HouseOfPurrfection

1.    A cat is not a cat when she is created; she is only begun.

2.    A tear dropped in the silence of an absent pet often rings in heaven with a sound which belongs not to earthly trumpets or bells.

3.    Tears, beautiful, blessed tears, be ever with us all; our token when we sigh or weep for the absent pet. They are a sacred witness that our sorrows are sincere.

4.    We are not aware of the possession of our heart by a beloved cat till some sudden sorrow or joy rouses it into extraordinary action.

5.    Our beloved pets may die and leave our hearts and homes desolate for a time; we cannot prevent it, nor would it be best if we could.

6.    We may still love our departed pets. They are ours as ever, and we are theirs.

7.    Immortality is to a cat what flavor is to fruit, or fragrance to the flower.

8.    The highest style of beauty to be found in nature pertains to the feline form, as animated and lighted up by the intelligence within.

9.    A cat knows what keys in the human soul to touch in order to draw out its sweeter and most perfect harmonies.

10.    A cat’s beautiful heart will flash out in its eyes.

1.    The humblest cat is not free from vanity.

2.    It is Pride that makes cats as gods.

3.    Cats are sometimes accused of pride, merely because their accusers would be proud themselves if they were in their places.

4.    The cat makes it vulgar to wait upon itself, and grand to live idly and uselessly.

5.    My cats make me sit up at night, when I ought to be in bed, and keep me in bed in the morning when I ought to be up and doing.

With only the front bedroom as their world, Desert and Pattern become a little agitated and antsy from time to time, and the windows quickly loose their excitement as the afternoon wanes. Today, Desert sat at the door of the bedroom and mewed and mewed. Then, she came over to me and mewed and mewed again. I translated this to mean that she wanted out of the room to explore. Thankfully, I got the impression that she was asking politely.

Since I can’t just let her out of the room to mingle with the rest of the cats, I decided to let her out in the outdoor enclosure for a while. As I went to check to see if any of my cats still lingered out there, I was surprised to see that it was empty of felines. I closed the window and went and got Desert.

At first, she hesitated and stayed on the table just underneath the kitchen window, but after a few moments she caught the scent of the other cats. Then, she was off exploring, smelling, looking out beyond the enclosure, smelling, walking around, and smelling. Her curiosity was kept busy for a long time.

This field trip for Desert will undoubtedly become a favorite of hers during her stay in the HOP. Mental stimulation is important in keeping cats healthy. The front bedroom only offers so much in the way of excitement, so it’ll be a challenge keeping both cats mentally and physically happy.

Most of the time, Avita is a well-behaved dog. In the few years that we’ve owned her, she’s earned very few harsh words. Recently, however, she was a naughty dog.

Some dogs are forever on the search for food. Well, at least our Avita is always looking for her next meal. We’ve had only a few dogs in our lives, and this is the first time we’ve ever owned a terrier of any kind. If we’ve learned anything from owning a Jack Russell Terrier it’s that they are very, very smart and very, very tenacious. Avita constantly surprises us with what she can get into and figure out.

For instance, her recent naughtiness showed us that she’s learned how to get onto the kitchen counter and eat the dry cat food during the day, and most probably, at night as well. As shown in the accompanying photos, she learned how to use the stairs and the chair next to the counter to get to the cat’s feeding station. The stairs are in place for Reina who has trouble jumping onto the kitchen counter, and Avita took advantage of this arrangement. Of course, this is very naughty behavior, but I have to admit it’s really impressive. When we first caught her and figured out what she had done, I didn’t know whether to scold her or give her a treat for being such a clever dog.

Never having owned such a smart dog before, it never crossed our minds that she could actually formulate a plan to get to the cat food. However, she’s constantly driven to look for food. Of course, we feed her enough, but her previous owner was abusive, and food was a part of that abuse. At her age, we aren’t interested in training her to behave a different way. Instead, we try and stay one step ahead of her, trying to outwit the trouble she might get into. And, she is testing our smarts! It’s quite humbling.

Therefore, our plan to keep her from the cat food involved moving the feeding station to the dining room table, which we rarely use, since it’s tall enough and she can’t jump onto the chairs. So far, it’s been a success. However, the cats, in their own unique way, told us that they are none too pleased with this minor change. Actually, there is no such thing as a minor change to a cat. So, once again, we’re faced with the horror of feline retribution; when Mom returned home last night from work, Pooka, right in front of us both, urinated on her pillows.

We are stuck between one smart dog and several very pissed off cats.

This past weekend we reached triple digits. And when that happens, we get a house full of melted cats. Therefore, as the cats lie around the house, too hot to move, the HOP becomes very quiet. Well, until the evening when the AC finally goes on. Then, they feel great and dart around the house as happy as can be.

What we do to keep the HOP cool so that we’re not running the AC 24 house a day is to close up the house early in the morning. The cool air is trapped inside the house, and it feels very comfortable for hours. However, late in the afternoon as the sun bakes the west side of the house where the kitchen is, we must turn on the AC.

The outdoor enclosure gets the sun directly in the afternoon since it sits just outside the kitchen, so it’s like an oven out there. And, oddly enough, some of the cats love it out there no matter how hot it gets. Mostly Bruce, Mars, and Reina enjoy the sweltering heat. The more sensible cats lie around inside the house, paralyzed by the heat.

Quite frankly, we’re not any more active than the cats when it gets this hot.

Slowly but surely, Desert and Pattern, my brother’s cats, are accepting Muli’s stays in the front bedroom. While the odd hisses and growls still fill the air when Muli gets too close to them, they sleep on the bed with him. Thankfully, Muli doesn’t prefer looking out the window like the girls do, so the happy co-existence blossoms.

With my brother and sister-in-law leaving for China in a few days, I hope that his cats will adjust to not seeing them for a while. I’m still getting to know them and their habits, trying to make sure that they’re comfortable. Caring for Pattern has been a lot like it was for Ariel, especially feeding her several times a day. For the most part it’s been a difficult transition for the girls, dealing with other cats, and different humans taking of them, but cats are amazing when faced with challenging changes.

What makes them amazing is that they show us how to treat them. So, their aloof, bossy reputation actually serves them well living with humans. So, in attempting to make my cats happy, I’ve learned to listen to orders perfectly. And, being outnumbered as we are, this helps keep the peace. Living peacefully in a multi-cat is what it’s all about.

Usually a play on the cat’s proper name, we begin calling them cuter versions of their name. For instance, a friend of mine calls her cat the nicknames, Bear Cub, Honey Bear, Pooh Bear, or Berry. His name is Bear. We can’t help it but talk baby talk to our cats. Since cats respond to higher pitched voices, we’ll lower ourselves just to get them to show us attention.

Or, a cat may be known for a certain behavior and gets a nickname because of it. Pixie’s somewhat embarrassing nickname came about because of a rather bawdy habit. Omar got one of his nicknames because of his May/December romance with Ariel. Pishogue sounds incredibly like an entirely different species. And, Toby’s mechanical eating habits dictated his nickname.

Another way in which a cat gets a nickname is exactly how Ariel and now Brava have gotten theirs. My sister-in-law is Chinese; therefore, English challenges her quite often. Both Ariel’s and Brava’s name are difficult for her to say, so she pronounces the closest approximation of them that she can. In Ariel’s case, she called her Cereal. When she and my brother visited, we all called Ariel by that nickname.

Now, Brava’s been given a new nickname. It’s, Barbara. Well, that’s what is sounds like whenever she attempts to say her name. So, we all say Barbara. And, I don’t think that Brava minds one bit. Actually, she’s starting to respond when we use that nickname.

Last week I decided to buy Feliway from our vet to help relieve the stress the cats are feeling since our guests have arrived. Even though our cats aren’t interacting with my brother’s cats, except for Smudge, they can see them through the front bedroom door. That’s been enough to set off growling, hissing, and spitting from the cats on either side of the door.

I’ve set up three plug-ins around the HOP: two are downstairs and one is upstairs in the loft. Then, I’m also using Feliway Spray. This is new, and I thought it’d be a great idea to strategically sprits the Feliway around the house, specifically where the cats mark. I’ve been spraying it on top of my brother and sister-in-law’s bed because for the first week the cats peed on it. Talk about not feeling welcome! Well, they haven’t had to wash the comforter since I’ve sprayed their bed.

It’s been a little less than a week since I’ve begun using the Feliway, but I’m already seeing that it’s having the desired affect; the cats are actually marking less in the house! I’m really keeping my fingers crossed that this is going to work. So far, Bruce has only marked once in the bathroom and once behind the chair in the living room.

I used Feliway before several years ago, but I stopped because I didn’t see that it was relieving the cat’s stress. However, I’m willing to try it again and stick to using it, especially now that there are more cats in the house.

Of course, this isn’t going to be cheap, but it’s worth the cats feeling comfortable and happy. It’s only going to work if I keep the plug-ins in the house and continue to spray with the Feliway every day.

A few days ago my brother had to give his cat, Pattern, a fluid treatment for the first time in several months. She used to receive the treatments several times a week just like our Ariel did last year before we had to have her put to sleep. He had hoped that she wouldn’t need them again, but she started to show signs of dehydration. Therefore, while he’s in China, I’m gonna have to do some serious cat sitting.

While caring for Ariel I got used to keeping a close watch on a cat that had special needs. Pattern’s needs are very similar those of Ariel, so I feel I prepared to help care for her; however, that doesn’t help relieve my anxiety. I really hope that I can keep her comfortable and happy while my brother and sister-in-law are in China for three months.

Today’s Pictures of Cats is a real mix. There are a few close ups and several informal photos that I snapped quickly. Cats aren’t the easiest subject to photograph, especially when they’re awake. I can image what it’s like on Safari, lying in wait for several hours or days, and waiting for the opportunity for the perfect shot. I snap lots of pictures before I get one that I really like. And, because it’s so difficult, that’s why I post so many pictures of sleeping cats. They’re a lot easier. Plus, the cats are so adorable when they’re sleeping.