Catscapades

Most of us who share our home with one or more cats, don’t care much about where he or she came from. We love the little furballs and accept them for who they are. But occasionally someone might ask, “Is she part Siamese?” or say, “He looks like he could have Persian in his ancestry.” Where did the M on her forehead come from? Do those ear tufts mean she’s part Maine coon? What about the ticking in her fur—is that an Abyssinian feature? The fact that he loves water might mean he’s related to a Turkish van cat. And what about that constant meowing—what breeds tend to be vocal?

At some point, surely you’re curious about your kitty’s heritage. Well guess what? You can have your cat’s DNA tested and learn volumes about him. Check out this site: https://www.vgl.ucdavis.edu/services/cat/ancestry/faq.php

I found it fascinating that there are only four original cat races. All of the cat breeds we recognize now developed from these four—coming from the Arabian Sea, the Eastern Mediterranean, South Asia, and Western Europe. The DNA test can 90% accurately determine from which of the four your cat’s heritage originates. And in many cases, it will define what percentage of, say, Persian, Birman, Egyptian Mau, Australia Mist, Siamese, etc., your cat is.

There are also DNA tests for genetic health indicators—is he prone to certain diseases? Here’s a link to a company that does this sort of genetic testing: https://www.basepaws.com/

I’d love to hear from anyone who has done DNA testing on their pet.

First, we have a winner. As you can see, Lily chose Pearl Hilden’s entry in the caption contest. She seems to have chosen Pearl’s name paws down. Congratulations Pearl!!!!

Now to the topic for Tuesday. And oooooh, what a delicious subject it is. After writing yesterday’s post—celebrating cats who have passed—and feeling a little blue afterward, I thought I’d try to rebound with a fascinatingly enchanting topic. How do you feel about visits from your cats who have passed? Do you sense them around you? Have you seen any of them—a fleeting or lingering image? It has happened to me and I know I’m not the only one. I’ve talked to friends who describe having visits from a beloved cat who has crossed over the Rainbow Bridge. At the Cat Writers’ Conference last month a group of us sat around discussing some of our experiences of this type.

I remember, a couple of times, feeling a recently passed cat jump up onto the bed at night when there were no living cats in the house. I’ve felt a cat rub against me, but look down and there is no cat. I see a cat out of the corner of my eye, only to look and realize no one is there.

But some of my most intriguing and beguiling “other worldly” experiences come in the form of a living cat. For example, Lily came to us as a tiny kitten and she brought with her some of the traits I loved about my cats who had, by then, passed. Almost immediately, she expressed the same sort of admiration and adoration for me that my beloved Himalayan, Katy, had. She kept me in her sight at all times. When she wasn’t curled up in my lap or snoozing next to my foot as I typed, she was nearby staring at me.  And she has slept with me every night for all of her eight years.

She also came to us with some of Dinah’s traits, in that she couldn’t seem to get enough to eat—still can’t. We named Dinah for her fascination with food. During her naming process, I one day sang out, “Someone’s in the kitchen with Dinah…” because you couldn’t go in there without her following after you in hopes of getting a handout.

And Lily brought with her a fascination for water similar to the fixation with it that Winfield had.

When it comes to her behavior and personality, she’s a fine blend between the gentle sweetness of Katy and Winfield and the daring and silliness of Dinah.

She’s also a communicator when she has something important to say. But I think she gets that trait from us humans. We have some deep conversations with our cats around here.

I’d love to hear your stories of “spirit” cats.

All ginger, marmalade, orange, red cats have some distinct characteristics. They’re all tabbies. Most of them (80% in fact) are male. Strangely, most ginger cats I know are female. Their eyes can be gold, green, or copper and, believe it or not, ginger cats—although this is not a breed—tend to overeat. Yes, most of them are chunky, tubby beings.

The most common names for an orange tabby are Marmalade, Ginger, Autumn, Flame, Pumpkin, Sunshine, Tiger, Goldie, and maybe Butterscotch. Interesting names might be Amber, Apricot, Peaches, Scarlet, Cantaloupe, Penny, Rusty. But some of the more creative names include, Cayenne, Cheeto (my fave), Carrot (say what?), and Dandy Lion. The ginger cat above happens to be Marmalade. The one to the right is a female Maine coon named George.