Catscapades

I collected cats for a while. At one time I had eleven—including a litter of kittens. That’s when I learned that some of us have a limit as to the number of cats we can comfortably and successfully manage.

I had four cats for quite a long time, but have discovered that two is probably the ideal number for me and for the cats I’m taking care of. But there are people who can successfully care for many times that number. Some of them open shelters. Others simply provide adequate space and accommodations for as many cats as come to them. They find a way to care for and love them all.

There’s a man in Santa Barbara, for example, who currently has 26 cats and a spacious cat-friendly home. Take a peek at what he’s done for these formerly homeless cats. https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/i-honestly-prefer-cats-over-humans-how-one-man-adopted-26-cats-140052629.html

Do you love sitting with a cat in your lap? There are benefits, you know—beyond the pure enjoyment of the snuggle. There’s scientific evidence that having a cat around is good for your health. But there are other benefits to sitting quietly with a cat in your lap. I mean, you can’t get up to answer the phone; it would disturb the cat. Someone wants your attention? Sorry, you’re busy creating a warm place for the cat. Yeah, no one wants to disturb a sleeping cat. Milk it for all it’s worth.

Our cats, Sophie and Lily, have their cuddle preferences—mostly it is not to. That’s right, they aren’t real snugglers. They will certainly crawl into my lap, but I’ve come to believe it isn’t their desire to honor me or show their love, it’s definitely a selfish decision on the cat’s part. Lily curls up in my lap when I’m wearing my robe first thing in the morning. The robe is fluffy and soft. The only other time Lily will curl up close to me is in bed at night. That’s nice. And when I lay on the couch with a blanket. The blanket is the clincher. In fact when I’m feeling under the weather and decide to take a nap or just need to close my eyes for a few minutes with a blanket, I’ll wake up to find one or even two cats curled up with me. How nice that the cats are there to support me when I need it most. Or is it simply the blanket? Our cats love snuggling on or under cozy blankets. Sophie lays on me while we’re watching TV at night. I do a lot of writing at night—with a tablet on my lap—planning my schedule, writing letters, making notes related to my work, etc. Sophie waits ever so patiently for me to stretch out on the sofa and she immediately joins me. But is it really me that she wants—is she expressing gratitude and adoration? Probably not because if I get up for any reason, I return to find her happily snoozing in my spot. She just wants my spot with or without me.

Does your cat look at you with what seems to be love? Does she rub on you affectionately? It’s so sweet when they do this, but you have to wonder about their mindset. In our household, this “affection” usually means “I want something. I want that cheese you’re putting in that omelet. I want a taste of the egg you’re scrambling or that chicken you’re cooking.” Give it to the cat or put it away and the cat drops you like a hot potato.

Sure we know this about our cats. They’re self-serving and self-absorbed, but maybe that’s one of the things we admire about them. I don’t know about you, but despite or maybe because of my cats’ sometimes snubby behavior, I sure do love those little dickens.

For future reference I did a little research to find the most affectionate cat breeds. There are many lists on many cat-related websites, but the lists are all just a little different. Several of the cats considered affectionate are hairless or have very short hair, like the Cornish Rex, Exotic shorthair, Siamese… Personally I like longhair cats and there are some on the affectionate list as well–Persian shows up on most of them, only in different slots–sometimes fourth or fifth and sometimes ninth or tenth. Also considered to be affectionate are Maine coon cats, the ragdoll, and the Somali.

Lily and Sophie are not actually related. They’re what I’d call accidental sisters—sisters who’ve been forced on each other. Or you can look at it from a more positive point of view and say the universe or magical circumstances have brought them together—that they’ve been blessed to have come together in this home. But do they actually like each other? I have to say that much of the time it seems they’d prefer being the only cat, until someone wants to play.

Lately, Lily (the tabby) and Sophie (the tortie) are full of energy and eager each night to rumble. After dinner, Lily might perch on a chair back waiting for Sophie to walk by. She’ll pounce and the chase is on. Lily chases Sophie down the hall and Sophie chases her back into the living room. There’s a lot of crouching and springing and butt-wiggling and tail swatting. And it seems to all be fun and games for the kitty sisters.

Sometimes they sit close together—usually when waiting for treat time or supper. And sometimes, while sitting close, they get cranky—maybe from waiting. Sophie will give Lily a look and Lily seems to know exactly what it means, so she swishes her tail and puts her ears back. They stare at each other, then one might dive full-bodied into the other one. Or one will raise a paw. The other one will raise a paw. Then it’s a stare-down until one of them walks away or challenges. Who knows what goes through their little heads. All I know is that no one ever bleeds. That’s a good thing.

While these two do not curl up and snuggle together, they do share sun puddles on the living room floor on a nice day. They also share space around the heater on a cold day—one on each side of it.

I think the two cats like having each other around for entertainment purposes. They seem to miss each other if one is spending the day or overnight at the veterinarian, for example. So there seems to be some caring there, but they aren’t particularly close. I see pictures of unrelated cats curled up so closely together that you can’t tell where one cat ends and the other begins. It’s so cute. I’d love to have two cats who will snuggle like that. The closest our any of our cats have come to being snugglers is when our large snowshoe-type boy, Max, and Lily would hide together under the blankets when the gardeners were here. They’d also curl up together on me when I’d lay on the couch—but not exactly together. Max would crawl under the blanket to snuggle with me and Lily would lay exactly on top of him. That was cute.

I miss seeing cats relate so sweetly—even if it wasn’t exactly fur touching fur. I mean out in the open those two cats—Max and Lily—seemed to be strangers.

I’ve decided that Lily and Sophie are more like roommates rather than soul mates. And that’s okay, too—as long as there is some “like” between them. Me? I love them both.