Pokemon Go Saves a Kitten

Here's a heart-warming story about a tiny kitten that was found while someone was playing Pokemon Go.  Check out the pictures that accompany the article and how it all turned out.  With regard to the kitten, it can really be said, "Gotcha"!

The Cathouse

Well, it's happened.  My wife, the cat lover, couldn't stand the fact that the cats had nowhere to sleep or rest outside in a protected area, especially if we were gone and it was windy or raining.  So, we bought this dog/cat house. Did they like it?  

The first few days they sniffed it, walked around it and ignored it, as cats do.  But as the days went by and they realized this new "thing" wasn't going to move, attack them or leave, they decided it might be okay to venture inside.  So they did.

Since we also put a nice cushy pad inside the house, they've now decided laying in there is cool. And, of course, it's now become a race to see who gets inside first.  Although there's plenty of room for all three of them to use it, only one at a time goes inside and blocks usage from the other two.  In fact, two of the three use it quite often.  The third cat, Piggy, has decided that it's quite the cool structure to be used, not inside, but on top. When the sun shines or the weather is dry, the roof of the cat house is his lookout point, sun-bathing arena, pop the other cats on the head as they walk by platform. 

All-in-all, it has grown on them, not literally of course because then it would crush them, but figuratively.  When the wind is howling or the rains are blowing, if the spoiled little fuzzes happen to be outside, most likely you'll find one of them inside the cat house peeking out the door watching the world go by and waiting to come inside the biggest of all cat houses, our home, which for some reason they seem to think is theirs!  We're just glad they like the little house which we purchased, at the behest of my wife, just for them.  

Selfish little things!  These entitled little beings better be thankful.  Right!

Wow! I Think This is the Most Beautiful Cat I've Ever Seen!

A picture's worth a thousand words.  Take a look!

Monkeys and Cats - One Goofball Taking Care of Another

Here's an interesting article about a cat adopting a tiny monkey.  Both species are crazy and their antics can make anyone laugh.  But this cat sees a need and decides to help a fellow animal that needs care.  Read on.

Flower is Resting Now

Today, July 4, another one of our cats died. This one died of old age.  Her name was Flower.  She was a calico and had quite an attitude.  She had a way of giving you "the eye" and you knew not to mess with her.  She let you know what she wanted and when.

We raised her from a kitten.  She was found in the wall of a business and we did not know who her mother was.  So we bottle fed her and had to train her how to go to the bathroom and how to use the cat box.  She was never one for being held, but she had her times.  When she wanted held, you held her.  You didn't tell her no.  She picked her people and decided who would hold her and when.  She was quite a character.

She will be missed.  She is now buried next to one of her tolerated adoptive brothers, Schnei who I posted about last month.  She is resting now.  She was sixteen.

Our Friend Died Today

This morning around 7:30 a.m. our white Flame Point cat died of a massive heart attack.  He was healthy and wild to the end.  He was about 10 years old.  He was outside, fell over on the porch and was gone.  We have all been sad all day long.  It's been very emotional and difficult knowing he won't come bounding down the hall and asking to go to bed at 9;30 each night.  He will be missed very much.  Rest my friend Schnei.

Cats and Schizophrenia (aka Crazy Cat Lady?)

Cats are lovable and fuzzy.  Cats are sneaky and funny.  And it's possible that cats could be linked to mental illness and schizophrenia.  Due to a parasite cats carry called Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii), researchers are studying how it can affect humans.  Although humans can develop toxoplasmosis due to this parasite, studies are under way as to how it might affect people mentally, especially if they're exposed to cats when young.  Here's the entire Time magazine article about this concern.

Piggy the Laughing Stop

Piggy

Piggy's weird.  He doesn't like loud noises.  For example. Let's say we are talking among ourselves and something humorous is said and everyone burst out laughing.  Piggy will come running into the room and immediately try to quiet us down.  He does this especially with my wife since she is his human.  He will jump on her lap and use his paws to tap her mouth in a gesture of saying "quiet down".  If we have a loud disagreement, he'll do the same thing.  He hates us being loud.  And he doesn't like loud noises in general.  The boom of thunder or some loud noise outside and Piggy is off to hide or run. He'll do anything to stop the loud sounds that annoy him.  Does your cat do that?

Feline Freeway

I sit quietly on my couch.  The sunshine is blazing outside.  The back slider is open, the door into the garage is open and the large garage door yawns open allowing the outside air to blow through the house.  Relaxing, a cool gust of air wafts through the living room and the sounds of birds chirping outside fills my ears.  These peaceful events are suddenly shattered by the sound of huge elephants with super-padded feet roaring through the house.  The galloping sounds of several of these beasts comes and goes as the Doppler Effect is manifest for a split second.  By the time I turn around to see what the commotion is all about the house is quiet, the birds chirp and a breeze drifts over my body.

I relax once again, resting my body and enjoying the evening breeze.  Within seconds the crescendo of a herd of elephants roars into being and is almost instantly gone.  I turn, but not quick enough to see what the commotion is all about.  I suspect, but have no proof.  As I once more let my muscles relax into a pool of ooze, it quickly solidifies like quick drying glue as the sound of Africa echoes off the walls. Turning quickly, I catch a glimpse of white fur disappearing out the back door.  I also notice a sudden pain in my neck where a muscle appears to have been pulled when I whipped my head around so quickly.

Trying to slowly turn my head back around while massaging my neck, the sounds of monstrous soft padded feet comes out of nowhere.  Since I haven't turned my head fully back into place yet, I am able to witness the fuzzy event.  Three of my cats have turned the house into a raceway.  Coming in the back door, going through the house and out the garage, they encircle the house to re-enter the back door again. Fur floats lazily in the rays of sunshine as the cats weight decreases with each pass through the house and their coats of fuzz diminish atom by atom, hair by hair.

I shake my head and have to chuckle at the cats ability to turn something simple into a great game of cat and cat.  Massaging my neck muscles, I slowly turn my head back to its created position.  A few more passes of feline freeway fills my ears before I hear a soft thud as two cats collide with the wall. The third has made the slight bend through the laundry room and out the garage door while the other two quickly regain their balance and re-enter the racetrack of fun.  I laugh, but only for a second.  A pain shoots up my neck.  I need to get a heat pack to fix what these mischievous felines have caused me by their cat antics.

The Immovable Fuzzy Lump(s)

It's time for bed.  You're tired.  You crawl under the covers and your body relaxes as you contemplate sleep.  You start to drift off when you feel a "thump" as your cat jumps up on the bed.  Temporarily startled, your brain grasps what has happened, and you begin to drift off again.  Meanwhile, your cat decides that sleeping on top of your semi-lifeless form is a great idea.  For him this warm mass under the covers is a welcome place to rest for the night.  So up he climbs onto your body.  In your hazy unconscious state you turn to reduce or eliminate this weight that is bearing down on you.  However, as you roll, so does this lump.  It's like he's a great barrel rolling expert.  No matter how you move so does he. He's always on you, no matter what.  Then, in frustration, you begin to push, kick and shake the covers in an attempt to move him off of you.  All this does is turn him into a living Velcro ball. He sticks to you like glue.  His fuzzy body bounces up and down while his claws hang on.  He doesn't move.  Several more attempts to get him to move prove futile.  Finally you give up destined to live with this fuzzy lump on top of your body for the rest of the night. The cat sleeps well, but so much for your restful night.

Love Them!

Our first poll asked how people felt about cats.  Love them?  Hate them?  Don't care?  Out of those who responded, 100% say they liked cats.  Many people do, but then there are those who don't.  Cats, as the title of this blog indicates, can be mischievous and hilarious.  People love them for both qualities.  Future posts will highlight interesting news items, stories, polls and so on about cats.  This could just be the purrfect blog for you!

Ten Benefits of Owning a Cat

Here's an interesting article about why cats are beneficial to own.  Intelligence, allergies, sleep and more.  Check it out.

Catdog

Watch this great video about a puppy adopted by a cat.

Clip

National Hairball Awareness Day - April 29

NATIONAL HAIRBALL AWARENESS DAY

National Hairball Awareness Day is observed annually on the last Friday in April. This day is listed as one of the Pet Health Awareness Events of the American Veterinary Medical Association.  The formation of hairballs is a common feline condition that is brought on by self-grooming and the associated ingestion of hair.

HOW TO OBSERVE
Observe National Hairball Day by becoming educated about this condition. Visit http://www.hillspet.com/our-company/national-hairball-awareness-day.html to learn about things you can do to prevent your cat from developing hairballs.  Share your love for your cat using #HairballAwarenessDay on social media.

HISTORY
Within our research, (national calendar events) we were unable to find the origin of National Hairball Awareness Day

The Scaredy Cat Mailman

British Couple Faces Mail Suspension Because Their Cat Scares the Postman

The Royal Mail informed the couple that Bella the cat endangers the postman's fingers

Rain, snow, sleet and hail aren’t supposed to deter postal workers from delivering the mail — but it seems one feisty cat is enough to bring the system crashing to a halt.

The Royal Mail service in Englandinformed a couple by letter that their cat, Bella, was disrupting mail delivery to their letter slot. The couple has to remove the cat or get an external mailbox, with the threat of mail suspension if nothing is done, the BBC reports.

“Your postman has reported that when he pushes the mail through your letterbox your cat snatches the mail and puts his fingers at risk of injury,” the letter states. One of the mail recipients, Matthew Sampson, said he believes Bella was playing a game with the postman.

Article link

Female Mail

Woman Accidentally Mails Her Cat

It had climbed into a box of DVDs

Recently, a British woman accidentally mailed a package of DVDs that her cat had climbed into.

The female Siamese cat “Cupcake” survived the eight-day, over 260-mile journey across the south coast of England, from Falmouth in Cornwall to Worthing, West Sussex. The recipient called the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), which took the cat to Grove Lodge Veterinary Group. According to a blog post on the website for the practice, the cat’s microchip was scanned, which brought up current contact information for its owner Julie Baggott, who had already been searching frantically for the feline in her neighborhood.

The feline underwent intensive treatment for extreme dehydration before being reunited with its owner.

Article link

3:30 a.m.

Today, my cat either (1) decided he needed to sleep longer because it was cold and dreary out or (2) decided he'd be nice to me.  I think it was #1.  Lately, one of our cats, Baby, has decided that 3:30 a.m. is a great time to wake up, meow loudly several times and then want to go outside to play.  The frustrating part is that he meows, then waits.  Me, in a semi-sleep stupor, try to snap my fingers indicating to him that he needs to lay back down on the bed and shut up.  He, in a cat-ignoring way, decides not to listen.  Over and over he continues his meowing antics until frustrated I clamber out of bed and look for his fuzzy body in the dark.  If I go for him in a rage, he'll hide.  If I act like I'm glad to see him, he'll come to me.  He looks at me like, "Oh, you're awake!  Awesome!  Can I eat?  How about some petting?  Outside to play maybe?"  It's always outside when he wakes me that early.

Later in the morning when I get up, guess who's outside looking in the window?  And of course, if some other member of the family comes by and asks, "Why is Baby outside?", he looks at them like he's been tortured and neglected and how dare he be left out in the dark and cold.  Who would do such a thing as he looks at me with an innocent but condescending stare.  I feel like he needs to be a furry football right about then.  The rest of the family treats him like royalty as he once again gets his way.

Midnight Attack

            I’ve just gone to bed.  It’s been a long day and I’m tired.  Usually I put the cats outside at night, but since it’s cold I decide to leave them in. Bad idea!  As I prepare for bed, brush my teeth, use the bathroom and follow my nightly ritual, the cats sit quietly watching.  They look so innocent.  Soft, fuzzy creatures lying on the couch or chairs minding their own business, cleaning themselves for a nice warm night inside and preparing for bed, or so it seems.

            As I shut off the lights I make my way around the living room to give each fuzz ball of potential energy a scrub on the head just to let them know they are loved.  As if they needed reassurance.  They clean as if I don’t exist.  They act as if I’m interrupting something important.  How dare I mess up their preened fur.  That I should touch them without permission, at night, during their evening ritual?  What was I thinking?

            So off I go to bed.  The lights go out.  I snuggle under the warmth of the covers and close my eyes.  Sleep!  Or so I think.  As I start to drift into a fog of thoughtlessness a sound in the distance brings me instantly back to consciousness.  Tiny, furry feet have suddenly grown to the size of small elephants.  I hear the thunder in the distance as it grows in intensity and then races past my bedroom door.  The Doppler Effect is quite evident as the sounds grow from quiet to loud and back again. 

            As the cats turn the house into a midnight freeway, my ability to sleep becomes an in and out affair.  I drift off, they race by occasionally plowing into a door or wall and I wake back up.  All is quiet.  I drift away and the squeal of one cat chomping on the hindquarter of another reaches my ears.  Awake again.  Then the crash of something off of a table or the soft “thump” of a feline WWF participant hitting the floor after falling from the side of the couch.  More thumping.  More racing.  More noise.  Finally I get up determined to throw them outside.

            I open the door, walk into the living room and turn on the lights.  All the cats are laying in chairs and look at me with eyes squinted as if I’ve just interrupted their deep sleep and the light is burning their retinas.  They yawn, stretch and preen a bit and then curl back up in a ball.  How can I throw them out when I have no proof that they did anything?  Maybe it was all in my head.  Maybe it was a dream.   I’m sure it’s not, but…

            So, back to bed I go.  I shut my eyes avoiding looking at the clock because I don’t want to know how much time I’ve lost and what little is left before I have to get up for work.  I drift away.  Somewhere in the hazy twilight of going to sleep and reaching the REM state, when my mind is at peace but not quite “gone,” my brain and body become aware of something that’s not right.  One of the cats has decided to become Ninja Fuzz and has flown through the air, the silence undetectable by any means whatsoever, and lands squarely on my chest.  Bam!  My brain screams “heart attack,” my chest screams “pressure, get it off,” and my arms instinctively fly at my chest to feel what’s going on. 

            Unaware that it is a cat, my hand immediately feels a fuzzy object and my chest feels sharp pinpoints of pain where Ninja Fuzz has anchored himself with his claws so as not to lose his grip.  The pain of course triggers an immediate response in my brain screaming “rip it off!”  I grab this thing and fling it out of desperation ripping chest hair and skin from my body in the process.  As fast as my brain registers this pain Ninja Fuzz is already airborne.  Half a second later a muffled thump hits the wall and the exhaled sound of a half-deflated “meow” reaches my ears.  Then the thud of him hitting the floor.  I hear scampering as he races through the house to hide and lick his wounds. Fully awake, I get up and go into the bathroom.  There, on my chest, are sixteen puncture marks all oozing blood.  Tiny rivulets run down my chest and coagulate.  I wash them and grit my teeth in pain as the soap cleans each hole left by my loving cat. 

            Checking the living room I find all the cats less one.  After a quick search of their favorite hiding places, I find Wounded Ninja Fuzz hiding underneath the table on top of a chair. He cowers, looks at me with apprehension and then crawls out, puffs his body up like an over sized cotton ball and rubs against my hand.  My anger subsides, Ninja Fuzz feels forgiven and he curls back up to sleep.  I go to bed, apprehensive, in pain and ready for sleep?

Cats

Sassy.  Curious, mischievous, sassy.

            Felines encompass all the qualities, both good and bad, of humans.  They are, in effect, tiny humans in fur form, or so they think.  Cross them and you pay.  Ignore them and you pay.  Fail to feed them and you pay.  Do anything they don’t agree with and you pay.

            Think about some of the traits a cat possesses, learns or instinctively emanates in their ten plus years of existence on the planet.  They have the ability to swear, to ignore, condescend, exude an air of self-righteousness, act psychotic, be spoiled, beg, manipulate, appear innocent, act cool, irritate, be revengeful, express evilness, love, blame others, get attention, act cute, kill, maim, torture, express gleefulness, act haughty and more.  Yet, we still love them, or at least many do. 

            There are those who view cats as villainous creatures that should be removed from existence.  On the other hand, there are many who love cats because they are able to express and exude the many aspects of the human psyche that humans themselves could not express without getting themselves hurt or killed.  When a cat does it, it may irritate, but most people still see them as lovable, fuzzy creatures, no matter what they do.

            Cats squeeze joy and extreme anger from humans with ease as if they were sponges.  A cat frolicking and flipping across a room raises peals of laughter from observers and at the same time their shredding a roll of toilet paper all over the bathroom floor brings out the murderous side of many a cat owner while the cat sits staring innocently outside the door, his muscles taut and ready to bolt. 

            I don’t know about you, but some days I love my cats and think they’re the greatest little creatures around.  Other days I am ready to skin them alive and bury their naked, furless bodies in a hole outside.  But, for some reason, they seem to have the ability to weasel their way back into my good graces, like a tick burrowing under my skin, only to be scrubbed and loved once again.