Can Cats Swim?

During the height of COVID lock down, my husband and I decided it would be a smart idea to add another mammal to our family of four humans and one Labrador retriever. Growing up, my family had several Maine Coons. If you’re not familiar, they are a gorgeous, large, long-haired breed that look like small bobcats. Big bodies, big personalities. I had one after college (Rex Stetson) in my first apartment that died when my now fourteen year old was just a baby. When my husband and I decided to add a cat to the family, we knew we wanted another Maine Coon. Locating and sourcing her is another story for another time…(and let me tell you, that one is a doozy)! We name all the animals in our family after TV or film characters and our crew chose Loki. God of Mischief. She’s aptly named. She is almost three and can be super sweet but being a cat, can also be super sassy. She’s an inside cat, but loves to sit at the window and chitter at the birds, or attempt to pounce through the glass at a leaf blowing in the wind and on occasion we let her out in our fenced-in back yard (she still has all her claws) while we’re out there too.

The other day Loki was out in the backyard with me. Now, I say, backyard, but being a Southern California postage-stamp sized lot it’s mostly pool. It does also have a small landscaped terrace that she loves to hang out in, hiding in the bushes, stalking and chasing butterflies, lizards or whatever else catches her eye. When it was time to go in, I picked her up and she seemed quite content as I started to walk her inside. She must have had a change of heart, and decided that no, on second thought she’d rather stay outside. All at once she wiggled from my arms and before I could fully realize what was happening, she was out of my arms and directly into the deep end of the pool.

Me, Loki and my eight year old daughter swimming at the other end of the pool all panicked. The look on Loki’s face and the panic I felt for a few seconds was intense. How did this just happen? Will she sink? Can cats swim?

It took all of three seconds to learn three things: Loki dislikes the pool, she did not sink, and she can swim. I quickly guided her to the edge of the pool and barely helped her to the edge before she climbed right out essentially on her own and dashed across the patio to find refuge under a table. I was then able to grab her and get her in the house without further ado. She was fine. Slightly wounded pride. Wetter than she’d ever like to be, but otherwise perfectly healthy and unhurt.

Like many other modern, tech-obsessed husbands mine has installed an internet-connected network of security cameras around the perimeter of our house, including one trained on the backyard and the pool. While I am trying to wrap my head fully around what had just happened he walks out of his home office where he’s been working, and through barely stifled laughter reports that not only did he watch it happen live through the window, he has it clipped out and ready to watch on his phone. Which we do. As we watch, he begins laughing hysterically. Like, doubled over, gasping for breath, nearly in tears laughter. I have not heard him laugh this hard for so long. I am now laughing too; not at the recent event captured and now immortalized on the video we’re watching (I may be as temporarily-traumatized as the cat), but at HIM laughing at the video. As we all know, laughter is contagious.

Did you also know laughing is healthy? It can improve your immune system, relieve pain, increase personal satisfaction, and improve your mood. It’s a wonderful stress reliever. It is so good for your body and so good for your soul. It can be a great tool to help you reset your day if it's not on the path you'd like it to be. Now, I don’t recommend throwing your unsuspecting pet into the nearest body of water but look out for and welcome those moments of levity. Maybe take a ten minute break and find your favorite comic on Netflix or YouTube.

I am sorry Loki fell in the pool, BUT in hindsight, it ended up being such joyful moment. Life at that moment seemed to be a little lighter. It’s been nearly a week since that happened and even reliving that moment, brings a smile and a chuckle. When was the last time you laughed so hard? Did you feel your body release? Did you feel lighter? Are you smiling and laughing enough? Let’s dig into those moments and memories if you are, and if you’re not, let’s see if I can help you find your way to more of them.