Who is the Most Important Member of Your Family? The Cat?

Now I have seen people who have some very strange relatives who just might agree that the cat is the most important member of their family.  Actually, my mom could be one of them.  But what lengths would people go to for their cat?

Troy, a Silicon Valley resident, recently moved when his daughter went off to college.  She couldn’t take her two cats with her and he couldn’t take them to his new apartment because they didn’t get along with his dog.  So, what to do?  His solution – he rented a studio apartment for the two felines to the tune of $1500 a month.  Since an average studio apartment in San Jose goes for $1951 per month, he felt like a found a pretty good deal.

While some might chime in that in that market he found a heck of a deal, others are probably thinking – WHAT?   $1500 rent for two cats?  I understand the reaction.  But the questions really raises a bigger issue – what relationships are most valuable to us, and how do we demonstrate it?  People reading this probably have one of two reactions to Troy’s decision – he is a kind benevolent man or he is a kook.  But my reaction would be to ask – how does he treat his wife, his kids, his co-workers?  Does he demonstrate the kind of value towards them that he does towards those cats?  Perhaps he does.  But how about you and me?

I encourage you today to make sure you are communicating value towards those who are most important in your life in concrete ways.  Hopefully, they will appreciate your efforts as much as the cats.