Cat Views

Years ago when my children were younger, a friend gave them two mice. We had two cats at the time and wondered what to do about them. Well, we explained to the cats that they were our pets and the mice were to be their pets and they had to take care of them. One cat was totally disinterested and the other cat very curious about the small creature in the cage. He decided that one was his pet! Good thing he took the caretaker position seriously, as that particular mouse was an escape artist. I would find it everywhere and the cat always let me know where it was. He really watched over his pet! This mouse was very social and liked to be where people were. If no one paid any attention to it, it would rattle the water bottle on its cage to attract attention. When the children took the mouse out to play with it the cat was always nearby in his cat bed watching. One day while the cat was in his bed the children put the mouse in with the cat, and the mouse promptly crawled up on the cat’s head and settled down for a nap! I guess the mouse felt secure napping with his caretaker!

We lived n a nice 2nd floor apartment in a New Jersey suburb at a time when it was safe for people to leave their doors open at night. My parents always left the door ajar for the cat to come and go at night. She had a habit of waking them up in the mornings by biting them on the nose. If that didn’t arouse them her 2nd ploy was to jump on the headboard of the bed and reach her paw up under the painting they had hung above the bed. She would look down at them, and pull it away from the wall. It worked every time to get them up. One night my dad was awakened by something cold and wet swishing across his face. He opened his eyes and there was the cat with a dead bird in her mouth trying to bite his nose to show him her gift. He got up, thanked her for the gift and told he preferred his birds alive, and went back to bed. An hour later, she was back with a live bird which she turned loose in the bedroom for him. Again he got up, thanked her, caught the bird and put it out. He then shut the door and put some fresh catnip in her cat condo for her. She went in and curled up in her condo and he went back to bed!

I have a good friend Jim, who visits regularly and he and my cat Misty, have really bonded over time. It took some time as he had never been around cats. It is a lot of fun to watch them interact. When he goes into the TV room she eagerly follows him as she loves his attention and even demands it now. He will sit on the sofa and she will sit on the floor in front of him. She sits staring up at his face and swishing her tail. After he makes eye contact with her she will jump up on the arm of the sofa next to him. She watches his hand, and when he lifts it up she will twist her head around to get under it. From this point on it is a series of moving her head from one position to another showing him just where she wants to be scratched or rubbed. All the while he is doing this, he talks to her. When she has had enough she will sit up tall for him to pet her head and down her back. Now, she is finished and will go and curl up on her cozy heated cat bed leaving him to watch his program on TV peacefully!

We were traveling across country with our children and our big playful cat who loved to ride in the car. When we arrived at our first designated stop, we found a lovely hotel and checked in. They approved of pets so we booked our suite for a week. It happened that one day while we were out sightseeing a new chambermaid came in to change the linens and clean. She was unaware of our pet occupying the premises and the cat had been asleep in the closet ion the shelf. (One of his favorite things to do was jump out of hidden places and scare us)! Well, he played his favorite game on the unsuspecting chambermaid and jumped out of the closet and startled her. She let out a scream and people came running from all directions to see what happened! The cat was sitting there very complacently watching the havoc he created. Needless to say, we immediately went out and purchased a wicker cat crate for him to sleep in while we were out. No more of his antics to scare the chambermaid!

The American Curl is an interesting and adorable breed. Distinguished by their unique ears, which give them an almost “teddy bear” look. When they are born, their ears are straight and gradually curl backwards at the tips as they age, with long tufts of fur fanning outward. The major characteristics of theses cats are their curled ears, medium sized bodies, silky coats and walnut shaped eyes. There are long or short haired varieties as well as different colors and patterns. These cats have no physical disabilities to pass on as well, making them ideal pets. However, selective breeding of these cats did not begin until 1983. American Curls are very people oriented and have unique personalities. They retain their kitten-like personalities into adulthood, adjusting quickly to other pets, children and new situations. They talk in little trill-like cooing sounds. A cat gym is perfect for these darling c ats.