Catscapades

We hear about a missing cat resurfacing after being gone for weeks, months, even years. We read about cats traveling great distances to return home. And we wonder what happened to that cat in the interim. Great movies like Homeward Bound give us a peek into life on the lamb for cats and dogs, but for the most part what happens between point A—when a cat goes missing and point B—when she shows up—is a mystery. A fascinating mystery.

In some of my Klepto Cat Mysteries Rags, the main cat character, escapes and goes out on his own. In one story I followed him and his cat friend on their brief adventure by viewing recordings from various surveillance cameras that happened to be set up at homes and businesses throughout the community. Only in some cases is fact even more fascinating than fiction and in most cases we’re left to our imagine when it comes to what the cat did, how he survived, what danger she faced and so forth while out on her own.

Recently a cat named Patches returned to her family after three years. She was thought  to be lost in a horrific mudslide along with her owner and other cats in Santa Barbara. However, someone found her three years later and she was taken to a shelter. Thankfully, she had a chip and they discovered who she is and where she came from. Patches is currently sharing a cozy home with survivors of the family that was lost three years ago.

I experienced a true story of a returning cat myself. Tina Marie came into my life many years ago. She was a stray and I took her in. What a pretty thing—probably at least part shaded silver Persian. She gifted me with a litter of kittens shortly after she arrived. I had her spayed. A few years later, Tina Marie disappeared. Yes, at that time my cats were inside-outside cats. Life is different when you have small children. You have to pick your battles and your priorities. Most of you reading this probably grew up with barn cats, cats that went outside during the day, cats that you couldn’t keep in because of children opening and closing doors.

Tina was gone for at least a year when one day a cat exactly like Tina Marie showed up on our doorstep with a newborn kitten. WHAT??? She looked exactly like Tina Marie. I had never seen another cat quite like her and to this day still have not. This cat took up where Tina had left off. I knew it had to be her. She was perfectly comfortable inside our house. She immediately curled up on the same chair she always slept on and had some of the same habits. It was Tina Marie. But where did she get the kitten? She had been spayed. She had no milk, so could not nurse the kitten. She had no signs of having had kittens. The kitten died that day, and Tina Marie stayed with us. The question as to where she’d been, where the kitten came from, why she came back, and so forth were never answered. Yes, cats are good secret-keepers.

One of the charms I adore about cats is the habits they develop and the way they display those habits and discard them. Oh yes, one thing that’s certain about cats is that you can’t take anything for granted. As soon as you become accustomed to Fluffy taking his afternoon nap in a sun puddle on the dining room table, for example, he changes his mind and his long-running habit. One day you can’t find him. You panic—he’s always in that spot on the table this time of day. Where is he? Should you call the veterinarian and report this odd change in behavior? It’s so out of character. Something must be wrong.

Probably not. He has most likely decided he’d rather nap in the closet surrounded by your shoes and whatever else has gathered at the bottom of it—a slinky blouse that slipped off the hanger, a blanket, and a few of his toys that he hid from the other cats in the house.

Sleeping habits aren’t the only habits cats might change from time to time. They may discard their very most favorite toy and take up with one that’s been hiding under the sofa all year. She might stop sleeping with you or start putting you to bed at night—sitting with you until you relax—nice. She might suddenly become a voracious eater or become picky.

Olivia slept in my stacking trays in my office every afternoon when she first came to us. The day she could no longer climb into the small space, she gave that up. But that was out of necessity. She’d physically outgrown the space. So what causes cats to change sleeping spots, sleeping times, toy preferences, play activities and other habits in mid stream?

I imagine part of that is an innate trigger—a genetic memory of their origins and how they must protect themselves by changing up their activities so as not to attract danger to them. Make sense? Part of it is—and I’m pretty sure about this—our cats like to keep us on our toes. When Olivia hears me screeching her name—frantically going from room to room in search of her, fearful that she somehow pushed a window screen out or a door open and escaped, I’m convinced she’s under the sofa, in the back of a closet, or even closed in a kitchen cabinet grinning as she closes her eyes and takes a long afternoon nap.

Olivia does a charming little thing each time she visits me in my office. She comes to me as I sit in my chair, puts her paws on the chair next to me and reaches one paw up in the air toward me as if she is waving or she just wants to pat me affectionately. I don’t know what her thought process is when she’s doing this, but it is something she does every single day. So far I haven’t captured it with my camera—but I’m working on it.

Cat’s stretch almost every single time they stand up from a nap or a rest. That’s an interesting habit and each cat does the stretch a little differently.

Different cats have different ways of approaching meal time, greeting guests, playing, interacting with you. And to me that’s one of the charms of the cat. What are some of your cat’s weird behaviors/habits?

I love the long-haired cats. I like those with a cobby body, round heads—those that carry a kittenish quality into adulthood. Some people prefer the sleeker variety of cat. While some appreciate talkative, active cats, others prefer quiet, relaxed breeds. Well, as we discussed yesterday there seems to be a breed and a style and a purr-sonality for every cat connoisseur.

Here’s a fun site showing the best cat for your personality. I had fun with it, I’m sure you will too.

I did some research and learned a little about how to match human-cat personality types to the purr-fect cat companion.. For example, if you are affectionate, you might adore rooming with a Maine coon cat or the Ragdoll. If you need a lot of attention from your cat, choose a Devon Rex. I you like a mellow lifestyle and would prefer a cat with the same ideals—British shorthair. If you like a chatty cat, consider the Siamese or the Maine coon. And if you want a lot of action in your home, the Manx may be for you. Here’s a site focusing on cat breeds by personality type.

https://www.marthastewart.com/7795913/cat-breeds-by-personality-type

Cats come in all colors, styles, temperaments, and personalities. Some are absolute purring machines while others seem to have no purr mechanism at all. Our sweet tabby, Lily, didn’t learn to purr until she was around six years old.

Cats can also come with different sounds. Some cats are very vocal, others hardly make a peep. Most cats speak when they have something to say—“I’m hungry.” “Pet me.” “Treat time.” “Let’s play.” And the tone of a cat can vary. If you have more than one cat, you may have quite a variety of sounds around your house.

How many sounds can one cat make? I remember marveling at the voice of my mother’s cat, Smokey. He’s half Ragdoll and his meow is very quiet and on the high-pitched side. One day I was visiting with my mother and we heard an excruciating sound coming from the area of the dining room. I ran in there to find Smokey at the screen door wanting in. He’d probably used his little voice for a while to no avail and finally screamed at us. What a sound. Until that day we didn’t know he was capable of such a large voice. He sure knew how to get our attention.

Our calico, Olivia, is a combination of many cats, including the Maine coon, who typically has a small high-pitched voice and she sure does. She squeaks rather than meows or even mews. And she has her tones and ways of using them. She might meow loudly when she seems to be looking for someone…”Where are you?” “Where is everyone?” She has what seems to be a scolding tone or she’s expressing her excitement at having found a lap. She can also be chatty, using tiny mini-mews—more like chirps as she converses with us. I heard the Maine coon cat from next door mew the other day—she also has the chirpy quality to her high-pitched tone.

Our Himalayan, Katie, had a deep and lingering meooowww. I called it her southern drawl.

I thought this was an interesting article on the variety of sounds a cat makes and what they might mean. Enjoy: https://www.thepurringtonpost.com/cat-sounds/