Global Cat Day - October 16, 2020

Today is Global Cat Day.  Check out the Alley Cats website for more information.  Enjoy the Fuzzfest!

Leading a Double Life

Nilo or Angelo?  An intinerant cat leading a double life.  Living with one owner, then living with another. Back and forth he goes.  He's got the best of both worlds and families to take care of him in both places.  Notes exchanged between families via his collar.  This is a unique story and one that has probably been repeated by other felines time and again.  Check out the full article complete with pictures here.

My Friend Charlie

On April 5, 2020, we had to put Charlie down.  He was around a year old.  Charlie was a goof and always loved to play. He also loved to get into stuff which was his demise.  Charlie found a card with shiny ribbon and buttons on it, and unbeknowst to us, ate them.  During the day on Sunday, April 5, he started vomiting.  We thought maybe he ate something that didn't settle right, but that wasn't the case.  By 9 p.m. that night, he had not quit throwing up, he wasn't drinking and he never used the catbox. We took him to an emergency vet clinic in Renton.

After an examination and x-rays, we were given the horrible news.  He'd eaten the items mentioned above and they were in his intestines.  They were bunching up and would not pass through, but rather they'd cause more and more problems, possibly even perforating his intestines.  The only option was surgery, but due to the complexity of it, it would cost $7000 to $10,000.  There was no way we could ever afford that.  Plus, because of the surgery and possible damage already done, he might end up with more medical issues throughout his life. So, we made the heartwrenching decision to mercifully have him put down. 

I've had cats over the years, but for some reason, Charlie had picked me as his bud, although in the beginning he was skittish and wasn't that much of a bud to me.  However, he became such.  I'd come home from work and he'd be on the cat tree rolling upside-down excited to see me.  He talked with me all the time and especially at night when he wanted to play with his springs.  He was a big cat, so when he raced through the house with Chester and Cinder, it was thunderous.  He jumped higher than any other cat I've known, at least 5' or more. And when he got goofy, he'd do these weird flips and rolls along the wall and made goofy, playful sounds to get attention.  He and Chester loved playing in their tube.  He would grab the ball attached to the end of the tube and race down the hallway dragging it behind him. And he was strong. You could literally play tug-o-war with him and he would not give in.  He was tenacious. I miss him alot.

Chester was his pal. Since Charlie's death, Chester has become more clingy and sometimes depressed.  He misses Charlie too.  He's getting better, but you can tell he knows something is amiss.  I don't know if cats can remember, but I think he knows Charlie is gone.

It was a sad, sad day, but we have a year's worth of memories regarding Charlie. And we have pictures.  Still, filling Charlie's paws will be impossible.

Charlie as a kitten

A close up of Charlie the kitten

Charlie on his tray for breakfast

Charlie and Chester in their favorite play tube 

Cookie Eating Cat

Nellie was adopted.  And she lives to eat.  And she's smart, as any cat lover knows.  Cats are inquisitive, intelligent, problem-solving balls of fuzz. Nellie's no exception.  This fun article highlights what Nellie did with a Tupperware container full of cookies.  Intelligent and conniving!

Personalites Have Emerged and the Kittens Have Grown!

Charlie on his TV tray for breakfast

Cinder relaxing

Chester being cute

We've had our kittens for about a year now.  And they've grown into monsters. Not just metaphorically, but literally.  They all weigh around 11 to 14 pounds and when they race through the house it sounds like a herd of horses. 

Their personalities have come out in force as well.  Charlie is a clown.  He loves playing with springs and talks up a storm when it's time to do so. And he has to have his own TV tray when we eat.  Chester is a ringleader when it comes to mischief.  He's always into something and then acts like he did nothing. In fact, if he's in trouble, he'll run to you, meow and then roll on his back to look cute.  It's hard to punish him then. And Cinder has become quite the speedy demon despite her robust shape.  She's quick to play, but doesn't have a grasp of what "keeping her claws retracted" means.  But, being the only female, she does keep the boys in check.

At night, they have a routine which we are obligated to obey. It's called Movie Time.  We go to bed, they gather on the bed and we all watch a movie or the news.  If we don't follow this routine, they meow and get mischievous because it messed up their evening.  And Charlie always has to eat some of the popcorn.  It's his bedtime snack. Once the movie ends, then it's time to shoot a spring down the hall for them to go play with and then we can close the door and go to bed.  That's how every night goes.  And we don't dare change this quotidian custom!

Overall, they're a fun group of fuzzballs and quite the intelligent pack. It would be hard to live without them now that they've grown attached to us like barnacles to a ship.

Cats Have Many Moods - Can You Read Them?

Cats have moods ranging from excited to terrified.  Their body language, facial expressions and physical actions tell us alot about them.  An article from inverse.com shared some insightful information on the above-mentioned comments.  Check out the full article, including pictures of cats in various mood stages and see where you fit in with regard to understanding or being a cat whisperer. 

Catfish Catch?

Brett Hereford made an unexpected catch in a Montana lake recently.  While fishing, he and his family noticed something swimming in the middle of the lake. When they got closer, they noticed an animal struggling to survive.  What they caught was a Bobcat. Check out the article and video on dodo.com.  Wow! What a catch and release this was!