Catscapades

I don’t know about you, but I know way too many people with cat allergies. I’m related to some of them. Several of them adore cats, but can’t be around them for long. Since I have some of the family gatherings in my home (well, in normal times), and I have cats, I always consider my grandchildren and their spouses who have cat allergies. I do a deep clean, attempting to vacuum and wipe up as much dander as I can. I even wipe down all of the over-stuffed furniture, wash curtains…you know, that stuff I should be doing regularly, anyway. I remove cat beds and blankets from the area where we’ll be entertaining and there are usually no cats around because, as I wrote in Monday’s blog, most of my cats are not social beings.

I also text those I know to have cat allergies ahead of time and remind them to take their allergy medicine. If they forget, I always keep Claritin on hand.

But is there more that you can do for your guests who can’t tolerate cat dander? Here’s a good article to help you entertain even guests with cat allergies whether they’re coming over for dinner or spending the weekend. It’s a good article for understanding the allergens that typically bother people. While cat hair is certainly part of the equation, it’s not the fur itself that causes the problem, it’s what’s on the hair—a protein from the cat’s saliva, urine and dander. So cleaning away the cat hair is useful, of course, but you might also consider bathing your cat before guests arrive and really cleaning the litter boxes, which we should do often, anyway—I mean dump the litter, clean the box, start fresh. You should do that every two to three weeks, then soak the box with vinegar or bleach. (Yeah, I don’t do it that often either.) Here’s a site that might help your guests with cat allergies be much more comfortable when they visit your home next time. https://www.litter-robot.com/blog/2016/09/16/guests-allergic-to-cats-6-tips-for-a-more-comfortable-visit

Not all cats and even kittens come with the desire to be handled and cuddled. We’ve rescued feral kittens from several different situations and, while we’ve managed to eventually create a lovely bond with each of them, they were all afraid of strangers—even frequent visitors to our home. We call them “hidey cats.” When the doorbell rings the cats run and hide the “stranger” leaves. Then they’ll come out and sniff the area where the “intruder” had walked, stood, or sat. Just about the only guests who could interact with these cats were those who spent the night. If the guest was still here by morning, the cat would let him/herself be seen and maybe even petted.

I once bought a four-month-old Himalayan kitten at a pet shop. She grew to be a wonderful pet, but she, too, was a hidey cat. I wanted others to enjoy her sweet beauty, but that I had to share through picture or the guest had to lay on the floor and peer under the dust ruffle on the bed in order to meet and greet Katy. One day, however, our next door neighbors came in for a summer refreshment and Katy came out of hiding and actually interacted with them. We were stunned. Later, it occurred to us that she knew them because she frequently watched them from her window perch and she’d observe us interacting with them. That’s why she felt safe to walk right up and introduce herself to Bob and Susan so brazenly.

When we adopted our new cuddle-bug kitten, Olivia, we hoped she’d be a social cat. But we’re in the middle of a pandemic and, like everyone else, we’re just not socializing except out in the open air—our front porch, deck, patio or with neighbors in the street. Olivia does not have the opportunity to become more widely socialized.

Everyone who wants to meet her does so through the screen door or a window, but she isn’t at all comfortable with strangers coming that close even with a partition between them. Sad.

Last week my grown grandson stopped by. He’s a real cat person, and when he saw Olivia through the screen door he attempted to entice her.

We’d really like her to be social with friends and family and he was wearing a mask, so we invited him inside to help with her extended socialization. She immediately ran under the couch. So we suggested he give her one of her favorite treats.

That did the trick. Once Olivia heard him twist off the lid to her favorite treats, he quickly became one of her best friends and he was able to pet her and play with her a little. We decided we’d invite others who also like cats and who want to interact with Olivia to step inside the door and let her get to know them through treats and friendly play. If we play it right, maybe when this isolation is over she’ll have decided not to be a hidey cat.

I’ve also had cats that weren’t particularly cuddly. Olivia is a cuddler. She’s a real lap cat and I’m enjoying that immensely. I’ve watched aloof kittens grow into aloof cats over the years, and eventually learn to enjoy a little lap time. What a thrill to finally have a one of your soft, fluffy cats purring in your lap and enjoying a nice petting session—especially after he avoided close contact for most of his life.

Here are a couple of tips for turning a rather snooty/snobbish cat into a bit of a snuggle bug. Give her a cozy blanket. Place it on a chair or a spot on the sofa where she likes to lay. When she gets used to it—in fact, falls in love with it, take it one day when she isn’t using it and drape it over your legs while you relax in her favorite chair or sofa spot. It may take a while, but the cat is likely to eventually join you just so she can have her blanket. This has worked for me a couple of times. Here’s a link to an article with more tips and techniques for turning your aloof cat into a cuddle bug. https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/pets/if-your-cat-s-not-into-cuddling-2-vets-have-suggestions-to-change-their-behavior/ar-BB18p5ig

Where to begin… Some of you may recall that we lost our precious Lily in May. She had lifelong chronic kidney disease and we were blessed to have her for all of 11 years. As an aside, we got word over the weekend that Lily’s veterinarian made a donation in her name to a veterinary school here in CA. What a kind thing to do.

An adorable calico kitten came into our life on the last day of July. She’s been on this earth for just four months, having been found living under a house with her siblings. I have to say, as rough as this year has been, there certainly are some wonderful things that have come into being in 2020. Olivia is one of them. Another is the birth of my identical twin great-granddaughters on August 10.

So how’s it going with Olivia? Beautifully. She is not Lily and she keeps reminding me of that. I was concerned that I might compare her to Lily and that she’d come up short and I’d be disappointed. This is not the case at all because a cat is not a cat is not a cat, as some people believe. People who say, “I don’t like cats,” have never really known a cat. Or maybe they’ve known one cat. I find it interesting that while cats all come with catlike behavior and abilities, they can also be very different in some very unexpected ways.

Lily came to us without a purr. She developed it when she was about eight years old. Olivia is a purring machine. Lily curled up to sleep on my lap or in a cat bed. Olivia sprawls. She does love my lap, but she prefers sleeping on the hard floor to a soft cat bed. Lily played with soft toys—small stuffed things. Olivia would rather bat and chase balls and other hard plastic toys. Olivia is very vocal at times. She calls out when she discovers she’s alone and she wonders where everyone is. She chirps sweetly when you talk to her. We’ve noticed that she has quite a range of sounds.

Olivia does have a similar approach to food as Lily did. OMG she is a voracious eater. When we give her treats, she hovers over them like an owl or an eagle does as she eats to protect them from any possible intruder. I’m determined not to share my food with her or let her lick my bowl. I created a monster with Lily by sharing bites of my food. If I wanted peace while I ate, I had to close myself in my office. So far Olivia will come to see what I’m eating. When I discourage her from getting close, she’ll back off. She seems to be a fast learner, but she also has that calico determination and stubbornness.

Have you ever used a spray bottle of water or a can of pennies with a cat? Olivia and I were butting heads about one thing. My computer desk. It’s off limits to cats, but Olivia wanted to battle me on that topic. She has access to my lap while I work, my big desk next to me, and anywhere else she wants to be in this house, but she was fascinated with my computer desk. Well, yeah, that’s where my attention is, right? So I’ve been taking more breaks to give her more attention while I’m working. However, that wasn’t enough. She would come from out of nowhere and dive across my keyboard, sometimes hitting keys—making me so nervous I’d sometimes close her out of my office. Then I’d feel the guilt. Oh, the guilt.

Finally a dog handler friend suggested an old-style coffee can with pennies in the bottom. Oh, how I hated to resort to a scare tactic, but I was getting desperate. So I found the appropriate can in the garage with nails in it. I emptied it, brought it in, dropped a few pennies into it, and placed it inconspicuously next to where I work.

Four times. That’s all it took that first day. If she jumped on my computer desk or started to, I’d say “NO!” if she continued on, I’d shake that can and she couldn’t get off the desk fast enough. Four times is all is all it took and she obeyed the rule for the rest of the day. Twice more over a period of a few days, she slipped up. She either forgot or she was testing me. I’m thrilled that she seems to have learned that lesson and without spoiling her wonderful spirit. It makes my life so much more pleasant for me.

Over the weekend, she began chewing on strings that hold our wood window blinds together. That’s been another potential problem. She’s fascinated with those strings—not the pulls—we keep those out of reach. So after having used the can of pennies and a stern “No!” in my office with success, I considered using the same technique with the blinds. I started with just the “No!” Surprisingly Olivia immediately stopped the activity and quietly laid down on the window perch. She didn’t bother the blinds again all evening. Wow! Is she really that smart—well-behaved—interested in pleasing us? Time will tell.

Meanwhile, we are in love with little Olivia in so many ways. To have our older cat, Sophie accept her and even invite her to play when she gets the urge is truly a bonus.