Catscapades

Smokey, AKA the Klepto Cat

I think we are all fascinated by stories of cats (and dogs) who go missing and find their way back home. A fan of The Incredible Journey, where two dogs and a cat make their way home after…well, an incredible journey, I want to share a few such stories.

There’s the story of Clive, a Norwegian forest cat who was missing for over a year and eventually discovered living it up in a pet food factory. Evidently, the nine-month-old cat found his way to the pet food factory a mile away from his home and lived there undetected for fourteen months. Workers, however, were suspicious. Some reported seeing a flash of fur rushing past now and then. Others noticed treats missing. So they devised a humane trap and finally caught the culprit, found his owner, and Clive was returned to his family in good health. In fact, they said he had pretty much doubled in size.

Holly, a four-year-old tortie got lost while on vacation with her family. She was frightened

Peeek-a-Boo

by fireworks and ran out the door of their vacation home. The family spent days searching for Holly—handing out flyers and talking to folks in the area. When they left for home, they thought they’d never see Holly again. However, sixty days later, a very thin, very weak cat showed up on the porch of a good Samaritan only a mile from where her family lived. This woman took Holly to the vet and discovered she had a chip, so they were able to reunite her with her family. Experts say that cats have a great sense of direction, but how a cat could find her way home from nearly 200 miles away is a puzzle.

There’s also the story of Skittles, who ran away while on vacation and showed up 140 days and 350 miles later. Amazing.

I experienced something strange with a missing cat once. Tina, a gorgeous shaded silver Persian-type cat wandered into my house one day, obviously in need of a home. Shortly after we took her in, we discovered that she was expecting kittens. And after her two kittens were born, and we’d found homes for them, we had Tina spayed. When we moved a few blocks away, of course, Tina came with us. But she didn’t want to stay. She wandered off and disappeared. I could only hope she had found a new family who loved her.

Two years later, a cat who looked exactly like Tina showed up on our front porch. When I opened the door, she walked in and made herself comfortable. The more time I spent with her, the more I was convinced this was Tina—she had returned to us. After she ate and rested, she asked to be let out, only to return with—of all things—a newborn kitten. But we had Tina spayed—where did this kitten come from? Was this Tina’s identical twin, did she take the kitten from another mother cat, or did the vet charge us for a procedure he did not actually do?

There are some questions—especially when it comes to cats—that may never be answered.

Tina’s story is only one of several true cat stories in my book Catscapades. http://www.matilijapress.com or at amazon.com

I finally got it! A picture of Lily bringing me a sock. Does she do this because she knows I wear these cozy sock in the morning? Is it my scent on the sock that attracts her? Is it pure hunting instinct—my sock is her prey? Is she showing off her hunting prowess? Or does she simply want to play? These are some of the theories as to why cats carry things in their mouth and why they bring them to their people, usually with a loud meow.

While Lily is the first cat I’ve known to carry things in her mouth, a quick search around the Internet shows that this is not unusual behavior, especially for an indoor cat. I found many stories of cats who take things or who pick up certain things and carry them in their mouth—pony tail holders, twisty ties, small make-up brushes, dirty clothes, socks, their own stuffed toys… One cat digs toilet paper rolls out of the trash, another grabs paper when it comes out of the printer. One cat even drags shoes around at night and lines them up leading to the bedroom.

Now this is a puzzle too—where cats leave their treasures. I read about a cat who takes jewelry and deposits it in his litter box. Sometimes I find Lily’s toys in her water bowl or next to her food dish—as if she’s washing her food, drowning her toys, or feeding her babies… But most often, she brings me her toys. At night, they are lined up all around the bedroom door.

I read about a couple of cats who have favorite items—a sock or a particular toy—that they always put in a corner of the bathroom at night—as if they’re protecting their treasure or are they hiding their prey?

Most believe this is hunting related—the cat is showing off her hunting skills. It’s pure instinct. In nearly every case I read about, the cat does as Lily does—they meow as they carry the item in their mouth. Many cat people do as I do and praise the cat for bringing them a “gift” of a toy or an item of clothing. And I do believe that if these cats were allowed to roam the neighborhood, their cute habit might accelerate into something quite illegal. The “gifts” they bring or the prey they “kill” might become items from your neighbors—dog toys, flip-flops, laundry, children’s toys, etc.

In my Klepto Cat Mysteries, Savannah tells of her cat, Rags’s activity when he was an inside/outside kitty. He’d bring home all kinds of things he’d find in backyards. On weekends, she’d load them all in a wagon and walk through the neighborhood trying to find the rightful owners. Of course, Rags still takes things and finds things and hides things—that’s part of the stories I tell in these cozy mysteries. http://www.matilijapress.com/Klepto-Cat-Mysteries

As I’m sure you know by now, I enjoy using my camera. I’ve taken a gazillion pictures of our cats, neighbor cats, birds and anything else interesting that I find in my travels. Our little tabby, Lily, has been one of my favorite subjects. I’ve caught her in sleeping poses, playing, being sweet, being silly, being cute, but there’s one shot I haven’t been able to catch in our seven years together. That is a picture of her carrying something in her mouth.

She has a basket full of stuffed toys—birds, a baby possum, an armadillo, turtle, eagle, lion, hedgehog, bunny, little bears, a doll and more. Every morning we find her toys scattered around the house—a small polar bear in the kitchen, a bird, the doll, and a few other things guarding my bedroom door and distributed up and down the hallway. After her breakfast each morning she brings me toys and my slipper socks while I’m working. I know she’s going to do it, so I have my camera ready, but I’ve never captured her with the item in her mouth—until yesterday.

We’d put all her toys away so we could clean the floors that morning. Late in the afternoon I saw her head for her toy basket, so I watched and I waited. She dug and searched until she finally came up with one of her bird toys and here she comes with it in her mouth—click! I got it—well, sort of. It’s not the winning photo I’d hoped for, but at least I’ve captured Lily in the act of carrying a toy in her mouth. I’ll keep trying, though, for that better shot.

Why can’t I get the shot I want? It appears that Lily doesn’t want to be seen in the act. If she knows she’s been seen heading for the toy basket, she’ll veer off and avoid the basket. If you see her with a toy, she’ll drop it. Most of the decorating she does around here is done when no one’s looking. Why do I want the shot? I just think it’s really cute to see her walking around with a stuffed eagle or cat or teddy bear in her mouth. Maybe tomorrow.

Do you enjoy some of the cat sayings you find on plaques, note cards, pillows, coffee cups and other items? Do you have a favorite? Someone gave us a sign that says, “The more people I meet, the more I like my cat.” My dad put this magnet on his fridge, “If you want the best seat in the house, move the cat.” And then there’s the one about the fact that dogs drool and cat’s rule.

Here are some additional sayings I found for our enjoyment—some from famous people in history.

“By associating with the cat, one only risks becoming richer.” (Colette)

“The purity of a person’s heart can quickly be measured by how they regard cats.” (Unknown)

“God made the cat in order that man might have the pleasure of caressing the lion.” (Fernand Mery)

“There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life—music and cats.” (Albert Schweitzer)

“If animals could speak, a dog would be a blundering, outspoken fellow; but the cat would have the rare grace of never saying a word too much.” (Mark Twain)

“A cat has absolute emotional honesty; human beings, for one reason or another, may hide their feelings, but a cat does not.” (Ernest Hemmingway)

“If a man could be crossed with a cat, it would improve the man, but it would deteriorate the cat.” (Mark Twain)

“The smallest feline is a masterpiece.” (Leonardo da Vinci)

“Cats never strike a pose that isn’t photogenic.” (Lillian Jackson Braun)

“Cats are absolute individuals, with their own ideas about everything, including the people they own.” (John Dingman)

“The problem with cats is they get the exact same look on their face whether they see a moth or an axe murderer.” (Paula Poundstone)

“Cats have it all—admiration, endless sleep, and company only when they want it.” (Rod McKuen)

“What greater gift than the love of a cat.” (Charles Dickens)

This is a repeat of a post I wrote six years ago. There are fortunate and unfortunate cats—the fortunate ones live in comfort with people who adore and pamper them. Less fortunate cats live under bushes, in drafty barns, under houses, in smelly alleys, and other places unbefitting a cat. I met a cat once who lived on a boat.

Not a luxury liner or even a houseboat. This was a small, one-man fishing boat parked on a trailer along a neighborhood street. The scrawny black and white cat seemed to spend most of his time sleeping on top of the outboard motor. The first few times I saw the cat, I thought, “How cute—a cat in a boat.” Later, when I noticed a paper plate with a few kibbles sitting on the bow, I knew—someone is feeding this stray who has chosen to live what few years the old guy might have left on this old, abandoned boat.

The boat cat came along too late to be featured in my book of cat stories, Catscapades,

Neighborhood Garden Cat

True Cat Tales. But I have included cats in unusual living conditions. I write about Pebbles, for example, who had a perfectly fine home with loving people, but who chose to wander down the nearby ravine to join a cat colony. It took her people a while to figure out where Pebbles was going every day. Eventually, they learned that, although she was sleeping in her cozy bed by night, she was hanging out with the colony by day.

Lily was born in an abandoned Volkswagen and experienced her first six weeks sharing an attic with 14 other kittens. Alma and her kittens lived in an overgrowth of ice plant in a San Diego cat colony. Bootsie tired of living in a barn and moved into a neighbor’s home. Her story is interesting because, unbeknownst to Bootsie’s new “person,” she gave her the same name as she had when she was a barn cat. Max was raised in a woodpile until we rescued him and his sisters. And then there were the four aging cats that were orphaned when their young “person” died unexpectedly and who each had to adjust to new surroundings. This is a story of divine intervention.

All of these stories and more are featured in Catscapades, True Cat Tales. http://www.matilijapress.com/catscapades.html. Order your copy now for Mother’s Day giving. (Mother’s Day is less than six weeks away.

While some people look at a cat and see a small creature with fur, sharp claws, and little distinction between them, those of us who adore cats notice every tiny difference. We recognize the variety in coat, eye shape, coloring, body style, personality and so forth. In fact, the ordinary cat is far from ordinary when you compare her to all the others. They come with long fur, short fur, curly fur, plush fur, and no fur; they might be gangly, compact, agile, clumsy, active, quiet, vocal, friendly, frightened, aloof…and the list goes on.

Did you know that there are 73 recognized breeds? That is according to the International Progressive Cat Breeders organization. The more well-known, Cat Fancier’s Association recognizes only 41 (or 44, depending on the source).

While most of us are exposed to the less exotic cat we find in friends’ homes, see on the

Kittens waiting for a home

streets, visit at local shelters, there are indeed some interesting breeds, such as the Munchkin, Chantilly-tiffany, Cymric, Foldex, Ocicat, Pixie-bob, and Ragamuffin, to name a few. This is from a list of around 100 and 25 of those are crossbred. Fourteen of them are mutations. There are a few hybrids thrown in there, too—including the Savannah and the Bengal.

My favorite cat style leans toward the Persian, Maine coon, Norwegian Forest Cat. I love the fur. HOWEVER, after living with two plush absolute shedding machines who do not relish being combed, and having gone through a couple of vacuum cleaners, I’ve come to appreciate our short-haired tortie more.

How about you? What’s your favorite cat style? Sleek, fuzzy, cobby body, lanky, any particular color? Spotted, striped, tabby, orange… One of my daughters loves brown cats. Some people are attracted to black ones. Often, however, we take in the cat who needs us without prejudice. Now that’s what defines a true cat person.