Catscapades

If you have more than one cat or if you’ve had many cats over the years, you know that cats come in many different sizes, shapes, styles, and purrsonalities. One Australian study has revealed five distinct personality types for cats. Let me know if you agree or disagree. After reading this article, I have to say that I’ve known cats with more than one of these traits, cats that changed their color (from skittish to friendly, for example), and cats outside of these distinct personalities.

Here are the five that researchers have listed:

The skittish cat has a lot of fear. He hides from the things that he doesn’t understand, and he may not cope well in general. Sometimes this cat can overcome with help. This cat does best in a quiet home without small children. Be patient. Once he feels safe, he will generally relax a bit, but it can take some cats years to come around.

The dominant cat is pretty much a bully. He might push the other cats (and even dogs) around and keep them from access to the food bowls and the litter box. The best way to handle this situation is to provide multiple feeding stations and litter boxes. However an obsessed dominant might terrorize the other cats in the household by patrolling all of the food and litter boxes all the time. If there’s a skittish cat in the mix, she might begin to lose weight and avoid using the litter boxes. Maybe this isn’t a safe and sane match for your household.

The spontaneous cat, according to the researchers, might be a real puzzle for its humans—you never know which cat will emerge in any given situation. She might react one way on one day to a lizard in the house, for example, and completely differently the next time she sees a lizard. She’s unpredictable and confused. I had a horse like that once. We called her Lightening. She might shy away from the white line in the street and walk right past a garbage truck without flinching.

An outgoing cat is a joy if you like a lot of cat attention and entertainment. This cat is curious, not afraid to explore new territory, and sometimes gets himself into trouble. He needs a lot of stimulation because he has a lot of energy.

The friendly cat is everyone’s dream. These cats were probably socialized properly as kittens. They’re calm and relaxed and don’t harbor fears. Smokey (my mother’s cat) could be considered a friendly cat. He always showed up when company came—loved being admired and petted by any and all humans. His biggest fear was missing a meal or the opportunity for a treat or a vigorous petting.

You may have read my posts expressing my excitement about the movie Cats, which will be released later this year. The target date is December 20. Staring will be some familiar names, but you probably won’t recognize the actors as they’ll be costumed to look like cats. Judi Dench is in this production as is Jennifer Hudson, Taylor Swift, Ian McKellon and others.

Here’s an interesting tidbit about this flick. The cats in the movie will be cat-size. How can that be? Evidently they’ll create everything around the cat actors large, so the cats appear to be your typical eight-pound (or so) cats.

Have you seen the play? Have you heard the music from the production? Do you plan to see the movie? I’m certainly going to get in line for a ticket. I might even wear my cat ears.

There’s a new study out saying that cats recognize their own name. Really? I mean why did they need to conduct a scientific study in Japan to determine something all cat owners already know?

When we call Lily’s name, she perks up. She’ll usually come from wherever she is to see what we have for her. If we call Sophie’s name, Lily pays little attention, but Sophie turns to look at us or she’ll make her way into the room where we are.

I sometimes wonder if it’s the tone of our voice or the actual words that cats understand. Do they know what “treat” means or “suppertime”? Does “Kitty-kitty,” mean anything as a term or is it the tone that gets the cat’s attention?

Sometimes we use sounds instead of words to entice a cat—tsk tsk sounds, a tongue clicking, clapping, or a whistle, maybe. The rattle of a treat packet is an enticement for some cats. I think it’s called conditioning. There seems to be a difference between a cat understanding a human cue and being conditioned to respond to it.

Does your cat recognize her name or is it the tone you use and the gestures that gets her attention? Our cats certainly respond to tone. A sharp “no” often sends them scurrying. A soft, melodic “Hi, precious. How’s my sweet baby?” results in affectionate head-butts and purring.

Did you know that the USDA has been using cats and kittens in testing the effects of toxins in food? Wow! We’ve been fighting against using animals to test cosmetics, who knew such major agencies were using cats in a similar way—only most of the cats, it seems would get extremely ill and probably die in the process. Well, the USDA has announced that they are ending this practice. That is good news for the cat population.

But what about the notion of shooting cats in order to save the world’s bird population? Yes, it is being discussed more and more. Yet there is the opposing side to this awful idea—let’s hope a solution to protect both the cats and the birds is agreed upon.

Today is National Tabby Day celebrating, as they say, cats of all stripes. This includes cats with stripes, swirls, dots, lines in interesting patterns and most of them have a distinctive M on their foreheads. Why? Here’s a delightful collection of charming stories that explain why. The author says that she believes the M indicates that the cat is the master of the universe. https://www.catster.com/lifestyle/tabby-tuesday-hot-the-tabby-got-the-m

Look at the perfect M on this sweet tabby.

First, I’d like to give you an Smokey-update. He continues to do great! He has met the resident cat, Kitty Boo-Boo and it looks like they’re going to get along. In fact, Kitty Boo-Boo seems happy to have him around. They think this is partly because she’s a relaxed, go-with-the-flow kind of cat. But also, Smokey looks a little like a cat they lost to old age recently. However, I’m not sure cats go so much on appearance as they do scent. She must know this cat isn’t Scooter Bob. This is Smokey, by the way, exploring his new play tunnel.

I’m told that at their first meeting, Kitty Boo-Book licked Smokey, so Smokey licked her back on top of the head. I haven’t seen that kitty greeting before.

If your household is like ours and many others I know, you have pets and your pets are highly considered in most of your decisions and plans. And they are pampered, indulged, and mollycoddled every day of the week. But did you know there are over 160 recognized pet holiday days, weeks, and months designed to celebrate our pets and animals in general? Today, for example, is National Dog Fighting Awareness Day.

Now that’s something we don’t want to know anything about. Why should we even think about something so ugly and cruel? I suppose the point of creating awareness is to attract more people onto the bandwagon to stop this insane practice in our neighborhoods, communities, the world.

This month is also National Adopt a Greyhound Month, National Heartworm Awareness Month, National Pet First Aid Awareness Month, Prevent Lyme Disease in Dogs Month, Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month and National Pet Month. That’s a lot to celebrate.

You might be disappointed to learn that we missed a very important international celebration. Last week was International Pooper Scooper Week. (Those of us with cats celebrate that every day of the week, right?)

While we’re on the subject, let’s discuss pooper scoopers. I was given one by a vendor while at one of the Cat Writer’s Association Conferences and it is the best pooper scooper I’ve ever used. I’ve even bought them for friends. Here’s the brand and website. Litter Lifter https://litter.lifter.com

Also this month we’ve missed National Siamese Cat Day and National Raw Feeding Week. But don’t worry, there are many more pet-related “holidays” to observe this month. My suggestion is to choose those that are meaningful to you and get involved either by donating money, goods, or time to the cause, or by spreading awareness related to those causes that mean the most to you, or by simply creating an even better world for your pets.

Monday I told you that Smokey has a new home. My niece, the lucky recipient of this special cat, has done everything she can to make the transition pleasant for Smokey. She moved into my recently deceased mother’s home for a few days to deepen the bond she already had with the cat and give him more time in familiar territory with her.

She took him to his veterinarian to learn more about his medical history and a new wrinkle in his health—a tendency toward urinary tract blockages. She had the veterinarian give him a thorough exam and she asked a lot of questions about making the transition easier for him and for her current cat. She came away with a wealth of information and, knowing this kitty-mama, she’ll be on the Internet researching additional ideas. We were all crossing our fingers that Smokey and Kitty Boo-Boo would at least get along and that Smokey would feel comfortable in his new home.

A couple of things the veterinarian suggested is multiple litter boxes, because cats can be territorial and may not like the idea of sharing litter. And he said that since Smokey’s used to going outside, she should allow him that option at her home. That surprised me. She planned to try making him an indoor cat, but the veterinarian advises against it—is concerned that this could cause Smokey too much stress. Of course, she’s keeping him inside for at least a few days for the typical adjustment period. So if he goes out, he knows where to return for his food and affection.

So how is Smokey doing?

When he got to his new home that first day, he spent some time exploring. He knows his new family pretty well, so he already felt comfortable with them—but what about the new surrounding?. He had a lot of sniffing to do in order to get his bearings.

That night, they placed one of my mother’s blouses on the bed. Smokey jumped right up there, curled up and that’s where he slept. Now, as I understand it, he is curling up next to members of his new forever family and he spends a lot of time on top of his cat tree peering out the window. He is relaxed and he’s inviting a lot of reassuring petting. He’s also getting accustomed to the scents from the other cat—Kitty Boo-Boo from under a closed door. According to his new humans, there is no hissing or tail-swishing, just curiosity. Yeah, I think Smokey and Kitty Boo-Boo will be just fine.