Cat Views

Tigger

There once was a cat named “Tigger”
Who imagined himself very much bigger
A bully he became
Loving the new game
Until he met feisty little miss
He could not scare with his hiss
She turned on him with a growl
That, really made him run and yowl
What an awful scare she gave him
He ran and his in his cat condominium

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

No… I don’t think so! Or if there is one more, we’ll have to ask the guys already in their preferred spots, which one is going give up their new favorite cat perch! Meet sweet Miss Melody (top), Max; middle perch who looks like he was built right onto it (!) & Nile; the cool-looking guy on the bottom shelf ready to fight-off any unwelcomed interloper! Most definitely, they’re all enjoying their new 47” custom Kitty Hotel with Perch Top. Here’s what their humans had to say:

“I’m sending as an attachment a picture of our kitties enjoying their new kitty condo. As you can see, they have really taken to it!!! Melody, the smallest of the trio, loves sitting on the perch, while Max and Niles play tag on the lower levels. We had originally planned on putting the condo in the office, next to the window.  However, we decided to leave it in the living room for our enjoyment, too! You’ve made a product that is attractive enough to have in the living room and sturdy enough to hold up to the Melody, Max & Nile’s Test! Thanks again!”

Sincerely,
Ron & Marsha :: Orange County CA

Valentine’s Day isn’t just for humans! No, in fact I bet a lot of us live with cats who are a more affectionate than some people we know! In an article featured on our site at The Daily Cat discusses some interesting “I Love You” cat behaviors. Cat behaviorist expert Jackson Galaxy, (wow, what a name!) says, “Absolutely! …. cats are the masters of detached love.” I wonder, does that mean those of us so crazy about cats prefer “detached” love. Hum, that’s something to ponder. “They express love in ways that baffle us”. Here’s just a few “you’re my human” antics:

1. Grooming: Your cat licking you mimics their mother’s love
2. Purring (my favorite!): Associated with “kitty”hood milk-time feeding experience.
3. Rubbing, Kneading, Mock Spraying & Gumming: Scenting you to claim you as there own
4. Blinking: A stare (we all know that one!), followed by a blink, then open eye with second soft blink signifying trust.
5. Gifting Dead Critters (I get LOTS of gifts!!): Rather than a “gift” its bringing home to a safe place.

How do we tell them, “I Love You”? Offer them supreme bliss with a new cuddly cat condo! This is a wonderful article, filled with an insightful perspective on cat behavior. Be sure to take just a minute to learn more about “let me count the ways!”

Yesterday I was bemoaning the exercise of month-end accounting. Interesting how quickly things can be put into perspective! The other day, we got an order for a 47” Kitty Hotel cat condo from a customer inOhio. There order specified a different shipping address from their billing address. We have our system set up to trigger an alert from our credit card processor as an added safety precaution service for our customers. We decided the service it was necessary and prudent when we began to experience a trend of increasing fraudulent sales; unauthorized use of other peoples’ credit cards. Getting back to our Kitty Hotel story, I called the customer to verify the address discrepancy. While on the phone, I like to take the opportunity to bond with our customers. It’s a great opportunity to learn more about what they think of the site (easy to navigate, easy to find) and about why they selected a particular item. I discovered during the call, that our customer had experienced a serious accident, resulting in major life changes one including adopting Bootsie, an abandoned cat. Bootsie has now become a most-favored part of the family, being a wonderful companion to someone suffering life’s challenges.

My friend has a big white cat with big feet (6 toes). These big feet give her problems and she sometimes finds herself in difficult and entertaining situations. People comment about her very large cat feet and become fascinated when they find out she has 6 toes. Charmayne will stick her paw into something she finds interesting and almost always needs help to get her paw out. Over time she has mastered most of these situations but there is one that still baffles her. Her favorite thing to do is get up and walk across the top of the large plasma TV. She balances well, and once she gets across she has not figured out how to turn around to get back. Naturally, she always ends up falling off and running to hide in her Great Escape Cat Condo to cover her embarrassment.

There once was a kitty named Miss Grace
She was a cat of very discerning taste
Her friend Frankie was a playful pal
He’ really chase after this little gal
Into her lovely cat condo she’d go
A peaceful place to lay low
She’d watch as Frankie passed her by
Peering out of the doorway with one eye
Frankie would give up the hunt
And go off to create another stunt

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

We hear many stories about wonderful things pets do for their owners and are very complacent about them. Usually, we just take our animals for granted. We read about dogs being trained as “sniffer” dogs, rescue dogs, service dogs and so on. What do we read about cats? They always seem to have to be rescued from some situation they have gotten themselves into. However, cats have saved their owners by alerting them to fires, robberies, even to attacking the perpetrator, and finding help when their owner is in distress. In a recent newspaper article there was a cat who had just been certified as a Service Cat. Truly these are wonderful animals! There are dogs that can even sniff out cancer.

Cats seem to instinctively know when someone is dying or very ill and will gravitate toward this person and their family. The cat will stay as long as necessary to provide comfort. A warm, purring presence next to you can be very comforting in times of stress. Just sitting and stroking their soft fur can provide you with a feeling that you are not alone in your grief. Our pets have a lot to give us and we need to pamper them in return. Cozy pet beds provide them with a comfortable place to curl up and nap, (when not on duty), and cats love condos and perches as well.

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.