Tea and Kitties – An Appreciation of Two of my Loves

During one of my early shoots Prim & Dante decided to get involved. Here are some of the ridiculously cute results. Enjoy!

by Cassandra Vincent

I don’t generally get all adorable here but I feel inspired to appreciate these two most calming influences in my life - Tea and cats. I can only speak for myself of course, but they seem to complement each other. I meet tea lovers who are cat lovers and vice versa all the time. Plus there is the popular wave of kitty cafes that bring together tea and cat interaction/adoption. What is it about tea and cats that goes together so well? For me it is that both affect how I feel in a supremely positive way. There are no two influences that can create a quicker sense of well being to me than making/enjoying a gorgeous cup of tea and petting/playing with my feline family members. Both involve a combination of interaction, focus and quiet.
 
They have something else in common: tea brings together the energy boost of caffeine and the euphoria of L–theanine (have you ever had a tea high?) and cats have moments of deep blissful I-can-sleep-anywhere rest contrasted with explosive moments of what we cat lovers affectionately call the ‘cat crazies’ (which can result in a variety of broken household items if we do not cat-proof, much like child-proof, our home).  I love these seemingly opposing energies! I love energy with a calm, focused mind and I love deeply resting at one moment and feeling powerful inspired action in another. 
 
There are also the aspects of mystery and ancient lore that surround both cats and tea. From Bast, the cat goddess of ancient Egypt to the uncertain discovery of tea often told as a tale of when leaves from a nearby plant fell into Chinese Emperor Shen Nung’s water in 2737 BC, both cats and tea have long, interesting histories that seem endless in exploration. 
 
Here is to all of those who have a love for the noble leaf and the magical cat. 

Thanks to Frankie Carlos for kitten wrangling and photo assistance