Cat Views

There once was a cat named Chet
He really was such a special pet
To his owners he was quite a love
They even created a walkway high above
Up where he was free to roam
Feeling safe and comfy in his home
A beautiful cat tree for him was even provided
Giving him a wonderful place to hide in

I was sitting in my chair reading a book and my big white cat usually joins me on my lap, and she didn’t at least not right away. Suddenly, she came rushing in the pet door, into the room, and immediately started circling around the chair. She raced around and around the chair and paused several times and then continued to circle. Finally, she gave up, jumped in my lap, and settled down for a snooze. That I thought was the end of it, and wondered what had gotten her so stirred up. The next day, I found out what it was! I was in the kitchen running cleaner through my coffee maker and had placed a sandwich bag on the counter in preparation for use. Paying attention to the coffee maker I heard a rustling sound alongside me. Knowing that the sandwich bag was flat and wasn’t rustling, I ignored it the first time. The second time I heard it I turned just in time to see a small tail vanishing into a partially opened stack of saltine crackers on the counter. Oh no, I said to myself NOT another lizard! Grabbing the package by the top and pinching it closed, I saw the culprit. A little tiny MOUSE! So, mouse and crackers were removed from the premises to the outdoors. I realized she had brought it in to play with and that was what she was chasing around my chair. Enough of this, I decided it was time to go to My Cat’s Heaven and order her a cat gym to keep her busy and no more hunting for live toys!

A mother cat will often catch prey (usually a mouse or lizard) to teach her kittens how to hunt. Once she has the prey she takes it to her kittens and turns it loose for them to learn to catch. Older cats will catch small prey for food or sport depending upon their circumstances. Our household pets consisted of 6 active cats and one very large dog. One afternoon I walked into the kitchen and was surprised to find all six cats in a circle in the middle of the floor. They had a little mouse running around in the middle of the circle. It was quite a sight and they would bat at it as it came near them. I am standing there wondering what to do about the situation when all of a sudden I yelled, “will one of you guys catch that mouse and take it outside”! Well, the smallest of the cats ran and grabbed the mouse while the others just sat and looked at each other. He scooted out the door with the mouse and that was the last we saw of it. As a reward for his cooperation we bought him his own personal Baza Hammock which he loves and is very protective of.

My sister-in-law and her husband live in a beautiful RV Park in Florida. They will occasionally find Palmetto bugs inside and their cat, a Rag Doll named Big Boy, seems to have a personal vendetta against these intruders! She says he is an excellent “bug detector” and very good at capturing them as well. He will suddenly spot one and go tearing across the room and even half way up the wall to get it. If he spots one on the ceiling he wants to be held up to catch it and of course, my brother-in-law obliges him. When Big Boy is not watching out of the window, bug detecting, or demanding more than his share of the attention, he loves to curl up in his Baza Hammock and rest. The Hammock purchased from My Cats Heaven is his reward for his untiring work as a bug detector.

“Cateristics “of the Turkish Van . We all know that the majority of cats do not like to be wet! These gorgeous Turkish Van cats love water. They are beautiful white cats with red spots on their heads a red tails. They also breed true to their color. Turkish Vans or just “Vans” as they are called have unique personalities.  They are very intelligent and playful cats. Some Vans love to fetch and retrieve and will play with anything they find around and socks are a favored item. Opening cabinets and doors are no problem for them, and if they can’t do it easily the will work out a solution. Dog-like, they will follow their favorite person around. These cats are very adaptable and get along well with other kinds of animals such as dogs, birds and reptiles. Once they meet the other household pets and become a family member they readily establish themselves as the Alpha pet! They do not like being held, but will lie in your lap. Petting and stroking is always acceptable but prefer to have all 4 feet on the ground. Their most distinctive characteristic is the love of water! They love to swim and will swim in streams, ponds, pools, and lakes and even water troughs. Some people will even provide a kiddy pool for them to swim in. After exercising they love to curl up in a cozy cat bed.

Eddie, a black and white cat was given a lovely present by his owner, or shall I say “human” because anyone who has cats knows that they don’t “own” them! It is usually the other way around. In any case, Eddie was given a Cat Cocoon and discovered his playmates (ferrets) also loved the cocoon and he and the ferrets would hide, and play around in and out of the cocoon. Really something to watch, but Eddie’s owner feels that Eddie is really playing “Whack a Mole”. Even though the ferret is quick, I guess Eddie must get the best shots in.

There once was a tabby named Austin
Who was really quite trustin’
What a cutie he was
Literally creating a buzz
Chewing on wires was his thing
They must give him a real zing
Charging him up to start a race
And win over any cat in the place
A winner, he lolls in his condo supreme
Receiving accolades that cause him to beam

Isn’t it funny how everyday happenings and dreams can co-mingle? I am presently recovering from back surgery in a rehabilitation center. The staff is excellent, very caring and professional. One of my favorite night staffers is a young man with a professional manner and a very quick sense of humor. Prior to retiring for the night I had received a phone call from Nancy at My Cat’s Heaven. She is forwarding to me e-mails from “Ozzie” a handsome Russian Blue. I am anxious to read “Ozzie’s” e-mails and view his photo. Here is where dreamland takes over. My favorite staffer offers to take me to meet Ozzie (only in dreams, right)? Okay, I say and off we go to meet this cat. Every time I spot a possible objective, he says “No, over here” and we continue the search. Finally, I was exhausted and called off the hunt after catching only glimpses of a Russian Blue.

I am now awake and anxiously waiting to view the e-mails and photo of Ozzie! He must be a very interesting cat if he can send his own e-mails and talk about his cat tower from My Cats Heaven. I wonder if he has his own credit card too! This is Ozzie’s photo and he is indeed a very handsome cat!

Have you ever noticed how cross-eyed some cats are? Siamese are notably cross-eyed, but it is so slight in some that we take no notice of it. When we acquired our delightful little four month old Blue Point Siamese kitten we often remarked about how “klutzy” he was. His wacky antics were very entertaining and always good for a chuckle at the surprised look on his face when he would go to jump from one place to another and fall short. One of his favorite things to do was jump up on the table and join me for an early morning “cuppa”. We did this for some time with no mishaps until, one morning he missed his target destination! He landed right next to my coffee cup (freshly poured and piping hot) and accidently dipped his tail in the cup. Startled, he almost literally flew across the room thus ending our morning coffee breaks! After this incident we really looked more closely at what we had thought were his “klutzy” antics and discovered that he was slightly cross-eyed. We decided we needed to provide a safer place for him to play and purchased a cat gym on which he enjoyed many hours of delightful and safe play.

Over the years we have had 7 cats (all at one time) but the first two created many memories with their quirky antics. Alex was a big black ALPHA male cat. He was the first cat; our second was a darling Blue-point Siamese named Pye. When Pye first joined our family, Alex was furious!  After several months they finally decided to just barely tolerate each other.  Pye still continued to try to make friendly advances and was always rebuffed by Alex. Two years later we moved to a new location, and shortly thereafter Alex broke his leg. The vet put a metal loop cast on his leg and naturally Alex kept trying to get it off. Finally, as a last resort we put him in a waxed chicken box with holes all around the sides and tied the lid down. He was placed in there when no one was available to sit and hold him. Whenever he was in the box Pye would go and peer into the holes. Every time he did, a big black paw would shoot out and bop him on the nose. Pye would just shake his head, and go right back and try again always with the same result. He would then wander off and curl up in his cushy cat cave keeping a watchful eye on the box. Once Alex was healed and the cast removed the two became really close friends and peace reigned in the household.