Toast the Oats

Hey, and happy Monday. I hope your week is off to a bright start :)

I noticed I was feeling rather anxious this morning—understandable, given that Mira, my sweet orange bbygirl kitty, is currently undergoing dental surgery. Although I have the standard and generalized concern that creeps up whenever anesthesia is involved, I’ve had nothing but positive experiences with this vet and feel optimistic that everything will go well.

To those who saw my earlier post on Twitter and reached out with kindness and support, thank you—I passed along all of your well wishes to Mira in the form of treats and pets (the only language she understands, frankly) and she told me to tell you *insert cute-but-strangely-grumbly purrs here*.

I also had a few people curious about her backstory, and although it isn’t all sunshine and rainbows, things are looking much brighter now. For those who were/are curious, I rescued Mira at the beginning of 2025, so she is new to me, but is an older gal trying to find her stride in her golden years. She had been found in an uninhabited home, and they were not able to determine if the previous tenants had left her behind, or if she had found a way in after it was vacant and couldn’t get back outside. Either way, when found she was so malnourished she could not even stand on her own. She was taken in and cared for until she was stable enough for adoption, and when she came to me she had regained a measure of health but was still extremely skittish, low in vitality, slow to adjust, and dealing with lingering health issues that were not able to be resolved at the rescue.

Fast forward almost a year later, and I am overjoyed to share all of the progress she’s made. Although the series of vet visits have been stressful (poor girl loses entire tufts of fur every time) seeing her visibly become more relaxed, social, and occasionally downright spunky as her health has improved has been the greatest gift. She is still easily startled at times, but as the different levels of her Meowslow’s hierarchy of needs are met, her reserved nature is gradually shifting towards one that is self-assured and curious. After overcoming infections and enduring injections and many stressful vet visits, we’re hopeful that this is the last thing on the list for some time! Can’t wait to see her personality bloom even further once she’s healed from this <3

Knowing that today was going to be stressful for her, I woke up before the sunrise to spend the morning with her prior to the appointment. Cozied up on the couch together with tea and some bird videos on YouTube (she either likes watching them too or is simply humoring me—hard to tell), I was reflecting on how grateful I am to be able to afford her care. The vet informed me this could get rather expensive, but that there were different levels of care they could provide that could work with my budget. Being able to say “just do what is needful to ensure she is comfortable, healthy, and happy” truly is a great luxury, and not one that I take for granted.

Maybe now, a few paragraphs in, you’re wondering where those titular toasted oats come into play with Mira’s medical journey (it’s a fair question—I can get a bit off topic when I’ve got a lot on my mind (this will likely surprise no one)). Historically, there have been times when I respond to stress or anxiety in ways that aren’t necessarily fruitful or nourishing. Doomscrolling, opting for protein smoothies over cooking a balanced meal, staying up late when I know I need to be up early. But lately I’ve been catching myself defaulting to methods that feel genuinely satisfying, and the main shift that has made them more appealing is quite small. Literally just adding an extra step to something simple. In today’s case, it happened to be toasting oats.

I’ve found that a touch of ritual goes a long way for me, and works inversely to motivate me when I’m low on mental space. For whatever reason, cooking oatmeal while I waited for a call from the vet felt like some monumental task this morning. I looked up ways to make it more fun, and read that toasting the oats first reveals a deeper, nuttier flavor. Suddenly my curiosity was piqued and motivation spiked. Success.

It’s usually the simple things that elevate any experience and inherently make it more worthwhile. Cook something for breakfast when I’ve got a lot on my mind? I’d rather grab a protein shake. Toast the oats with some cinnamon in a bit of coconut oil, stew some berries, soak a scoop of chia seeds, stir in almond butter and finish with a drizzle of local honey? Suddenly I’m in the kitchen opening up cupboards to give it a whirl. Sweetening the outcome makes anything more desirable and doable, even with added steps.

It’s a small example of a simple concept that many of you likely do every day already, to some degree or another, but it never hurts to have a reminder. Take the time to make things a touch more special for ourselves when we can—that extra bit of effort is always worth it, even (and especially) when motivation is low. With the days getting shorter and the cold setting in, I find it is more important than ever to be intentional with how I spend my time. Finding ways to add depth, novelty, and satisfaction to routine things instead of going through the motions or looking for shortcuts has helped me find satisfaction and genuine enjoyment from the mundane.

Okay, at this point I’m just rambling (shocker), but thanks for hanging out with me if you made it this far! I just now got the call from the vet, and I’m relieved to report that Mira is awake and well. She had a fair amount of teeth with painful resorptive lesions that had to be pulled, but the good news is that she should finally be pain-free once these extractions are healed!

I’ve gotta run and finish setting up her special cozy corner in case she wants a space that’s a little more secluded and quiet to recover. I hope you have a beautiful day, and remember to add a little something lovely to your routine—toast the oats, take the scenic route, watch YouTube with your cat, whatever else is simple or silly but makes you smile—you deserve it <3

xo
Evelyn

P.S. Oh, I forgot to mention, but it’s my birthday month! I don’t think I’ve made a big announcement about it, but in my defense I’ve been having such a wonderful time celebrating I’d quite forgotten. Thank you to those who have celebrated with me already, and for the thoughtful gifts and surprises—some of you really know how to make a girl feel special ;)

P.P.S. Can we all agree that Meowslow’s hierarchy of needs is the cutest thing?? Ugh, adorable. Okay I’m done, bye for now <3