Sun Seeking Cats: Blue the Ray Basker

Hi, I’m Amanda! Read my introduction to learn more about me and Blue, my fluffy fire point Himalayan-Persian cat.

Blue has a little ritual that never fails to make my heart smile. Something that appears to be shared among pets – cats and dogs alike. Basking in the blocks of sunlight that beam onto the floor, creating a wave of warm air and refueling any possible depletion of vitamin D. My girl is a gentle soul, and her adoration for sunlight is like a soft, peaceful meditation – maybe more accurately resembling hot yoga, IYKYK. Despite the temperature, it looks like she’s recharging her spirit, soaking in the warmth of the world around her. Like if a lion and a magnolia flower had a baby – that’s quite literally Blue. I’m pretty sure this is the closest my kids will come to witnessing a real-life Pokémon, so we’ll take it.

We don’t have sun every day, so these little moments are special. Even on the brightest days, they’re fleeting. The rays gather in our living room in the early afternoon, slowly shift across the floor, and are blocked out soon thereafter. Sadly, if I don’t close the curtains, my home becomes a sauna that even the frigid AC can’t compete with.

Sun Accentuated

When Blue decides it’s time to bathe in the sun, she doesn’t rush or race; her steps have no urgency. I’d like to say she moves gracefully but has this totter that keeps her pace steady but slow. Ensuring her face stays within the box of sunshine on the floor, she sprawls out, tummy to the sky, and closes her eyes. I know Blue’s fur is white, but she becomes a whole new shade of ivory in the sunlight. It’s as if she’s not just a cat anymore but a smaller, more radiant piece of the sun itself. Tufts from her body fling about as she moves and continue to dance in the air until they land on the floor, inevitably becoming modern-day tumbleweeds for future me to vacuum up.

And when she’s had her fill and soaked up all the sunshine she can, she hangs out just a little longer. She’ll move to a shady spot, slowly and deliberately extending out her paws and curling her back in one of those vibrating cat stretches to give her body (and eyes, presumably) some time to adjust before taking on her next daily task. It’s a quiet, gentle sort of contentment like the sun has filled her with all the good things she needs to face the world.

Sun-Dazed

Sometimes, I like to sit near her during these moments, watching her nap in the sunlight. It’s a little slice of stillness, a reminder of how important it is to pause, feel the warmth of the world, and exist in it simply. And in those peaceful periods, I can’t help but think that maybe, just maybe, she’s teaching me how to be a little more like the sun—quiet, constant, and full of light. Perhaps this is my sign to find the sun spot and test some mid-day basking myself.