Welcome to the Wednesday Cats of Catster! Every week, we share a story from one of our cat-loving Catsters. This week is about Wes and his fiercely cuddly Russian Blue, Raphael.

We all know how important it is for cats to get playtime in: it helps them stay fit (which means we get to love them for longer), it helps them stave off boredom (so we can love our couches for longer), and it helps them keep stress at bay (so they can love themselves for longer).

Recently, Steph was away and I was performing my daily duties with Raphael. After he’d eaten and had a nap and some head scratches, we decided it was time to get a few rounds of playtime in.

As I watched him leaping, cantering, galloping, and careening around the floor, it struck me: it’s good for me to have playtime, too. After all, who doesn’t want to stay fit, not be bored, and not be stressed? It sounds pretty much ideal! And in fact, through Raphael’s beautiful technique, I really learned a lot about how to optimise not just my playtime, but life in general:

1 – Be patient

Raphael knows that not every moment is a moment to strike. As you can see, he’ll wait patiently for the perfect moment, sometimes for a few minutes or more, until he’s ready. In life, we always feel that if we don’t act right away, the opportunity is missed. Sometimes that is the case, but sometimes we need to be more like Raphy – we can choose the moment to strike!

2 – Make the most of it

Now when Raphy strikes, he really strikes. With the height of one thousand Burj Khalifas, the power of Mike Tyson’s glove, and a speed faster than a rattlesnake – he throws his all into it. No more patience now, he makes it happen. In life, when we’re going for something, we have to really make it happen. Sometimes, there are no second chances.

3 – Don’t let go easily

Trying to extract a toy from Raphy after he’s caught it is nigh on impossible. His talons wrap around it, and his teeth sink into it. A toy in his grasp is in more danger than a person in quicksand. No matter how much jiggling, shaking, or jangling I do, I simply cannot get the toy away from him. And doesn’t that tell us something about life? When we have a good thing going, don’t let it go.

4 – When it’s over, it’s over

When Raphael is done, he’s done. You can’t tempt him. “Oh, that old toy? That old toy was yesterday’s news. Please leave me alone so that I can begin to bathe now.” As humans, we want to keep the fun going – to keep the good times rolling. Sometimes, the most important thing is knowing when to let go.

Playing with Raphael is one of the many joys we get from loving him. Normally, watching him hunt and mess around is just funny, but I’ve realised that in our laughter, we were missing something. Like he always does, Raphael has taught me something recently, even during his playtime. What has your cat taught you recently?