Cat Views

Hershey, was a much loved, pampered, Tuxedo Cat belonging to close friends of ours. They were going on vacation and I agreed to “cat-sit” for the two weeks they would be gone. Hershey arrived bag and baggage! She brought his Zen Platform Cat Bed, Deluxe Litter Pod, food, Personalized Cat Treat Jar and plenty of toys. It looked like it was going to be an interesting two weeks!Although Hershey was declawed, he didn’t always remember this. The living room drapes caught his attention and he would claw at them as if sharpening his claws. It was a quiet afternoon and I was sitting on the sofa when a chocolate blur passed me headed for a small chair in front of the draped window. It looked like he had planned to use the chair as a launching point for the drape. Mistake! The chair was a rocker and when he hit the back of it, it moved and he went flying into the air. While he was in mid-air, he seemed to remember he had no claws and spread out like a flying squirrel. After landing safely, he ran and hid in his Cat Condo to hide his embarrassment.

Fritz was a big black and white angora tom cat who lived with us on the farm when I was a child. He was supposed to be a barn cat, but his superior attitude and deference to my mother earned him a place in the house. Still…he was a “tom” and would often spend nights out sowing his “wild oats”. One rainy summer night he was yowling at the back door to be let in. He came in, but not alone. He brought a guest, a small undernourished female, wet and bedraggled. I grabbed a towel and dried her off discovering that she was pregnant! Naturally, we had to adopt her! I took over the care of “Missy” and tried to make her comfortable in a box in my room. She preferred to be in my toy box among my doll clothes. Mom bought her a beautiful knitted cat bed, I placed a doll blanket in it and she happily curled up in the cat bed. Missy accepted the cat bed just in time as 3 days later she gave birth to 4 beautiful kittens, one black and three black and white just like Fritz.

Our family loved to camp and we always went as a family unit (including our two adored cats).  Other friends and their families joined us at the campsite bringing along their pets as well. One weekend we were forced to use an “overflow” camping area where there were no regular campsites. After dinner, we discovered our oldest cat was missing. He had slipped his collar and disappeared.  We were frantic! Our house cat was loose in the woods and it was dark! After several hours of calling and searching we all sat down around the dying campfire totally worn out and depressed. One of the girls glanced up and said, “mom, dad, I know where he is”. We immediately came out of our lethargic state with renewed energy ready to resume the hunt. We didn’t have far to go! Alex, the cat, was sitting under the car watching us the entire time. The next trip, the cats will have their own Kat Kabin to sleep in!

Making sure your cats are as comfortable as possible is usually a matter of ensuring they have all their basic needs met in a day. If you’re not sure that you’re fulfilling all these requirements, just think of what you need in a day. You need hearty and nutritious meals and access to pure, clean water. The same is true of your pet. (Although, what’s nutritious for you isn’t necessarily nutritious for your cat!)

And you also need some small creature comforts like a comfortable bed. Again, the same is true for your cats. With kitty beds, make sure that the pillow or bedding is large enough for your cat to stretch out. This will maximize the comfort offered by these pieces of bedding. Also, make sure it’s washed often and properly. This will stop your cat from being exposed to any unpleasant entities that might collect on the bed itself.

I just received an email from a wonderful friend who lives with a very bright, Jack Russell Terrier like the one on Fraiser. I understand he has his humans very well trained. The email was titled Inner Peace which, when I read it made me laugh out loud!

If you can start the day without caffeine,
If you can always be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains,
If you can resist complaining and boring people with your troubles,
If you can eat the same food every day and be grateful for it,
If you can understand when your loved ones are too busy to give you any time,
If you can take criticism and blame without resentment ,
If you can conquer tension without medical help,
If you can relax without liquor, 
If you can sleep without the aid of drugs.
…. then you’re probably the family dog cat!

The email was sent with a silly picture of a dog, but I bet you can conjure-up an image of your cat lounging on their favorite cat perch. The benefits we can learn, living with a cat!

Our lovely white cat, Misty, was an enigma. We could never figure out her personality. She only liked one family member, adored small children and climbing her Baobab Modern Cat Tree, but hated our next door neighbor. She could turn from friendly to nasty in an instant, yet she was always in our midst. If we turned the water on to shower or bathe, she was right there. Up on top of the shower doors she would perch until the right moment to jump in! If the bath water was left unattended, she would be in it first. Misty would ask to be let out, but when we opened the door for her, she would swat at us! A beautiful, picture perfect cat with a Jekyll and Hyde personality.

There is a specific group of people who are determined to complete as many projects as they can on their own. Whether it’s because they are proud of their handiwork skills or because they just can’t stand to pay money for something they can do on their own, one of the products that do-it-yourselfers love to tackle is the cat tree. This is an ideal project for a bored retired carpenter, because the materials are readily available and the construction is fairly straightforward.

The only thing to keep in mind is that these cat trees are designed for the comfort and safety of your animal. Make absolutely sure your construction work is sturdy enough that your cat’s constant jumping, leaping, and lunging won’t cause the entire thing to collapse. Also make sure your project is clean enough that no stray nails or other dangerous items are sticking up. Also, as is the case with many projects you complete yourself, be prepared to display something that doesn’t look as neat, tidy, or professional as a store bought item!