Cozy Cat Marina

Listen, can you hear the sounds of water lapping against the sides of the boats? And there, that other sound. A chorus of quiet purring and the occasional soft meow. That's right. Welcome back to the cat marina. Our feline friends will be so pleased to see you. Beyond a long-ignored gate is an unexplored section of the marina. Here, you'll find new boats and new cats. The first sound that calls to any newcomer is the jingle of seashell wind chimes coming from a boat just inside the gate. Looking closely, you'll see the chimes are made of sand dollars all found one at a time and added to the sculpture as time goes by. The wind calms for a moment, leaving everything still and quiet. And just then, a ginger cat named Albert saunters up to the chimes and deftly bats at them to keep their song going. Albert hops back onto the dock and heads down the path to make sure everything is as it should be. It's a calm evening here at the marina. Perfect for meeting new feline friends. But before we do, let's take a moment for a brief exercise. Tonight's exercise is a really simple breathing exercise. So, when you're ready, let's begin. So first, get yourself comfortable. Now, just bringing the attention to the breath. Just noticing where you feel it. In the nose, the throat, the chest, the diaphragm. You're nice and relaxed. We're going to take a deep breath in for four, holding it for four, and then breathing out for six. So, are you ready? Let's begin. In for four, two, three, four. Holding for four, two, three, four. Breathing out for six, two, three, four, five, six. In for four, two, three, four. Holding for four, two, three, four. Out for six, two, three, four, five, six. In for four, two, three, four. Holding for four, two, three, four. Out for six, two, three, four, five, six. In for four, two, three, four. Holding for four, two, three, four. Out for six, two, three, four, five, six. Great, now returning the breath to normal. The next boat along is a very special boat indeed. Tun by a pair of retired auto mechanics, Carol and Rhonda, this nondescript vessel is a floating cat sanctuary, going by the name of Hotel Whiskers. Rhonda, who fancies herself a bit of an artist, decorated the side of the boat with paw prints, and even ventured to turn the L of hotel into a cat's tail. But that proved a bit too ambitious. On the boat's roof is an array of cat baskets and beds, many of them occupied. You'd have a job to identify any particular cat, as most of them seem to be sleeping. All you can see are several hills of fur, softly rising and falling. But now, one of the cats nearest to you lifts his head and opens his eyes ever so slightly, like someone raising their blinds...