.