Catscapades

Do you miss your cats when you travel? I really like seeing cats out and about when I travel or simply lounging on a porch or sitting in a window. Sometimes you see a cat curled up in a basket at an antique store or bookstore or being led on a leash by a well-dressed gent along the boulevard. Say what? A cat on a leash? It’s not as far-fetched as you might think.

Many more cities and counties than I realized across the US are putting cats in the same category as dogs—mandating that they must not be allowed to roam on streets, in parks and other public space, or on other person’s property. It’s true. There are leash laws for cats in Dallas and other cities in Texas; in Barre, Vermont; Akron, Ohio; Aurora, Colorado; Montgomery County, Maryland; New Orleans; St. Louis; Palm Beach, Florida; Henderson, Nevada and cities in South Carolina. Some other cities are considering such a mandate, including Kenai, Alaska.

In most instances, governing bodies haven’t authorized special forces to enforce the regulation. It’s implemented more through citizen complaints. As punishment, your cat will be impounded. The owner must pay to have the cat released, and there’s typically an additional fine of around $500.

Is it working to everyone’s satisfaction? The jury is still out on that. From what I can

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gather so far, it doesn’t appear that there is much enforcement going on. Do any of you have first-hand knowledge of the leash law for cats and whether or not it is making a difference?

Naturally, there are many who object to this ruling. They believe that cats are free spirits and should be allowed to roam and hunt.

In some areas of the world, cats are ordered contained primarily to protect bird species.

Would like to hear your take on this topic. Are you for or against the leash law for cats?

In my Klepto Cat Mystery stories, Rags, the main character, wears a nice harness attached to a matching leash when he’s out and about with his people. Of course, there are other instances when he sneaks out and roams free being mischievous, but also sometimes heroic.

Speaking of the Klepto Cat Mysteries—the reviews are coming in strong and positive for Book 20, By Cat or By Crook. And there was a nice spike in sales at amazon.com yesterday—the day after Christmas. So that’s how folks are spending their Amazon gift cards. Cool. Check out books and reviews here: http://amzn.to/1kAI8I2

Lily, Sophie, and I trust that you and your feline friends came through the hustle-bustle of the holidays unscathed. In fact, let’s hope it was the cat’s pajamas.

What does that mean? Those of you born after 1970 have probably never heard the term, “the cat’s pajamas,” unless you’re into reading old novels or watching movies set in the 1920s. Then you may have come across the term. But do you know what it means?

It seems that the term became popular in the 1920s to compliment someone’s stylish way of dressing. It might also be used to describe a successful event or occurrence.

I’ve heard the term over the years—probably from my grandparent. Evidently, the term “pajamas” was a new in the 1920s and the word “cat” was being applied to flappers of the era.

But there are many other cat-related idioms—some quite familiar and some quite unusual and unexpected. You’ve probably heard these terms: “Catcall,” “Catnap,” “The cat’s meow,” “Catty,” “Glamour Puss,” “Cat got your tongue?” “Let the cat out of the bag,” “Weak as a kitten,” “Look what the cat dragged in,” and “As nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs.”

I found a site with these and about sixty other phrases all related to the cat. Check it out

Lily searching for her gift–catnip, maybe?

and see how many of these are new to you. http://user.xmission.com/~emailbox/phrases.htm

So was your holiday the cat’s meow? Were you busier than a one-eyed cat watching two mouse holes? Hopefully, you didn’t have a guest who behaved like a bag of cats. And all of your guests were grinning, after your wonderful meal, like a Cheshire cat.

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In October we talked about why cats are in danger around Halloween and why shelters rarely adopt out black cats close to that holiday. Likewise, shelter operators seldom adopt out kittens around Christmas and Easter because some of these purchases are made on a whim by people who don’t understand the responsibility and commitment that goes along with a kitten.

When I went in search of strange and unusual rituals and practices related to cats, I was stunned. I won’t share the more gruesome and sad stories I stumbled across. But I thought you might be interested in—and we all should be aware of—how cats are exploited. One man, for example, was caught shaving kittens and selling them as Sphinx. I imagine he met his victims on a street corner or behind the pool hall so they couldn’t come back for a refund once the kitten’s fur started to grow back. One woman is reported to be selling faux-Sphinx kittens for $700 each. She not only shaved them, but plucked their whiskers.

One man pretended to be a cat in order to get the attention of a woman. I don’t know if he was trying to woo her or harm her. But he would meow through the intercom to her apartment in hopes that she would let him in. We’ve certainly all heard of unsavory people using a kitten to lure a child into their car or apartment.

Another man uses a cat to hack into neighbors’ wi-fi. Yup, it’s done with a special-made collar. There are also warnings about criminals using cute cat videos to hack into your computer accounts. I suppose there’s even someone out there who has attached a camera to a cat in hopes of photographing up women’s skirts! Ick! And I said I wouldn’t share gruesome and sad stories. Tomorrow, I will share stories of psychic cats—cats who have predicted the future, who have traveled great distances to reunite with their families, and so forth. I’m looking forward to that. I hope you are, too.

Today I’m talking about the Klepto Cat Mysteries on Internet radio. Noon Pacific time (2 central). I’ll be talking to Stacy Harp on blog talk radio. Please join us. You can watch here: http://www.Periscope.tv/biblenewsradio or listen here: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/acmedia  

So what do we know about our cats’ whiskers, anyway? If you’re like me, you’ve heard that a cat’s whiskers are as long as their body is wide and this helps them to determine when a space is too small for them to enter. Supposedly, the cat decides, “If my whiskers touch the sides, I won’t fit into that space.” That’s a hard one to swallow when you’ve seen cats climb into some mighty small places. If you’re like me, you wonder if a cat’s whiskers grow longer as the cat gains weight.

The head of general practice at the University of Melbourne’s U-Vet Veterinary Hospital, Dr. Leonie Richards says that a cat’s whiskers certainly have value—they are navigating tools, indicators of impending danger and, for other critters, an indicator of mood.

Have you ever counted your cat’s whiskers? Dr. Richards says there are typically a dozen of them in four lines on each cheek. Did you know that the long hairs over a cat’s eyes, on their chins, and behind their front paws are also considered whiskers? She says that all of these whiskers “help cats work out where they are spatially.” Although the whiskers themselves have no feeling, where they are embedded has many nerve endings which makes the whiskers “ideal sensory organ.”

A cat’s whiskers are so sensitive they can detect airflow which helps them to determine when they’re close to a wall in the dark, for example.

Ever wonder what happens to a cat when her whiskers are cut off? You don’t want to find out. Dr. Richards says it makes them disoriented. She says that sometimes a veterinarian will have to cut a cat’s whiskers, but that they grow back in a couple of months.

My mother’s cat, Smokey, had these nice long, white eyebrow whiskers when he was a kitten. Within a few weeks, these whiskers had disappeared. Finally new tiny black hairs—not really whiskers—grew back. No one knows what happened to his original white whisker eyebrows.

Sometimes you find whiskers around the house. Yes, cats do shed their whiskers. I’ve heard it’s good luck to find a cat’s whisker. When I find one, I usually save it.

So how can you tell a cat’s mood by his whiskers? You’ve probably already noticed that when the whiskers seem relaxed—they droop down a little—she is contented. When they are pinned back against her cheeks, she’s fearful, and when they are straight forward, it could mean she’s angry. I’ve seen whiskers in the straight-forward position when my cats were watching a bird through the window. So I wonder if straight-forward whiskers also denote excitement.

I mentioned earlier that I wondered if a cat’s whiskers grow longer when he gains weight. According to Dr. Richards, they do not. She says that a cat’s whiskers are less useful to an obese cat and this is just one reason why she and most other experts recommend maintaining your cat’s weight.

Ever heard of cat scratch disease or cat scratch fever? I think I had it once. I’d just received my flu shot and wham, a spot on my neck swelled up like crazy. Of course, doctors and pharmacists said the shot could not have caused that symptom. So what was it? When it didn’t go away, I saw my doctor and she directed me to an ear/nose/throat specialist. By the time I saw him the lump was going down and continued to do so. To this day, I wonder if it was a mild case of cat scratch fever or cat scratch disease.

Here are some facts from an article in Health News from NPR by Erin Ross. Cat-scratch disease, as the name suggests, is spread by cats. While it’s usually considered a mild disease, they’re finding that people seem to be getting more serious symptoms in recent years. According to Dr. Christina Nelson, “While the total number of people infected with the disease has gone down, the number of people becoming seriously ill has increased.”

Cat-scratch disease is caused by a bacteria. While this bacteria doesn’t seem to affect the cat, if she has it, she can become a carrier and pass it to other cats and to people. The bacteria is caused by fleas.

It’s predicted that around 12,000 people will be diagnosed with cat-scratch disease in a year and that 500 of them will be hospitalized. Most of the infections will occur in areas where fleas are more common. Yes, fleas are the culprit, but the cat spreads it through a playful or angry scratch or bite. You can also get this disease from an affected cat when he licks an open sore on your arm, for example.

What’s the best defense against cat-scratch disease? Stay away from cats. Yeah, right.

Jayden and Lily

Okay, let’s go to remedy number two and three. If you live in an area where fleas are prevalent, either move to a higher altitude where fleas don’t exist or treat your cat against fleas. Keep your cat indoors. Wash your hands after touching a stray cat. Do not let a cat lick your scrapes or wounds. And the experts also suggest not kissing your cat. Say what?

Okay, so how do you know if your cat has this bacterial infection? You can have her tested. According my research, most cats will carry the bacteria at some time in their lives—usually when they’re kittens. Cats and kittens seem to carry the bacteria for short periods and treatment is not usually recommended or necessary.

Symptoms you might experience from a bite, a lick, or a kiss from an infected cat are loss of appetite, headache, swollen lymph nodes, fatigue, sore throat. People most prone to this disease are those with a compromised immune system. For more information, go to: http://www.cdc.gov/healthypets/diseases/cat-scratch.html or http://www.healthline.com/health/cat-scratch-disease

This isn’t exactly an upbeat topic. Don’t worry, tomorrow’s post will be a bit light. It’s Frivolous Friday, after all. Have you ever thought about a cat’s whiskers? A cats’ face would not be the same without the whiskers. But why do cats have whiskers? Is there a purpose? Tune in tomorrow.