Catscapades

A sleeping cat is adorable. I love seeing a cat curled up, eyes closed and relaxed. So sweet. And aren’t their choice of sleeping areas interesting? OMGosh, they can make the most ordinary item extraordinarily cute just by climbing in and curling up. Kittens, especially, will crawl into a basket, a purse, a baseball cap, drawer, or shoe to sleep. You might buy your cats each a cozy bed that they never use because they’d rather curl up on a blanket in your closet, in a box of books or tablecloths, up inside the underlining of a mattress, in a bowl in a kitchen cupboard, in the linen closet… Cats are expert at finding unique places to sleep.

Our cats each have a cat bed close to the heater. Originally they picked the bed they wanted—Lily on the left and Sophie on the right. Each morning after breakfast they’d take a nap in their beds. Cute. One day Lily decided to try out Sophie’s bed. I guess this upset Sophie and I’ve never seen her in either bed since. Now she naps on my bed in the morning (she likes it unmade) and she enjoys her afternoon nap on a cozy kitty blanket on the loveseat.

Lily still uses the cat beds in front of the heater—sometimes switching beds. She sleeps with me at night and she’ll also nap during the day on my bed (she likes it made) or on a blanket against an electric radiating heater in the back of the house. I love it when Lily chooses my lap for a nap while I’m working at the computer on a chilly morning, but she’ll honor me only sporadically.

It’s like cats have moods, or is it a throwback from their wild ancestors that they change their sleeping spots from time to time?

We have two cats with two very different sets of table manners, and I like to think this is a  reflection of their background. Sophie is a dream when it comes to manners. She doesn’t beg for food ever. She doesn’t even like to be seen eating. If she’s eating or drinking water when we walk into the room, she’ll stop and move away from her bowl. Oh, she’s always eager to eat, but not so that she becomes a “stumbling block” in the kitchen. She waits patiently in her spot where we feed her as I prepare her plate. She eats really fast. She finishes her meal in less than half the time it takes Lily to eat. However, if Lily decides to leave her feeding station and go see what Sophie’s eating, Sophie will walk away from her meal and let Lily have whatever is left. I’d say Sophie is easily bullied and this probably comes from her wild beginnings.

Sophie lived on the streets—was probably born there. She was just ten-weeks old when a good Samaritan rescued her and we adopted her. I imagine her approach to food was established back when she was a kitten. She had to be on the alert while eating and if a larger cat came around, she’d better relinquish her food or be hurt.

Max, our formerly feral snow-shoe-lookalike, used to carry his food away from the bowl to eat it. Our white odd-eye cat, Winfield, used to scoop water and sometimes food out of bowls and eat or drink it off his paw. If you have multiple cats you know there’s more than one way for a cat to approach his or her meals.

Lily is obsessed with food! This includes her food, Sophie’s food, our food. She can’t seem to get enough food. Anytime she hears cheese of eggs come out of the refrigerator—and believe me she knows the sound—she’s in the kitchen begging. Is this because of Lily’s background?

Lily was born in a Volkswagen and moved into an attic with three other families of cats and kittens. There were 15 kittens in all. She may have been the runt of the litter and felt as if she never got enough to eat. Or maybe the kittens suckled from whichever mom was handy at the time and there was a constant fight for a teat. She might have been pushed away from the teat repeatedly by larger siblings and developed a fear that she wouldn’t get enough. Or maybe she was just born a glutton.

Lily is not overweight, nor is she aggressive. She simply wants to be fed three times a day with snacks and she seems to feel entitled to everyone else’s meal as well. She’s a bottomless pit—a little piggy, but she is my piggy and I do love her and, I’m afraid, I contribute to her obsession or fixation.

There are times, however, when I close her out of my office while I eat my lunch. I feel horrible doing that, but she doesn’t seem to mind. When I open the door there’s Lily waiting patiently for me (and my food).

Because of Lily’s insatiable appetite, and Sophie’s generous nature, we feed the two cats at the same time, but in separate areas where they can’t see each other and we keep an eye on Lily, so Sophie can get her fill.

How do you handle your multiple cats at mealtime? Here’s a site that explains a little about cats’ eating habits and how they are formed. Interesting stuff.

http://www.vetstreet.com/our-pet-experts/strange-eating-habits-in-cats-why-do-they-do-that

This is a new one on me. Have you heard of the Nebelung (NAY-bel-ung) cat? She looks something like a Russian Blue with long hair, but breeders say this isn’t the case. However, the Russian Blue is certainly in the mix that contributed to this breed back in 1986. In 1997, the International Cat Association recognized the Nebelung and, if you can find one, they sell for around $400.

Nebelung evidently means Creature of the Mist in German. It is told that the original breeder saw a black long-hair cat come from out of the mist and she rescued her and used her as a foundation for this breed.

The Nebelung has long, dense shimmering blue-grey fur and wide-set green eyes. She’s loyal and sweet. Some say she’s also a bit shy. If you’re interested in owning a Nebelung, you might have to wait in line as they are still considered rare and difficult to find.

Learn more about the Nebelung at these sites.

https://breedscat.com/cat_breeds/nebelung_cat/

https://catappy.com/facts-about-nebelung-cat

“Who can believe that there’s no soul behind those luminous eyes?”

“In a cats eyes, all things belong to cats.”

“A cat can close his eyes and keep both ears awake.”

“If you want to know how to love, get a kitten: look into its eyes. You’ll get it.”

Is there anything as mesmerizing as a cat’s eyes? No, that’s not a famous quote. That’s my observation. A cat’s eyes are not only enchanting, they’re unique and interesting. Compared to our 20/20 vision, a cat’s eyes are thought to be 20/100. Cats see objects in the distance better than we do, but they don’t as easily recognize items up close, thus their tendency to use their nose when being introduced to someone or being offered a food treat, or new toy. Cats can see some color, just not as vividly as we do. Supposedly, they need only 1/6 of the illumination we do in order to see in the darkness.

As you’ve probably noticed, a cat’s pupils change size and shape by their mood or emotion. But did you know that their eye color can become darker the mellower they are. I see my cats’ eye color change when I’m photographing them, depending on the amount and type of light in the room and the camera I’m using.

One of the most charming things about the cat’s eyes is that they use them for kissing or at least affection. Ever have a cat stare at you and give you a slow blink? While some people might see that as a negative—“The cat’s staring me down. It’s an evil cat…” in reality the cat is showing affection. Some say this slow blink from a cat is a kiss. You can return the “kiss” by blinking slowly at your cat. Try it today and enjoy a sweet kitty moment.

Indoor versus outdoor cats—it’s created a controversy for eons. I spoke with a neighbor last night about her indoor/outdoor kittens (who are almost a year old now). She was concerned because her cats are getting rather hefty, but said it could be because they’re finding food outside of the house, during their daily neighborhood prowl. Yes, you lose a lot when your cats are allowed outside—you don’t always know what they’re doing, where they’re going, what they’re eating, if they’re bothering people or putting themselves in danger. It’s a risk that some people are oblivious to and others are quite aware of, but willing to take.

For some, the decision is made by the cat him or herself. We adopted a 5-month old kitten once and planned to keep her indoors with our other two cats. But Dinah had other ideas. She would not use the litter box—she HAD to do her duty outside. Even in the rain, she’d ask—no beg—to go outside to relieve herself.

Smokey (my mother’s cat—AKA Rags) was to be an indoor lap kitty. He is half ragdoll, after all. But he had other ideas as well and he became an indoor/outdoor kitty. What a surprise when he agreed to stay indoors with his new family after my mother died.

My sweet Himalayan, Katy, was an indoor cat all of her life. When she became a senior, however, she seemed rather fixated on the out of doors–staring out, trying to follow me out. Finally, I decided to let her join me when I’d go out to work in the garden. I’d leave a door to the house open in case she needed an escape route. We had some of the most lovely moments in the yard together. She’d help me, watch me, let me watch her chase after a butterfly or a lizard. She loved to lay in a sunny spot. These occasional outings became special moments for both of us.

Cats are fascinating creatures, who really are quite good at designing their own life whether it is to prowl the neighborhood, simply enjoy basking in the sun in their own yard occasionally, or they’re content to stay indoors with their people.

While a passing stranger or an occasional guest might see your cat as one-dimensional, you know the truth. Your Fluffy or Tiger is a cat of many faces—and his purr-sonality isn’t displayed solely through his demeanor.

You know when your cat is happy, inquisitive, angry, bored, would rather not be bothered, wants to play, is hungry, irritated, lonely, antsy, or… You can tell by peering into his eyes, of course, but also by the set of his ears, the movement or placement of his whiskers, his stance, vocalization, energy, action, and don’t forget about his tail.

Cats are emotional beings and they wear their heart on their paw. Cats are also tuned into the elements. If your cats are like mine, they loll around a lot in hot weather. We had a Himalayan who loved to sit right up next to the window air conditioner. I wish I’d taken a picture of her with her fur blowing in the gust–like she was dreaming of riding fast in a convertible or on the back of a wild horse.

In winter cats may also be rather sedentary as they stay close to the fireplace or heater. But come spring, when the windows and doors stand open and a mix of warm and cool air filters though,  cats will become active and even silly.

Weather isn’t the only thing that affects our cats’ mood. In fact you can stimulate your fur-buddies by introducing something new into their world—different toys, new cat tree, a cat tunnel, or cat bed. A paper bag or box might intrigue them for hours. Lily used to eagerly wait for someone to finish reading the daily newspaper so she could attack it and shred it and use it as a hiding place.

Yes, a single cat possesses a multitude of emotions, desires, and activity levels and she’s good at finding things to amuse herself, but you can enrich her life by mixing it up for her. We brought home a package of tiny stuffed mice for Sophie last week and she has become a kitten again. There are few kitty toys that interest her, but those tiny mice with the long tails will entertain her for days. We enjoy the entertainment as well, watching our 15-year-old girl leap and frolic with her mousey friends.

This week do something to enrich your cat with catnip (Lily’s favorite thing), a toy, a new bed, a healthy treat, a box, a perch for the window so she can watch the birds, or adopt a new sister or brother kitty who needs a home. It’s likely that you’ll see a new emotion on your cat’s face—let’s hope it’s delight.