SeaTac the family cat has superpowers that could be profitable someday: 1) He is able to meow to the tune of Journey’s “Wheel in the Sky,” which could make him a winner on the America’s Got Talent show, and 2) He can sit on just about any computer keyboard in the house and make the screen disappear. However, his best superpower is his ability to apply just the right amount of pressure to sore shoulders. I’m not kidding. One of the best massages I’ve ever received in my life has been from the cat. I was stretched out on the couch one day and the cat jumped up onto the armrest behind me and started massaging my neck and shoulders with his strong paws. He has only massaged my back once, but I think he should do it more often—and maybe expand his services to offering cat facials.
Now, cat facials don’t actually exist, that I’m aware of. It’s a spa treatment I mentioned in my last blog post, titled “Gambling and Other Outside-of-the-Box Itineraries for Out-of-Town Guests.” And, I know what you’re thinking: What about the sharp claws? SeaTac is our nearly 20-pound, fur-shedding, bundle of fun rescue cat, whose previous owners declawed him. Somehow, SeaTac escaped from his previous owners’ house and ended up at the Humane Society—probably because, without claws, he couldn’t defend himself and struggled to survive. (For more information about why cats need their claws, here’s an article from the Humane Society.) So, SeaTac stays safely indoors with us. In the past, I did have cats that had claws and when they gave “kitty massages,” they didn’t extend their claws very much, so the massage was still effective. In other words, cats with claws can still deliver a very relaxing and satisfying experience.
Getting SeaTac to perform a facial, though, has been a bit of a problem. If he could perform this service, he would be doing a lot of good. Facials can be beneficial. According to the Associated Skin Care Professionals (ASCP) website, facials help rejuvenate the skin, manage skin problems like acne, and contribute to relaxation.
But what can I expect the cat to do during a typical facial? Facials often begin with some sort of skin cleansing. For SeaTac, this service comes naturally. There is no face in this house that SeaTac hasn’t licked. Nate, Alex, and I can testify that SeaTac provides a loving touch that may carry a Fancy Feast odor at times—and perhaps is a little creepy—but all dirt and sweat from the pores are efficiently removed. He can also provide facial massage, but he cannot perform the following services, which may also be a part of a facial treatment: steaming, extractions, and treatment masks. Even so, he could charge anywhere from $50-hundreds of dollars, according to the answers provided by several Board Certified doctors and medical professionals on this Realself website.
SeaTac, in theory, could make enough money to finance his own way through Cat College and earn his certificate in Feline Medical Transcription, which is a dream he’s had since way back when. I’d be in the first row cheering as he meandered aimlessly across the graduation stage.
To get him started, I decided to lie down, face up on the couch, where he was lounging.
“Hey, Nate,” I said. “Could you maybe place his paws on my face?”
“He has them tucked under his body—I’ll try. . . . They’re not budging.”
“Yeah, he looks kind of confused, too.”
“And. . . he’s getting up. He’s not staying.”
When SeaTac moved to the floor, I lowered myself down in front of him, with my face right under his. He looked indignant before sauntering off. My new plan then, is to just develop a kind of searchlight I can throw into the sky. This searchlight would let people know when SeaTac is in the mood to give massages. It would function much like the Bat Signal—except the light would make the shape of a cat and maybe the following message would flash: “SeaTac is seeing clients now.” There should also be another option for a message that reads: “Oops! Sorry! I was wrong. Come back at 4:01 a.m., which is when SeaTac is more active.”
Mostly though, SeaTac demands massages from us and if, at any time, we need to give our hands a rest, he throws us a look that says, “I didn’t tell you to stop.”
So, if I want a facial/massage I still have to go to a spa. I can’t depend on the family cat, who just doesn’t realize his full potential—and doesn’t care.
“I have some rally bad news,” I finally told Nate.
“You’re out of snack mix and I need to go to the store?”
“No—worse. I just . . . I just don’t think SeaTac wants to give regularly scheduled massages for pay.”
“I’m pretty sure he doesn’t.”
“So, I’m off to get a facial—for research purposes, of course.”
“Of course.”
Your Turn: Do you own a pet? What’s your favorite way to spend time with your pet? Or, does your pet have a talent?
Fixin' Leaks and Leeks 
We have a dog and a cat. My cats special talent is sleeping on whatever object we need at that very moment. The dog is really good at taking a long time to do her business when I’m in a rush, and being really quick when I have all the time in the world for a walk.
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You have very talented pets indeed! Enjoy:)
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That’s one word for them…😆
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SeaTac is one awesome cat. We had a guinea pig, Phil, who would flip his food bowl, put his front feet on it, and “sing along” to Pennsylvania Polka and Jingle Bells. 😊
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I love it! So much fun!!!
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That’s awesome that your cat can help support the family LOL
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Well, he’s not brought in any paychecks yet, but we’re still hoping!
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Hmmm I’m sure he earns his keep in other ways:)
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Yes, I have a dog. His talent is torturing moles in the yard.
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Oh, no! At least he’s entertained for a little while:)
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Miss Lily doesn’t do that to me. she just sticks her wet nose in my face at 2:00 or slo just to make sure that I’m not dead. that and to feed her while I’m awake.
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Pets do have a way of making themselves known to us–especially when we’re sleeping!
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Seatac is very talented! I don’t have any pets right now due to my work schedule, but I have had both cats and dogs. I look forward to having one again in the future. 🙂
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SeaTac adds much enjoyment to our family–thanks for stopping by!
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That was a great laugh. I’ll tell you a little joke (and try to shorten it). A horse, a dog and a cat arrived at the Pearly gates together. St Peter first asked the horse why he deserved a place in heaven. The horse regaled him with all the good things he’d done on earth for his humans (I’ll leave you to fill in the details). St Peter was impressed and gave him a prime seat to his left. Next the dogs turn, and again the dog regaled him with stories of all he’d done on earth to make his human’s life pleasurable. St Peter gave the dog a seat on his right. St Peter then turned his attention to the cat, but before he get a word out the cat pointed at him and said, “before we get started here, I believe you’re sitting in MY seat” .
The joys of cats.
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Glad you had a good laugh! Yes, cats really do think they own everything–which is what makes them so endearing:) Thanks for stopping by!
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My cat needs to take some lessons from SeaTac. I’m sadden he’s never offered me a massage. However, I would have to decline massages, facials and any kind of play or hand-to-paw combat, as he doesn’t seem to understand the concept of retracting his claws. I don’t have to heart to have them removed or even chopped down further because he’s outdoors a lot & he needs to be able to protect himself. I just wish he’d practice a little common curtesy as there’s no area of my arms, hands or legs that don’t have claw marks. Thanks for the giggles as always! Enjoy the facials 😉
xx
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I wish SeaTac would give more massages, but he mostly takes more than he gives, which is okay by me:) Yeah–I’ve heard that it’s not a good idea to declaw cats, since they need their claws and the surgery is quite invasive/painful. SeaTac’s previous owners declawed him and so we adopted him that way from the Humane Society, but otherwise, he’d probably be mostly an outdoor cat. Thanks for stopping by!
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Declawing a cat is a hideous thing to do. How lucky SeaTac is to have you for his Mommy to keep him safe. My cat’s superpower is to never be where you last saw him and sending us on a house hunt every night checking he’s in, when he’s actually stealthily snuck back out! He’s also pretty good at lying to each of us at how many times he’s been fed. 😊. Good luck in your cat facials venture!
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SeaTac has something in common with your cat: He also lies about how many times he’s been fed:) Thanks for stopping by!
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I don’t have any pet. When my children were small, I said “I have to wild beasts at home, it’s enough”
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Ha! I like that!
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My kitten rubs his face against mine, and occasionally nibbles my nose, but he’s not into licking us. His talents include running really fast, (silently, like a ninja) and getting into treat bags 😀
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Your kitten sounds adorable!!! 🙂
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Thanks 😀 SeaTac sounds like a cat of many talents 🙂
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This is a brilliant way to justify getting a human facial–well done!
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Thank you! I’m always rubbing SeaTac’s sweet little face, so by now he owes me like 10,000 facial massages:)
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Well that put a smile on my face. I have a little dog Henry that is pretty good at the facial thing himself – anywhere anytime for anyone so if SeaTac needs someone to fill in while on holidays you know who to call! lol
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I love it! Thank you for the offer. SeaTac needs a vacation after lounging around all over the place in the sun. Apparently, that is exhausting and requires more lounging/sleeping:)
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