October was Domestic Violence Month. And this is not probably of much interest to most of my followers. However, did you know that pets can play a huge role in this horrendous crime? A large percentage of people say they stay in violent situations because of their pets—to protect their pets. Sometimes pets are used as scapegoats or punching bags, so to speak, in these severely dysfunctional families.
This is why so many humane organizations and shelter directors have stepped up to provide emergency shelter and care in cases where the pet is in danger.
There’s another important bit of legislation that I neglected to report on recently—and it happened right here in California. Pet stores in this state can sell only rescued cats, dogs, and rabbits. And it is my understanding that California is the only state to pass such a ban on puppy, kitten, and bunny mills.
Now here’s an interesting concept. Researchers/scientists have raised the question as to whether a cat can be considered a liquid. They say that a liquid is traditionally designed as a material that adapts its shape to fit a container. And some say this also defines the gumby-like, squishy, adaptable cat.
The declaw controversy comes up every once in a while and, whenever anyone mentions it to me I feel sick. If the professionals and owners whose cats suffered after this surgery are to be believed, declawing a cat is still considered a barbaric action and should be a last resort—an injury so severe the claws can’t be saved, for example. This link will explain why. 
furniture—but a cat who happens to get out of your control (slips out through a loose window screen in summer, is accidentally let out by a visiting two-year-old), cannot protect herself from another cat attack or a dog attack, for example.
As cat people, we often focus on rescuing cats, encouraging others to rescue cats, helping new cat owners understand safety issues for their new cat, supporting cat rescue facilities and so forth. But there are also cats who rescue people. We’ve talked here about therapy cats, cats that can detect tumors and other illnesses, but today I’d like to talk about cats that seem to address emotional issues
home? A friend recently told me about a home without light. The light had gone out for this couple probably because of illness, fear, worry. The couple had turned away from one another. It didn’t help that their beloved cat had died. Months later, a kitten showed up practically on their doorstep. Individually they thought of all the reasons why they should not open their door to her. It would be too much trouble. She might not fit their lifestyle. Their negativity prevented them from giving the kitten a chance. But the kitten persisted.
If you’ve had cats in your life for very long—I mean, if you have really connected with one or more cats, you’ve probably established a form of communication with them.
They use their voice. Think about it—a cat can make a wide variety of sounds. They meow, mew, chirp, growl, howl, yowl, chatter, and hiss. And they purr—our favorite kitty sound. And then there’s body language. An astute cat person can tell when a cat is frightened, worried, timid, angry, agitated, aggressive, playful, or relaxed. His body language, eyes, and action says a lot.
For years, experts have thought and reported that the cougar (puma, mountain lion) is a loner. I attended a program recently during which the commentator said that once a cougar is old enough to leave his mother, he needs an extraordinary number of acres of his own in order to survive—some were saying fifty to one-hundred square miles. And it was thought that the cougar survived alone, shunning contact with other cats except during mating season. In recent months, however, they’ve discovered that this big cat is more social than they thought. He shares meals with others of his species and actually hangs out with them among the brush and boulders. Here’s the new report that, I’m sure will lead to many others. It’s really cool to know that we’re finally getting a more realistic view of the elusive mountain lion.
Do you buy toys for your cats? When you see something in a pet store you think he might like, do you pick it up for him? Do you save random pieces of plastic and things that bounce or roll from packaging for him to play with? If your cat’s like most, he will claim his own toys and sometimes it’s not what you’d expect—one of your earrings, a yarn ball, your favorite pen, a paper clip, a hair barrette, a ponytail tie, or even a wad of paper.
loves small stuffed animals. She carries them around, decorates the house with them, sleeps with them, plays with them. Her collection actually started with a tiny bear of mine and some small stuffed animals in the grandchildren’s toy box. Then I started picking up little toy critters for her when I traveled or toured—a little stuffed cat from a wildcat preserve, an owl from the open house at the raptor center, a grizzly bear from Alaska, a hedgehog from a local event in the park, and so forth.
This week, I found a container of catnip that I didn’t know I had and sprinkled a little of it around Sophie’s and Lily’s playground. Their playground consists of a shipping box that has become Sophie’s Cat Cave, a cat tree with a tunnel, a nylon tunnel toy, and other fun cat apparatus.
cats will react to catnip. Some are not attracted to it at all. Some enjoy a frolic in the stuff, but it doesn’t seem to affect them much. And then there are cats like Lily, who gets a real buzz from catnip. She gets all mellow and rolls around on the floor and on the cat tree, often hanging her head down and looking at us from upside down. This time, she tried to lay down in a little cardboard bed Sophie enjoys and kept falling out of it. She is a kick on catnip. It truly seems to give her a high—maybe a psychedelic high. Although I don’t know if her consciousness is expanded or diminished. But we do get a kick out of her when the effects of catnip kick in.
Cats are fastidious. In fact, when they quit being so, it’s time for an intervention, aka, a trip to the veterinarian. Something is wrong with a cat who doesn’t regularly take a spit bath. It could be that the cat is obese (as was discussed in Monday’s post). If the cat is too fat, not only is he probably lethargic and doesn’t feel much like taking his tongue-bath, but he may be too fat to reach every part of his body for a good cleaning.
I have a t-shirt with a picture of a cat lounging amidst stacks of books and it says, “Books and Cats…Life is Good.”
SPCA in Raleigh, North Carolina, PAWS for People program in Newark, DE, and others.
