It's Sunday again, so here I am. I apologize for posting a little later today, but Gregg's been sleeping most of the day...poor thing hasn't been feeling well. He went out last night, came back smelling of something bittersweet, and seems to have been feeling awful ever since. I have no sympathy, as long as it isn't genuine sickness. He seems well enough to post now, though, so here comes the stuff that passes for my wisdom and insight.
Today, I want to talk about something both obvious and strange...namely, mewing. Today's offering is apt to be more musing and thoughtful than wise or insightful, I'm afraid. Some of us - cats and people, I've heard Gregg attempt it sometimes - do it a lot, while others don't. I'd class myself as one of the quiet ones, unless some other cat is trying to pester me or stake out my house as their own of course. Ming, so recently departed, would mew at pretty much anything, including things only he cared about (like towels, doors and the full food bowl). It's something I've always wondered about.
I keep myself fairly quiet when I'm being touched, but am happy to purr to show my appreciation. I've heard that some cats will even mew for a human while they're being stroked or cuddled, and I wonder why this is...don't they feel that their proximity and purr is good enough? I'll also greet new humans with a plaintive meow or two, but Ming was absolutely effusive with certain people (especially Gregg)...quite honestly, that kitten wouldn't shut up! My greeting is to let whoever it is know that I know they're there and that I intend to be friendly. I usually won't rub legs and ankles right away, but prefer to stand near a place underneath which I can hide, such as a couch or table, while the new human or humans get settled. Michael, mentioned in last week's post, was very strange, as I may have said...rubbing ankles, purring, mewing and even hissing for no good reason! I'll also mew for food when Gregg's in the kitchen, whether I have food at hand or not, but I know a lot of cats who do that...we just can't help ourselves sometimes.
What makes me wonder is why more cats aren't like me. Mother cats will talk to kittens, and kittens to their mother, with lots of meows, and when cats want to fight they'll sometimes growl and scream at one another...but otherwise, we don't use these noises with one another. Why is each of us different with humans? What makes one cat very chatty and another nearly silent? What makes one cat greet humans while another will only meow loudly in the kitchen? And what, pray tell, makes a cat make any sound at all besides purring while they're being touched? Humans wouldn't understand even if they could mew like we can - which they can't, though goodness knows they try too hard - so are cats trying too hard to communicate? For that matter, why are humans often pleased to hear cats mew when they don't understand a word? It's just a little sound most of the time, and a good solid purr is much much nicer.
That's a lot of questions, I know, and most of them probably don't have a general answer that will fit them properly. It's just something to ponder on, that's all. It might be another level of the trainable behaviour humans expect of us, I suppose. I know it is to a small extent with me. Because Gregg's eyes don't work, he doesn't always know exactly where I am if I'm lying still; my collar gives me away if I jump, move quickly or shake my head as I often do when stretching. I will often mew very softly - more a mutter than a meow, actually - to let him know I'm lying nearby, whether I'm in the middle of the floor, sprawled on his bed or draped over the back of his comfortable chair. I've learned that it's good if I do this because otherwise I might get kicked, leaned on or, worst of all, sat on! It's happened before, ladies and gentlemen...though usually it's a matter of his backside coming toward me, brushing me and giving me enough time to scamper. He's never actually squished me fully that I can remember, except when he stepped on two of my feet as a kitten. I was younger and sillier then, lying flat in the middle of the kitchen floor, and I guess he had no way of knowing I was there. In any case, a good portion of my vocalizations are at least partially to let Gregg know where I am or, if he seems to know that already, that I'm awake nearby and ready for more petting. Aside from food and greeting, that's about the only mewing I do.
...No, wait a moment. I have to be honest. Off and on for pretty much all of my life, I've tried to talk to things. I try to do it when no one will pay me any mind, but I've probably been found out by now. It happens rarely, but I've tried to converse with everything from the faucet in the bathtub to a plastic bag blowing in a breeze. Oh, and birds...though I fail miserably every time I try to make them understand how much I want to chase them. Do any of you other cats have strange habits regarding the noises you make, and do any of you have any idea why we bother? It's been eleven years and I still can't quite figure myself out.
I think I've rambled quite enough for today. I'm sorry to those who might have expected a more...intelligent entry, but I was having a chat with Gregg's curtains this morning while he tried to sleep and decided I wanted to talk about the commonness - and strangeness - of cats mewing. If any of you have much to say on the subject, feel free to let me know. We all might learn a thing or two.
Sunday, 23 January 2011
Tuesday, 18 January 2011
Short and Sweet
Sorry, folks, but this is going to be a short post as the human, selfish thing that she is, says she's too busy to write for me today. Why, you might ask. Well, allow me to tell you.
It's because we're going on a journey. We're heading up to Dogman's place tomorrow evening cuz the human needs to help him out. he had some important teaching to do at his work hunt place in the evening on Thursday, but what with his grandad and all, he just hasn't had the inclination to prepare anything for the session. It's top level massage stuff which the human knows well cuz she's a physio. For her, there's no preparation needed, really, but she said she'd do it for him so that he didn't have to worry.
Grandad's funeral is on Friday, so she's going to stay up there for that. She says she won't go. She hates hates hates funerals, and would rather just remember them as they were, without having the final closure of the ceremony. So she'll travel back to Dogman's house (the teaching place is a little bit away, so she'll stay over that night, then come back to Dogman's the day after in the morning). That means she can look after Dogman's sister's humankittens when they come home from school, so that Dogman's sister can go to the funeral too. She'll also be looking after Dogface so that Dogman doesn't have to worry about her for those few days.
But there's more, cuz guess what? I'll be coming too! Oh yes I will. The human says she'd rather have me with her for the weekend so that she's not worrying in case I get sick or anything. She says if I liked the cat sitter that she uses, she'd not worry about leaving me, but when that lady comes, I hiss and spit and hide from her, so she wouldn't really be able to check me out to make sure I wasn't sick. Anyway, I like being with the human better, and I know Dogman's house now, so it won't be stressy or anything. Plus, I get to try out my new backpack carrier. It came a few days ago. The human got puppy training pads for the bottom of it cuz it's going to be a long, looooong journey. So if I do have an accident, it doesn't matter. It'll soak up real good. That's a relief for me, cuz that was mighty embarrassing last time!
But that's why she's busy tonight. us ladycats don't travel light, you know. There's litter and foods and a box and more foods and ping pong balls to be packed. There might be some room left for human stuff to go in there too, but just maybe. She's doing all that tonight, plus cleaning my boxes too (I have two in the house) so that they're all nice and fresh for when I come back. nice of her, isn't it? But it means she's running around like crazy tonight trying to get it all done, cuz we leave straight after the work hunt is over tomorrow.
Shoot me for saying it, but I'm kinda looking forward to seeing Dogface again. The house just hasn't been the same without her idiocy. The stupidity highlights my cleverness, so it did have its use. Ah well, I'll have a weekend of it. I will update you when I can.
It's because we're going on a journey. We're heading up to Dogman's place tomorrow evening cuz the human needs to help him out. he had some important teaching to do at his work hunt place in the evening on Thursday, but what with his grandad and all, he just hasn't had the inclination to prepare anything for the session. It's top level massage stuff which the human knows well cuz she's a physio. For her, there's no preparation needed, really, but she said she'd do it for him so that he didn't have to worry.
Grandad's funeral is on Friday, so she's going to stay up there for that. She says she won't go. She hates hates hates funerals, and would rather just remember them as they were, without having the final closure of the ceremony. So she'll travel back to Dogman's house (the teaching place is a little bit away, so she'll stay over that night, then come back to Dogman's the day after in the morning). That means she can look after Dogman's sister's humankittens when they come home from school, so that Dogman's sister can go to the funeral too. She'll also be looking after Dogface so that Dogman doesn't have to worry about her for those few days.
But there's more, cuz guess what? I'll be coming too! Oh yes I will. The human says she'd rather have me with her for the weekend so that she's not worrying in case I get sick or anything. She says if I liked the cat sitter that she uses, she'd not worry about leaving me, but when that lady comes, I hiss and spit and hide from her, so she wouldn't really be able to check me out to make sure I wasn't sick. Anyway, I like being with the human better, and I know Dogman's house now, so it won't be stressy or anything. Plus, I get to try out my new backpack carrier. It came a few days ago. The human got puppy training pads for the bottom of it cuz it's going to be a long, looooong journey. So if I do have an accident, it doesn't matter. It'll soak up real good. That's a relief for me, cuz that was mighty embarrassing last time!
But that's why she's busy tonight. us ladycats don't travel light, you know. There's litter and foods and a box and more foods and ping pong balls to be packed. There might be some room left for human stuff to go in there too, but just maybe. She's doing all that tonight, plus cleaning my boxes too (I have two in the house) so that they're all nice and fresh for when I come back. nice of her, isn't it? But it means she's running around like crazy tonight trying to get it all done, cuz we leave straight after the work hunt is over tomorrow.
Shoot me for saying it, but I'm kinda looking forward to seeing Dogface again. The house just hasn't been the same without her idiocy. The stupidity highlights my cleverness, so it did have its use. Ah well, I'll have a weekend of it. I will update you when I can.
Sunday, 16 January 2011
Supposedly Sage Sunday: Are We Not Cats?
Hello again to one and all, and welcome to another session of insight and rambling hosted by yours truly. It's still fairly early here, and very cold outside, so you must pardon me if what follows seems a little deeper than last week. I've had a lot of time to think in the last while, and what I want to talk with you about today is the behaviour of cats...and more specifically, the way that cats and people seem to be more alike than meets the eye of the casual observer.
Every cat, and every person, is different in some way from every other. I've lived long enough to see that this is true, even when two cats or two people are for some reason trying to do the same thing or seem the same way. I don't think this difference will ever go away entirely, though I suppose I could be wrong about it. And yet, despite the things which make us unique, many of us seem destined to mimic our care-giver's feelings and moods.
Take kittens, for instance. They begin life clinging to their mother and crying whenever human predators get close to them. Eventually, they are taught not to fear humans, after which much handling and purring and stroking are sure to follow. All that attention is undoubtedly wonderful, but most young cats suddenly seem to decide - perhaps willingly, but perhaps without even realizing it - that humans should be emulated and depended upon. Soon they begin to follow the human around, begging for food and interaction while forgetting mostly about hunting and other such things. Give them a little while longer, and they will perform tasks to get what they want - sitting up prettily to receive a treat, for instance - which puts me in mind of one human working for another and doing much the same thing. The human wants the cat to behave a certain way, offers a reward, and elicits the action easily because of it. Cats who think they are training their human have to realize one thing: they may be doing so on some level, but a human's training has a lot more punch to it because they're smarter than we are - perhaps not as smart as they think they are, but just look around you for proof that they're very intelligent creatures - and because they're ultimately the ones who mostly control what and when we eat, and even where we go. Aside from training in this way, most cats who live with people tend eventually to seek affection out. People have wonderfully nice hands, and I can forgive their strange murmurs and babbles and word sounds as long as I'm getting lots of petting. Cats raised on their own don't tend to seek the attention of humans, yet those who live with humans abandon their self-reliant nature and all but beg to be cuddled and stroked. Humans are very social, always talking or touching or interacting in some way, and it comes to me that perhaps cats, seeing this in various ways as they get older, realize that they ought to conform in order to make their stay with the humans easier.
Here's what I'm really getting at, folks. When cats are around humans long enough, I think they almost stop being cats in the truest sense. Their attitudes become noticeably high-handed and smug despite the limitations within which they live; their actions often mimic those of the people with whom they're staying; most telling of all, though, they seem to forget - or at the least, to more or less abandon - some of the essentials of being a cat. Before I go any further, I want to say right here that I'm just as guilty of all of these things as the next cat is, as can probably have been figured out by now. I'm not attacking anyone or talking ill of cats in general; I'm simply musing on the impact humans tend to have over us. In fact, I bet many of you have had similar thoughts, but I've yet to see anyone else admit to it. The way I see it, happiness and comfort are what counts...and if that means a bit of accommodation to suit the situation, go for it.
I mentioned in a post a few days ago a cat named Michael. He's gone now, sadly, but his story is an oddly telling one, and a clear example of what happens when this unconscious training and mimicry goes horribly wrong.
Someone in Gregg's family got a kitten a long long time ago, when Gregg was still young. The person's name is Rob, and he's still very much alive; the kitten's name, at the time, was Muscles. Rob used to go to work every day and leave Muscles at home. This by itself wouldn't have been too bad, but Muscles was desperate for some kind of attention by the time anyone got back to their house, and so he'd climb all over just about anything that moved. He was very friendly but full of fun, as Gregg tells me...one of those kittens who wants to play and be everywhere at once. Rob encouraged this behaviour far far too much, and would make the kitten angry and upset by playing with it long past the point where play was fun. In short order, Muscles began to use his teeth and claws while playing, to the point that Gregg no longer wanted to touch him for fear of being slashed or bitten. Some small time later, Muscles was given to Gregg's grandparents and quickly renamed Michael. He grew to be a huge cat, but unfortunately never recovered from his kittenhood. As time went by, Michael became known for extremely odd behaviour; for instance, he'd greet you when you came to his house by mewing way back in his throat, rubbing against your ankles, then hissing before commencing a purr. You couldn't touch him while in this mood, as he'd hiss and spit at you - and even attempt a bite if you weren't quick - before scampering off to look at you from some higher vantage point. Periodic attacks on Gregg's grandmother eventually led to Michael first losing his front claws, then his fangs, seriously crippling his ability to do damage. Gregg's grandfather claims that Michael eventually got to a point where he'd lay on his chest while he was reading, and I do believe it, but I bet it was years before it came to pass. That cat lived a fairly long life, but eventually died of something Gregg calls cancer.
I tell this story as something of an object lesson. Michael is a fairly rare case, I'm sure, but both people and cats should keep it in mind. When people and cats live together, cats grow more dependent than they otherwise would; whether or not it's -too dependent is a debate I'm not really prepared to sink my teeth into at the moment. Suffice to say that this dependency and behaviour change can be a wonderful thing when you get what you want, but can go dreadfully wrong if you live with humans who don't care much. To all the humans out there who might read this, please remember that your cats, young and crazy and timid and strange as they might be, are trying to adapt to you being a constant part of their lives, and that it's harder for them than for you in most cases. To all the cats who might read this, please remember that your human is smarter than you, but should not be resented (or excessively mimicked in deed or action) simply because of their greater intelligence. Rely on them because you have little choice, but try to retain enough of your independence that you can live without their presence or intervention as much as possible. When cats run away or when humans give us up for adoption for no particular behavioural reason, I bet it's often because all involved had not struck - or could not strike - the necessary balance to live together. It's not hard, you know...not nearly as hard as I make it sound. Just keep your own skills and strengths in mind, avoid being arrogant and focused on how you look - as some people regrettably are - and you'll do just fine.
Every cat, and every person, is different in some way from every other. I've lived long enough to see that this is true, even when two cats or two people are for some reason trying to do the same thing or seem the same way. I don't think this difference will ever go away entirely, though I suppose I could be wrong about it. And yet, despite the things which make us unique, many of us seem destined to mimic our care-giver's feelings and moods.
Take kittens, for instance. They begin life clinging to their mother and crying whenever human predators get close to them. Eventually, they are taught not to fear humans, after which much handling and purring and stroking are sure to follow. All that attention is undoubtedly wonderful, but most young cats suddenly seem to decide - perhaps willingly, but perhaps without even realizing it - that humans should be emulated and depended upon. Soon they begin to follow the human around, begging for food and interaction while forgetting mostly about hunting and other such things. Give them a little while longer, and they will perform tasks to get what they want - sitting up prettily to receive a treat, for instance - which puts me in mind of one human working for another and doing much the same thing. The human wants the cat to behave a certain way, offers a reward, and elicits the action easily because of it. Cats who think they are training their human have to realize one thing: they may be doing so on some level, but a human's training has a lot more punch to it because they're smarter than we are - perhaps not as smart as they think they are, but just look around you for proof that they're very intelligent creatures - and because they're ultimately the ones who mostly control what and when we eat, and even where we go. Aside from training in this way, most cats who live with people tend eventually to seek affection out. People have wonderfully nice hands, and I can forgive their strange murmurs and babbles and word sounds as long as I'm getting lots of petting. Cats raised on their own don't tend to seek the attention of humans, yet those who live with humans abandon their self-reliant nature and all but beg to be cuddled and stroked. Humans are very social, always talking or touching or interacting in some way, and it comes to me that perhaps cats, seeing this in various ways as they get older, realize that they ought to conform in order to make their stay with the humans easier.
Here's what I'm really getting at, folks. When cats are around humans long enough, I think they almost stop being cats in the truest sense. Their attitudes become noticeably high-handed and smug despite the limitations within which they live; their actions often mimic those of the people with whom they're staying; most telling of all, though, they seem to forget - or at the least, to more or less abandon - some of the essentials of being a cat. Before I go any further, I want to say right here that I'm just as guilty of all of these things as the next cat is, as can probably have been figured out by now. I'm not attacking anyone or talking ill of cats in general; I'm simply musing on the impact humans tend to have over us. In fact, I bet many of you have had similar thoughts, but I've yet to see anyone else admit to it. The way I see it, happiness and comfort are what counts...and if that means a bit of accommodation to suit the situation, go for it.
I mentioned in a post a few days ago a cat named Michael. He's gone now, sadly, but his story is an oddly telling one, and a clear example of what happens when this unconscious training and mimicry goes horribly wrong.
Someone in Gregg's family got a kitten a long long time ago, when Gregg was still young. The person's name is Rob, and he's still very much alive; the kitten's name, at the time, was Muscles. Rob used to go to work every day and leave Muscles at home. This by itself wouldn't have been too bad, but Muscles was desperate for some kind of attention by the time anyone got back to their house, and so he'd climb all over just about anything that moved. He was very friendly but full of fun, as Gregg tells me...one of those kittens who wants to play and be everywhere at once. Rob encouraged this behaviour far far too much, and would make the kitten angry and upset by playing with it long past the point where play was fun. In short order, Muscles began to use his teeth and claws while playing, to the point that Gregg no longer wanted to touch him for fear of being slashed or bitten. Some small time later, Muscles was given to Gregg's grandparents and quickly renamed Michael. He grew to be a huge cat, but unfortunately never recovered from his kittenhood. As time went by, Michael became known for extremely odd behaviour; for instance, he'd greet you when you came to his house by mewing way back in his throat, rubbing against your ankles, then hissing before commencing a purr. You couldn't touch him while in this mood, as he'd hiss and spit at you - and even attempt a bite if you weren't quick - before scampering off to look at you from some higher vantage point. Periodic attacks on Gregg's grandmother eventually led to Michael first losing his front claws, then his fangs, seriously crippling his ability to do damage. Gregg's grandfather claims that Michael eventually got to a point where he'd lay on his chest while he was reading, and I do believe it, but I bet it was years before it came to pass. That cat lived a fairly long life, but eventually died of something Gregg calls cancer.
I tell this story as something of an object lesson. Michael is a fairly rare case, I'm sure, but both people and cats should keep it in mind. When people and cats live together, cats grow more dependent than they otherwise would; whether or not it's -too dependent is a debate I'm not really prepared to sink my teeth into at the moment. Suffice to say that this dependency and behaviour change can be a wonderful thing when you get what you want, but can go dreadfully wrong if you live with humans who don't care much. To all the humans out there who might read this, please remember that your cats, young and crazy and timid and strange as they might be, are trying to adapt to you being a constant part of their lives, and that it's harder for them than for you in most cases. To all the cats who might read this, please remember that your human is smarter than you, but should not be resented (or excessively mimicked in deed or action) simply because of their greater intelligence. Rely on them because you have little choice, but try to retain enough of your independence that you can live without their presence or intervention as much as possible. When cats run away or when humans give us up for adoption for no particular behavioural reason, I bet it's often because all involved had not struck - or could not strike - the necessary balance to live together. It's not hard, you know...not nearly as hard as I make it sound. Just keep your own skills and strengths in mind, avoid being arrogant and focused on how you look - as some people regrettably are - and you'll do just fine.
Saturday, 15 January 2011
Saturday Stuff
Well, friends, there isn't really much to tell around here. It's been pretty quiet at casa de Tia... And human, I suppose. It turns out that Dogman just wants to be with his family and have some space this weekend, so although the human's been with him on the phone a lot, she's still up here in the house, feeding me and brushing me and snuggling me as she should. One thing she shouldn't be doing is bathing me though, and unfortunately, that's what happened to me this morning.
She said she thought it was about time I had a bath, that my coat was getting a bit greasy. The nerve of some humans! I mean, do I mention that her clothes smell nastily of detergent and stuff? Do I make a remark about how her tongue is hopelessly inept at cleaning her? Do I reference the fact that a body without fur looks disgusting? No! And yet, she has the tenacity to remark in an off-hand way that I am greasy. Well, if she had as much fur as I do to clean, perhaps she would be too!
So, in the bath I went. I could say a lot about how much I hate that blasted tub, but instead, let's focus on the positives, or rather, the positive. The human uses a baby shampoo on my fur. This has two good points. Firstly it makes my furrs beautiful and soft, and secondly, it doesn't leave too much of an icky smell behind it. The human says it makes me feel beautiful and shiny too, and that it won't irritate my skin.
Speaking of skin irritation, I'm back to scratching again. The human read somewhere that sometimes mites can migrate onto a cat's body. often they itch, but when lab cultures are taken, nothing shows up. She was questioning a while back whether I had ear mites, so now that she's seen me raking at my chin until I'm breaking skin, she's treating me with the nastiest smelling powder I ever did sniff! It hasta go on my skin to kill the horrid mites, but I tell you, I don't like it one bit! If that doesn't clear up my scratching, the human says that the water fountain will have to go. Before, when I was scratching my neck, the human was using plastic bowls for my foods and water. She got rid of them at the same time she put Soft Claws on me, so she's not sure if the bowls and plastic were the cause of the scratching, or whether the fact that it was allowed to heal that saw me all right again. you see, I had to bend forward to eat, which means that my neck might have rubbed the bowl. It's not all that uncommon for a cat to be alergic to plastic. I had a new water fountain that was bought months ago but that we couldn't use thanks to Mr Bug and my human worrying that he'd decide to live in the pump after jumping out of our mouths and into the water, but she gave me it after Dogface went, and ever since then, I've been scratching like mad. This one's a high fountain, so it would actuallly only be my chin touching it when I drink, and that's the only place I'm scratching.
Now, about Soft Claws. Pixal and Samba, we haven't forgotten the fact that you won and that we're sposed to mail you out a package of Soft Claws. There's a problem though. The company aren't being forthcoming with your prize. See, every time someone won, we had to tell the sponsoring company and they would supply the correct size and colour. We wrote to them when you won, but they haven't gotten back in contact with us since. We are still trying though. So sorry about the delay in you getting your prize! The human says some awful words when she looks at her email only to see that they have ignored another one. I can't repeat them. They aren't polite.
Hmmm, let's see, what else? Oh, the singing cat card arrived, except that it doesn't sing. The HGG told us it did, but she got it a little wrong. It's Ok. I'm not cross with her. She's old and has got some memory problems, so it's not uncommon that that happens. However, she still remembers me and how beautiful I am. She actually asked for all the human's photographs of me to be printed and brought at Christmas for her to look at, and I made sure the human bought her a Friends of the CB calendar too so that she could have fun looking at all of you in there, and me of course. Her eyesight's going, so she can't read so good any more, and that's something she used to do a lot. Now she likes looking at pictures a lot more, so the calendar was perfect. She loved it. She told the human all about the different pictures, and one of the blessings of her not having such a good memory is that, next time she picks it up, she always thinks she sees one or two new pictures that she hasn't ever noticed before. She asks the human about me all the time, and although she often forgets my name, she still remembers how much she liked me when she came to see the human way back before I started writing. I was super nice to her. I came and sat on her knee and cuddled her, and I didn't bite or scratch her once, even though when she picked me up it was a little uncomfortable. her left hand isn't so good any more cuz she had something called a stroke. That means that she doesn't hold onto me so good with that one, but has to hold extra tight with the right to stop me from falling back down when she picks me up. I got squirmy, and would try and ask the human to help the HGG instead of her struggling to do it herself, so for the most part it worked well. The HGG is quite squishy too, so makes for a great place to lie. The human thinks the HGG would do well to have a cat of her own for company, but the HGG worries about cleaning litterboxes. It's a pity really, as a quiet, older cat would make such a good companion for her.
But I was talking about cat cards, wasn't I? This one didn't sing, but it said meow and purred. I wasn't interested in the slightest. I knew it wasn't a real cat in there. It sounded way too fake! So, to all of you who were worrying, you can stop now. I have a way better reaction than the card when you rub my tummy. Sure, it might involve claws and teeth if I so decide, but it's still way better.
The human got the first of my vet bills sent back to her last week, and although the insurance covered some of it, there's still a lot left to pay. Hmmmm, wonder if we should go on the run? Nah, forget it, running sounds too much like hard work! Unless it's to chase a ping pong ball. In fact, is that one I see over there? I must go and investigate. It might take me some time...
She said she thought it was about time I had a bath, that my coat was getting a bit greasy. The nerve of some humans! I mean, do I mention that her clothes smell nastily of detergent and stuff? Do I make a remark about how her tongue is hopelessly inept at cleaning her? Do I reference the fact that a body without fur looks disgusting? No! And yet, she has the tenacity to remark in an off-hand way that I am greasy. Well, if she had as much fur as I do to clean, perhaps she would be too!
So, in the bath I went. I could say a lot about how much I hate that blasted tub, but instead, let's focus on the positives, or rather, the positive. The human uses a baby shampoo on my fur. This has two good points. Firstly it makes my furrs beautiful and soft, and secondly, it doesn't leave too much of an icky smell behind it. The human says it makes me feel beautiful and shiny too, and that it won't irritate my skin.
Speaking of skin irritation, I'm back to scratching again. The human read somewhere that sometimes mites can migrate onto a cat's body. often they itch, but when lab cultures are taken, nothing shows up. She was questioning a while back whether I had ear mites, so now that she's seen me raking at my chin until I'm breaking skin, she's treating me with the nastiest smelling powder I ever did sniff! It hasta go on my skin to kill the horrid mites, but I tell you, I don't like it one bit! If that doesn't clear up my scratching, the human says that the water fountain will have to go. Before, when I was scratching my neck, the human was using plastic bowls for my foods and water. She got rid of them at the same time she put Soft Claws on me, so she's not sure if the bowls and plastic were the cause of the scratching, or whether the fact that it was allowed to heal that saw me all right again. you see, I had to bend forward to eat, which means that my neck might have rubbed the bowl. It's not all that uncommon for a cat to be alergic to plastic. I had a new water fountain that was bought months ago but that we couldn't use thanks to Mr Bug and my human worrying that he'd decide to live in the pump after jumping out of our mouths and into the water, but she gave me it after Dogface went, and ever since then, I've been scratching like mad. This one's a high fountain, so it would actuallly only be my chin touching it when I drink, and that's the only place I'm scratching.
Now, about Soft Claws. Pixal and Samba, we haven't forgotten the fact that you won and that we're sposed to mail you out a package of Soft Claws. There's a problem though. The company aren't being forthcoming with your prize. See, every time someone won, we had to tell the sponsoring company and they would supply the correct size and colour. We wrote to them when you won, but they haven't gotten back in contact with us since. We are still trying though. So sorry about the delay in you getting your prize! The human says some awful words when she looks at her email only to see that they have ignored another one. I can't repeat them. They aren't polite.
Hmmm, let's see, what else? Oh, the singing cat card arrived, except that it doesn't sing. The HGG told us it did, but she got it a little wrong. It's Ok. I'm not cross with her. She's old and has got some memory problems, so it's not uncommon that that happens. However, she still remembers me and how beautiful I am. She actually asked for all the human's photographs of me to be printed and brought at Christmas for her to look at, and I made sure the human bought her a Friends of the CB calendar too so that she could have fun looking at all of you in there, and me of course. Her eyesight's going, so she can't read so good any more, and that's something she used to do a lot. Now she likes looking at pictures a lot more, so the calendar was perfect. She loved it. She told the human all about the different pictures, and one of the blessings of her not having such a good memory is that, next time she picks it up, she always thinks she sees one or two new pictures that she hasn't ever noticed before. She asks the human about me all the time, and although she often forgets my name, she still remembers how much she liked me when she came to see the human way back before I started writing. I was super nice to her. I came and sat on her knee and cuddled her, and I didn't bite or scratch her once, even though when she picked me up it was a little uncomfortable. her left hand isn't so good any more cuz she had something called a stroke. That means that she doesn't hold onto me so good with that one, but has to hold extra tight with the right to stop me from falling back down when she picks me up. I got squirmy, and would try and ask the human to help the HGG instead of her struggling to do it herself, so for the most part it worked well. The HGG is quite squishy too, so makes for a great place to lie. The human thinks the HGG would do well to have a cat of her own for company, but the HGG worries about cleaning litterboxes. It's a pity really, as a quiet, older cat would make such a good companion for her.
But I was talking about cat cards, wasn't I? This one didn't sing, but it said meow and purred. I wasn't interested in the slightest. I knew it wasn't a real cat in there. It sounded way too fake! So, to all of you who were worrying, you can stop now. I have a way better reaction than the card when you rub my tummy. Sure, it might involve claws and teeth if I so decide, but it's still way better.
The human got the first of my vet bills sent back to her last week, and although the insurance covered some of it, there's still a lot left to pay. Hmmmm, wonder if we should go on the run? Nah, forget it, running sounds too much like hard work! Unless it's to chase a ping pong ball. In fact, is that one I see over there? I must go and investigate. It might take me some time...
Thursday, 13 January 2011
Happy and Sad
We have news, friends, but not all of it is good. My human is going to need some more snuggling, it seems. I'll tell you the sad first, then we can brighten a little with happy thoughts. Last night when it was dark outside, Dogman's grandad went to what some of you others called the rainbow bridge. The human knew him very well for years, and although he'd been sick for a long while with something even worse than runny eyes or even a runny bum, although they all expected it to happen, it's still come as a bit of a shock. Poor Dogman, like the human, found out when he was at work, and both have had to carry on their days there despite their grief. Dogman's grandad, even though I didn't know you, I think I would have liked you cuz the human says you were a happy man and a good cuddler. You will be missed by all you left behind. The human says she doesn't want to talk about this any more, and I can't blame her. It's about time she had a break, don't you think? I'm not one to go soft on her, but it just seems like it's been one thing after another after another for the last few months, with hardly time to surface and snatch a breath in between before the next wave comes. I will snuggle her silly tonight and eas her as much as I can.
Now, on to happier things. Thank you all so much for the human's birthday wishes. She saved them all up till the end of the day before she read them, and they gave her a happy face. She got presents too. Her cousin, the biggest humankitten that lives with little Phoebe actually, sent her some super posh chocolate in the post. The thing from the HGG was a bead for her Pandora charm bracelet. We can't work out what it is though, and the HGG can't remember (she has big memory problems), but it's an animal with a long tail that's kinda sitting up. The human thinks it's either a cat or a monkey. Oh, she's now officially considered the crazy cat lady too, or so she thinks. Her auntie, again the one that lives with Phoebe, says she sent her a birthday card with a cat face on it. When you open it and rub the cat's tummy, it even sings! The human says that when peoples search for birthday cards with cats on, it's a sign that you are the CCL. This singing sounds interesting to me though. I wonder if it's a skill I should start working on? Just as well it's only a picture and not a real cat else I'd have to get jealous! I will study its singing ability with great interest when mr postman finally drops it off in the post box.
When the human got home from the work hunt yesterday, there was a message from another friend of hers, not the one who cancelled, asking her if she was doing anything that evening. The friend, hmmmm, let's call her funny lady (cuz she speaks with a funny accent), wanted to know if the human would go out with her, and of course she said yes. I packed her off to do her cleaning in the shower. It's such a shame they don't have the tongue to do it thoroughly and propperly, isn't it? Then she put on the non-fur clothes to cover her body and off she went.
Well, funny lady had surpassed herself! Instead of taking the human out, she took her to her house where she had made the most beautiful meal. There was chicken pie (why didn't I get some!) and delfinoise potatoes whatever they are, and peas in a cream sauce. This was followed by chocolate cake and champagne. This was all freshly home made (well, except for the champagne), and was simply divine. They finished up by giving her a card that they had got their son, who also has broken eyes, to braille for her. He was so excited about the human reading it. He's still quite a small kitten, you see, so it was a big achievement for him to write it.
The human got back late and was quite tired, but she'd had a super day, far better than she expected it would be. But wait, there's more to come.
The human received perhaps the best present yesterday morning by email. It was news, and boy was it big news. You remember Sparkles, the cat with the lonely heart? Well, she's found her forever home! The human is so pleased about this. She felt an incredibly strong connection with Sparkles and would have taken her herself if there wasn't that huge ocean thing in between. As it was, she worked hard to make sure other peoples and cats and dogfaces featured her on their blogs. We even got her mentioned in Ireland! It simply made her day to know that yesterday, on her birthday of all days, Sparkles was adopted. And as if that wasn't coincidence enough, she's going to live with a lady who calls her blog Kat's Kats,. Her brother was adopted by another lady who writes Cat's Cats. How about that for an awesome confluence of events! Was there a reason for the connection the human felt? Well, I can't say, but it's pretty cool anyway. Sparkles, we hope your transport day this weekend goes super smoothly, and that you settle in well. You're going to a house of tims, so it shouldn't take you any time at all to begin your reign as princess supreme. You'll love it!
The human is waiting now only for her Birthday cards to arrive in the post, and to see whether she will go and be with Dogman to help him through his loss. She's told him she'll come, but he isn't sure he wants company, so if we don't blog for a few days, it's cuz the human has ran off to see him. Oh, that chocolate is certainly going to be needed to help get through the latest tough time. Now, where did I store the rest of my sandpaper kisses?
Now, on to happier things. Thank you all so much for the human's birthday wishes. She saved them all up till the end of the day before she read them, and they gave her a happy face. She got presents too. Her cousin, the biggest humankitten that lives with little Phoebe actually, sent her some super posh chocolate in the post. The thing from the HGG was a bead for her Pandora charm bracelet. We can't work out what it is though, and the HGG can't remember (she has big memory problems), but it's an animal with a long tail that's kinda sitting up. The human thinks it's either a cat or a monkey. Oh, she's now officially considered the crazy cat lady too, or so she thinks. Her auntie, again the one that lives with Phoebe, says she sent her a birthday card with a cat face on it. When you open it and rub the cat's tummy, it even sings! The human says that when peoples search for birthday cards with cats on, it's a sign that you are the CCL. This singing sounds interesting to me though. I wonder if it's a skill I should start working on? Just as well it's only a picture and not a real cat else I'd have to get jealous! I will study its singing ability with great interest when mr postman finally drops it off in the post box.
When the human got home from the work hunt yesterday, there was a message from another friend of hers, not the one who cancelled, asking her if she was doing anything that evening. The friend, hmmmm, let's call her funny lady (cuz she speaks with a funny accent), wanted to know if the human would go out with her, and of course she said yes. I packed her off to do her cleaning in the shower. It's such a shame they don't have the tongue to do it thoroughly and propperly, isn't it? Then she put on the non-fur clothes to cover her body and off she went.
Well, funny lady had surpassed herself! Instead of taking the human out, she took her to her house where she had made the most beautiful meal. There was chicken pie (why didn't I get some!) and delfinoise potatoes whatever they are, and peas in a cream sauce. This was followed by chocolate cake and champagne. This was all freshly home made (well, except for the champagne), and was simply divine. They finished up by giving her a card that they had got their son, who also has broken eyes, to braille for her. He was so excited about the human reading it. He's still quite a small kitten, you see, so it was a big achievement for him to write it.
The human got back late and was quite tired, but she'd had a super day, far better than she expected it would be. But wait, there's more to come.
The human received perhaps the best present yesterday morning by email. It was news, and boy was it big news. You remember Sparkles, the cat with the lonely heart? Well, she's found her forever home! The human is so pleased about this. She felt an incredibly strong connection with Sparkles and would have taken her herself if there wasn't that huge ocean thing in between. As it was, she worked hard to make sure other peoples and cats and dogfaces featured her on their blogs. We even got her mentioned in Ireland! It simply made her day to know that yesterday, on her birthday of all days, Sparkles was adopted. And as if that wasn't coincidence enough, she's going to live with a lady who calls her blog Kat's Kats,. Her brother was adopted by another lady who writes Cat's Cats. How about that for an awesome confluence of events! Was there a reason for the connection the human felt? Well, I can't say, but it's pretty cool anyway. Sparkles, we hope your transport day this weekend goes super smoothly, and that you settle in well. You're going to a house of tims, so it shouldn't take you any time at all to begin your reign as princess supreme. You'll love it!
The human is waiting now only for her Birthday cards to arrive in the post, and to see whether she will go and be with Dogman to help him through his loss. She's told him she'll come, but he isn't sure he wants company, so if we don't blog for a few days, it's cuz the human has ran off to see him. Oh, that chocolate is certainly going to be needed to help get through the latest tough time. Now, where did I store the rest of my sandpaper kisses?
Wednesday, 12 January 2011
Happy Birthday, Human!
It's finally here, oh yes it is! My human gets a year older today. I don't understand how she gets a year older overnight, but she does, and who am I to argue?
I've been thinking and thinking on what to get her as a present, but I'll admit, I was struggling. I ensure she's good to herself most days, so what do you buy the human who has everything? Ok, she says she wants a yacht, but I don't like the water, so poopooed that idea. A car? Well, she can't drive. A new house in the country with servants, a swimming pool in the garden and a fat bank balance? Well, the place she has in Oxfordshire is small, set near a park, gets puddles in the back garden and has a fat bill balance... Close enough for me.
Still, The Catnip Crew gave me a super idea for a present. They recommended I give her a sand-papery kiss. Now, this is something I give her on a reasonably regular basis, but she does seem to love them so. And when I say she's got everything, she doesn't have a sandpaper kiss, cuz you can't hold them or put them in your pocket, you see. Once they're given, they're gone.
Accordingly, I got her up super early this morning even though she hadn't had much sleep the night before. I crawled up to the top of the bed, snuggled down beside her, and decided that while I was grooming myself, I should include her. I tell you, her hand has never been so clean! She seemed to enjoy it though. Her face got that happy expression on it where the corners of the mouth turn up and stay that way. I think they call it a smile.
I think I might even allow her to give me treats today, just as an extra present. She's had no birthday cards in the post yet, and has no presents to open, but she's remaining cheerful. She was supposed to be going out for dinner tonight, but her friend cancelled on her at the last minute. I consoled her with the fact that sitting in and snuggling with me will be much better fun anyway. After all, her friends wouldn't play catch the mousie with her, so it would be boring! She says some cards will hopefully come today, but despite that, she's had something that's very much brightened up the start to her day. I will say no more for now, but if and when the time is right, I shall reveal a very special present the human got given. It made her do the smiley face again!
In other news, my walking jacket (doesn't that sound so posh?) was put in the post yesterday, so should be here tomorrow. Dogman is also coming up at the weekend, but isn't bringing Dogface. The human asked him to leave her behind, as it's still too hard for her to see her again just at the moment. He's coming to do a late birthday celebration with the human, and get this! He bought her a present, but it was for me! It's a new PTU, but this one is so posh that I might actually refuse to look at it as a PTU. It's a backpack that the human wears and I sit in to survey the world as we walk. It's all soft, so it won't have the nasty hard feel of PTUs, and it won't sway half as mush as we move, given that it's attached to the human and all. If I decide I like the walking jacket, we can even use the two in combinations so that I can go on long walks with the human and whoever happens to be with her at the time. This is something the human has been wanting for a long time, as she really struggles to carry a PTU in one hand and work a dog or a stick with the other. We can't wait to see what it's like!
Oh, we've just remembered, the human does have a present! It's from the HGG who gave her it when she was over at Christmas to take back with her and keep until today. We've also just had word that the HG, who is the HGG's daughter and the human's mummypeople, and the... Oh, what do I call him! He's an HG too, although he's the human grandad, father of my human. Hmmm, I spose I'll have to come up with a name for him when I meet him. Anyway, the pair of them sent the human a really posh slab of chocolate in the post. They say it'll get here on Saturday. Wow, quite a haul there, for me and her both!
I must go now. She's itching to open that present from the HGG. Before I do though,
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday dear human
Happy birthday tooooooooo yooooooooouuuuuuuuuuu
I've been thinking and thinking on what to get her as a present, but I'll admit, I was struggling. I ensure she's good to herself most days, so what do you buy the human who has everything? Ok, she says she wants a yacht, but I don't like the water, so poopooed that idea. A car? Well, she can't drive. A new house in the country with servants, a swimming pool in the garden and a fat bank balance? Well, the place she has in Oxfordshire is small, set near a park, gets puddles in the back garden and has a fat bill balance... Close enough for me.
Still, The Catnip Crew gave me a super idea for a present. They recommended I give her a sand-papery kiss. Now, this is something I give her on a reasonably regular basis, but she does seem to love them so. And when I say she's got everything, she doesn't have a sandpaper kiss, cuz you can't hold them or put them in your pocket, you see. Once they're given, they're gone.
Accordingly, I got her up super early this morning even though she hadn't had much sleep the night before. I crawled up to the top of the bed, snuggled down beside her, and decided that while I was grooming myself, I should include her. I tell you, her hand has never been so clean! She seemed to enjoy it though. Her face got that happy expression on it where the corners of the mouth turn up and stay that way. I think they call it a smile.
I think I might even allow her to give me treats today, just as an extra present. She's had no birthday cards in the post yet, and has no presents to open, but she's remaining cheerful. She was supposed to be going out for dinner tonight, but her friend cancelled on her at the last minute. I consoled her with the fact that sitting in and snuggling with me will be much better fun anyway. After all, her friends wouldn't play catch the mousie with her, so it would be boring! She says some cards will hopefully come today, but despite that, she's had something that's very much brightened up the start to her day. I will say no more for now, but if and when the time is right, I shall reveal a very special present the human got given. It made her do the smiley face again!
In other news, my walking jacket (doesn't that sound so posh?) was put in the post yesterday, so should be here tomorrow. Dogman is also coming up at the weekend, but isn't bringing Dogface. The human asked him to leave her behind, as it's still too hard for her to see her again just at the moment. He's coming to do a late birthday celebration with the human, and get this! He bought her a present, but it was for me! It's a new PTU, but this one is so posh that I might actually refuse to look at it as a PTU. It's a backpack that the human wears and I sit in to survey the world as we walk. It's all soft, so it won't have the nasty hard feel of PTUs, and it won't sway half as mush as we move, given that it's attached to the human and all. If I decide I like the walking jacket, we can even use the two in combinations so that I can go on long walks with the human and whoever happens to be with her at the time. This is something the human has been wanting for a long time, as she really struggles to carry a PTU in one hand and work a dog or a stick with the other. We can't wait to see what it's like!
Oh, we've just remembered, the human does have a present! It's from the HGG who gave her it when she was over at Christmas to take back with her and keep until today. We've also just had word that the HG, who is the HGG's daughter and the human's mummypeople, and the... Oh, what do I call him! He's an HG too, although he's the human grandad, father of my human. Hmmm, I spose I'll have to come up with a name for him when I meet him. Anyway, the pair of them sent the human a really posh slab of chocolate in the post. They say it'll get here on Saturday. Wow, quite a haul there, for me and her both!
I must go now. She's itching to open that present from the HGG. Before I do though,
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday dear human
Happy birthday tooooooooo yooooooooouuuuuuuuuuu
Tortureshell Tuesday: People Style
It's been a while since I had a tortureshell, and after I've written this, you'll see why I wouldn't mind it being another long while until the next one. Yes, friends, you read that correctly. Perhaps I'm becoming soft with all the holiday spirit still around, but Tortureshells haven't been on my mind for a while! This one isn't even of my doing. It's a people Tortureshell. Allow me to elaborate.
The human has a massive peoples family, and when I say massive, I mean it. on the HGG's side alone, there are 16 cousins of the human, and already 6 second cousins who are all still kittens, with another one on the way! The human great grandad's side is massive too, and one of those peoples on his side has two cats. Good for her, I hear you say, and indeed, I thought so too, until last night.
The human saw a post on the dreaded Facebook that mentioned that the relation was "getting rid of the cats". What? Getting rid of a trainer? It really galls me when peoples think they can do this. Sure, they have thumbs and have control of the stinky goodness, but that doesn't make them lord of all they survey. Perhaps they're of the opinion that they're through with training and don't need us any more, but the least they could do is give us the contracted notice period so that we can find another home, preferably with that old lady down the street who feeds you nice food because she thinks you don't have any other home to go to (mancats, I trust you know what I mean). I mean, it's a pretty poor way for them to show their gratitude for all of our hard work when they simply turf us out onto the street, or, in this case, into PTUs.
The reason for "getting rid" as she called it was because her trainers had decided they were going to do a bit of what I call inappropriate scratching, which is to say, sharpening one's claws on various things: items of furniture, walls, carpets, the occasional bit of soft, yielding human flesh. I fail to see why this causes a problem bearing in mind that usually, we are simply trying to teach the peoples that they wouldn't need to cut their finger nails if they would only scratch as we do. This people didn't get the hint though, and decided enough was enough.
The human got on top of it as soon as she saw the dreaded message of doom and gave the people lots of advice. She even told her about Soft Claws, and offered to give her some spare that we have. The people was going on about how much she loved her cats and how there'd be "tears all round" when they went, but said she'd look into Soft Claws as she "really didn't want to get rid of them". The human went to bed happy that she'd at least saved two cats from going to the Cat's Protection shelter.
Midway through the day today, she saw this message. "My wee cats are gone. Tears all round." um, what? People, what do you think you're doing! The human helped! The human was gobsmacked, and the heart went out of her. She wrote back to the people, saying sharply that she thought she'd said she loved the cats and would look into things, but she's got no answer. It's left her rather upset, and she's not the only one.
The more I've thought about this today, the madder I've gotten. I don't know where peoples get the idea that we are disposable. They allow us into their lives, con us into thinking that they will feed and care for us forever in return for their training, then break all trust and contracts by throwing us out on our ear for the smallest infraction. I think they sometimes forget that we are intelligent and have feelings and might actually care about it. They see us as nothing more than a ball of fluff to be cuddled and manhandled and cooed over, no more than an animated teddy bear that can be put away in a box when you're finished playing with it. Well, guess what? We're not! If I wasn't more secure with my human, this would make me wonder if she'd do the same to me, but when I confronted her with it, she just laughed, tickled my tummy, and assured me that I am the best trainer for her. Sure, she might add a kitten or two to our family, but it doesn't change the fact that that's what we are; a family. And you don't throw your family members out for inappropriate behaviour. You feed them tuna instead! Right, human?
Working on the peoples idea that they choose us rather than the other way around (I know it's not true, but it serves my purposes to pretend so for one paragraph), a pet is for life, not just for Christmas or Birthday or playing with or for the good times. We're in it for better or for worse. When you pick up that cute puppy or kitten in a pet shop or at someone's home, you should be saying your marriage vows to us. Are you ready for a commitment of that magnitude? Are you ready for the till death do us part portion of it? Because, you selfish peoples who think you can just dump a pet when you're done with your toy, we certainly make that commitment. In most cases, we actually mean it too. Sure, we think you're cute, we think you need our help, we think you're fun to play with, but you know what? When that wears off, when the novelty of having you around goes away, the love, the caring still remains. Where's your portion of that? Where di dyour love go, human's relation? It certainly didn't go with those two cats in their PTUs on the way to the shelter.
At least in the UK, we have no kill shelters, but if pets are dumped in the states or Canada, often they end up at horrible places of death. Beth, a rescuer from Canada, does wonderful work with a local shelter that practices euthanasia, saving cats from the twice weekly death day and placing them in foster homes for adoption. She's so passionate about it that she's even started her own rescue.
She also regularly blogs about the horrific conditions she saves cats from
Just think, she wouldn't need to if peoples weren't so thoughtless, selfish and inconsiderate of our wants and needs. Grrrrr!
Ok, rant over now, I promise. Now that I've got it out of my system, I am going to go prepare for the human's Birthday. It's only tomorrow, and I'm excited! The catnip crew gave me a great idea for a present...
The human has a massive peoples family, and when I say massive, I mean it. on the HGG's side alone, there are 16 cousins of the human, and already 6 second cousins who are all still kittens, with another one on the way! The human great grandad's side is massive too, and one of those peoples on his side has two cats. Good for her, I hear you say, and indeed, I thought so too, until last night.
The human saw a post on the dreaded Facebook that mentioned that the relation was "getting rid of the cats". What? Getting rid of a trainer? It really galls me when peoples think they can do this. Sure, they have thumbs and have control of the stinky goodness, but that doesn't make them lord of all they survey. Perhaps they're of the opinion that they're through with training and don't need us any more, but the least they could do is give us the contracted notice period so that we can find another home, preferably with that old lady down the street who feeds you nice food because she thinks you don't have any other home to go to (mancats, I trust you know what I mean). I mean, it's a pretty poor way for them to show their gratitude for all of our hard work when they simply turf us out onto the street, or, in this case, into PTUs.
The reason for "getting rid" as she called it was because her trainers had decided they were going to do a bit of what I call inappropriate scratching, which is to say, sharpening one's claws on various things: items of furniture, walls, carpets, the occasional bit of soft, yielding human flesh. I fail to see why this causes a problem bearing in mind that usually, we are simply trying to teach the peoples that they wouldn't need to cut their finger nails if they would only scratch as we do. This people didn't get the hint though, and decided enough was enough.
The human got on top of it as soon as she saw the dreaded message of doom and gave the people lots of advice. She even told her about Soft Claws, and offered to give her some spare that we have. The people was going on about how much she loved her cats and how there'd be "tears all round" when they went, but said she'd look into Soft Claws as she "really didn't want to get rid of them". The human went to bed happy that she'd at least saved two cats from going to the Cat's Protection shelter.
Midway through the day today, she saw this message. "My wee cats are gone. Tears all round." um, what? People, what do you think you're doing! The human helped! The human was gobsmacked, and the heart went out of her. She wrote back to the people, saying sharply that she thought she'd said she loved the cats and would look into things, but she's got no answer. It's left her rather upset, and she's not the only one.
The more I've thought about this today, the madder I've gotten. I don't know where peoples get the idea that we are disposable. They allow us into their lives, con us into thinking that they will feed and care for us forever in return for their training, then break all trust and contracts by throwing us out on our ear for the smallest infraction. I think they sometimes forget that we are intelligent and have feelings and might actually care about it. They see us as nothing more than a ball of fluff to be cuddled and manhandled and cooed over, no more than an animated teddy bear that can be put away in a box when you're finished playing with it. Well, guess what? We're not! If I wasn't more secure with my human, this would make me wonder if she'd do the same to me, but when I confronted her with it, she just laughed, tickled my tummy, and assured me that I am the best trainer for her. Sure, she might add a kitten or two to our family, but it doesn't change the fact that that's what we are; a family. And you don't throw your family members out for inappropriate behaviour. You feed them tuna instead! Right, human?
Working on the peoples idea that they choose us rather than the other way around (I know it's not true, but it serves my purposes to pretend so for one paragraph), a pet is for life, not just for Christmas or Birthday or playing with or for the good times. We're in it for better or for worse. When you pick up that cute puppy or kitten in a pet shop or at someone's home, you should be saying your marriage vows to us. Are you ready for a commitment of that magnitude? Are you ready for the till death do us part portion of it? Because, you selfish peoples who think you can just dump a pet when you're done with your toy, we certainly make that commitment. In most cases, we actually mean it too. Sure, we think you're cute, we think you need our help, we think you're fun to play with, but you know what? When that wears off, when the novelty of having you around goes away, the love, the caring still remains. Where's your portion of that? Where di dyour love go, human's relation? It certainly didn't go with those two cats in their PTUs on the way to the shelter.
At least in the UK, we have no kill shelters, but if pets are dumped in the states or Canada, often they end up at horrible places of death. Beth, a rescuer from Canada, does wonderful work with a local shelter that practices euthanasia, saving cats from the twice weekly death day and placing them in foster homes for adoption. She's so passionate about it that she's even started her own rescue.
She also regularly blogs about the horrific conditions she saves cats from
Just think, she wouldn't need to if peoples weren't so thoughtless, selfish and inconsiderate of our wants and needs. Grrrrr!
Ok, rant over now, I promise. Now that I've got it out of my system, I am going to go prepare for the human's Birthday. It's only tomorrow, and I'm excited! The catnip crew gave me a great idea for a present...
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