Cat Views

Cats can be very clever and creative when they want something, especially when it comes to opening doors! Ever come home and find your cat’s food scattered all over the floor and spilling out of an open cupboard? How did this happen when you had it safely locked away? Just look to your 4 pawed culprit! Cupboard doors (unless they lock)are a cinch for them when the cupboards contain treats. Treats and food in boxes are not a problem for them to get into once the doors are opened (sharp claws and teeth excel here)! Unlocked sliding doors can be worked open with a little effort. Cats can learn how to jump up and turn door knobs; however they can’t seem to work a safety chain loose. Creative cats need creative play areas to maintain their interest. Cat play stations or gyms are perfect ways to keep them happy, content and out of the cupboards!

What has your kitten done today? Did it climb your best curtains, or your leg? How about the claw sharpening? Did the kitten use your favorite chair, a choice basket, or a piece of wicker or sea grass furniture? What little rascals they can be! These adorable little balls of fluff can be little (or big) headaches. However, these darling little kittens can provide hours of entertainment and companionship. Cat trees, cat perches, condos and scratchers are all great play areas for kittens and grown cats as well. How we love to pamper our pets with these wonderful play items! These “toys” save our household furnishings while providing a healthy environment for our precious pets.

Some cats can be very ornery when they don’t get their own way and will retaliate in interesting ways! We were getting ready for a dinner party one evening and hurrying to set up the table before our guests arrived. A neighbor had come over early to help set up. The table linens, china and silver were all in place on the table. Candles and a floral centerpiece came next. All that was left was to fill and place the water goblets. In the meantime, my big cat, Alex, came in and jumped up on the table to investigate. My neighbor “shooed” him off the table which did not sit well with him, however, he did get down. She continued to work on the table by filling and placing goblets at the place settings. Once her task was completed, Alex came back in, and again jumped up on the table. He gave my neighbor a defiant look and proceeded to walk over, take his paw and overturn 3 glasses, jump down and disappear into his Kitty Condo. He was satisfied and we ended up redressing the table!

We were living in a garden apartment on the second floor, and kept a small box of toys for the neighborhood children to play with when they came over. There were various small toys including marbles in the box. Our cat, Sandy, loved to play with marbles and had some of her own that would occasionally get mixed in the toy box. The little boy next door was injured and had to play quietly so we took the box of toys over for him to use. The next day his mom heard a “thunk, thunk , thunk” sound coming from their stairwell. She went to investigate and saw our cat carefully sorting through the toys and picking out her marbles! She would then go down the stairs and pick them up and take them home where she would stash them in her kitty pod mini.

I grew up in a big old frame house in the Midwest. Our basement was only partially dug out, and the furnace sat in a cement recess in the floor. When it rained heavily this recess (pit) would fill with water. We had a big shiny black male cat named “Needles” (for obvious reasons) who loved to hide in the basement and jump at my mother when she would come downstairs. One day, not knowing the pit was full of water, he ran downstairs and prepared himself to jump. When my mother arrived, he made his move, just as he did, my mother turned away and he ended up landing in the pit! Well, that was one very mad, very wet cat! He spent the next two days sulking in his Cat House Condo, because it was all her fault that he got wet.

Cats are amazing creatures and awesome to watch! Their lithe movements and supine positions are reminiscent of a well-oiled precision machine. Innate hunting skills allow them to survive even in the strangest situations. Independent and quirky personalities of cats are the delight of many pet owners. Several well used sayings about cats come to mind while watching our pets. “She walks on silent cat feet”, and “Dogs have masters, but cats have staff”. It is always surprising when a cat suddenly appears as if from nowhere. It can cause you to wonder!
Most cats love their toys and have playful natures. It is interesting to see what they find to play with that can keep them busy for some time. As much as they love their toys, they love a warm place to snuggle and snooze. Heated cat beds and cat condos are an ideal place for them to nap. They also like cat trees for exercise (especially indoor cats), and are great fun to watch while playing in one. Yes, we pamper our pets, and why not? They are a wonderful source of comfort and companionship. Watching their antics can amuse us for hours.

My parents had a big orange cat who loved to travel. She liked gas stations, capitol buildings, Christmas lights and camping. One weekend they took off to go camping near the river. The cat was excited when she saw the tent and goodies being loaded in the car. They took off, arrived at the site and started to unpack. Oops! My dad had forgotten to pack the tent poles. Well, that meant a return to home. The cat was furious with him. Growling, spitting and hissing at him all the way home. After arriving home, she went in to her cat condo and ignored him. She would spit at him whenever she saw him for the rest of the weekend. By Monday, her snit was over and she was hoping for another camping trip.

Animals can be as funny and a quirky as humans. If you take the time to get to know them, you know they all have distinct personalities. Some have very definite prejudices towards people and foods. My daughter inherited two gorgeous chows when she got married. She had two middle aged to elderly cats.

The female cat is rather docile but the male will stand against people or animals if he thinks his territory is threatened. The female chow was the aggressive one while the male was pretty laid back and would only sometimes follow her lead. Whenever the front doorbell would ring, the female dog (Sasha) would chase the female cat (Sugar) down the hall and into the bedroom. One day, Sasha mistakenly chased the male cat (Chess) down the hall, and reaching the bedroom door; he turned and stared her down. She was so surprised when he stood up to her; she actually backed her way down the hall. When she left, he went into the room and curled up on the top of his cat condo to keep an eye on things.

Sly’s modern cat condo arrived this weekend. First, let me extol the excellent packing, delivered in perfect condition even though it traveled all the way from Germany! I am a bit like Rachel Maddow is about infrastructure when it comes to realistic packing. The very second I got it out of the box, Sly was in it! He adores it so much we haven’t had a chance to mount it on the wall. Every time there’s a lull in the chore list I think, now I’ll get the Rondo installed, he’s asleep in it! It is extremely-well made and so beautiful that even if he hadn’t become so attached to it right “out of the box” I would have been happy enough with it to find other uses for it [a multi-purpose cat condo!!] But he does love it so it’s a huge success all round. Thanks! – Diane

Cats are intended to teach us that not everything in nature has a purpose. — Garrison Keillor

It was a Sunday afternoon; my mother was a writer and had her typewriter on the dining room table. She had been working on her novel earlier in the day. Relatives came and we were all sitting in the living room talking, and waiting for dinner. All of a sudden we heard the keys of the typewriter clicking while mom was in the kitchen preparing dinner. Well, as we trooped into the dining room to see what was going on, it was quite a sight! There was the cat up on the table playing with the typewriter keys. He would press a key with one paw, and bat it with the other paw. (This, of course, was a manual typewriter).We were all entertained and made comments as to how cute it was! The cat was removed from the table, and went to his Cat Cocoon while we went in the kitchen to dinner. Halfway through dinner, we heard the dog barking in the dining room. Everyone was curious to see what was going on, and went in to find the dog sitting on the table with her paw on the typewriter. She wanted her share of the “limelight” too.