Viral Felines

The Internet is not only the information highway, it's fast becoming the major source of entertainment for many people. Many surfers of the web have found a favourite past time in watching the antics of cats. I read of a cat that had a perfect black moustache called Stash. The owners put him on U-tube hoping that their pet would go viral. I didn't hear anything so I guess he didn't make the grade. You can't force a cat to go viral on the web. It is so hard to get shots of your cat doing those fantastic things that they are famous for. After all, they are not paid actors. Try calling your cat to come to you. "Yeah, take a number and I'll get back to you." We had a cat once named Mario. She was named after the character in the Super Mario game because she had a moustache. She used to fetch balls and drop them at your feet. That was before the days of U-tube and video camera in every one's phone. How the times have changed. Our entertainment is more on a personal level even though we seem to be getting less social in person. So meet a friend in person, have a cup of coffee and talk about whatever especially cats.

gods and God

 In Egypt cats were worshipped for centuries. So were beetles and frogs, so that's not saying much. There are even remains of mummified cats today along with an assortment of other mummified animals. Cats do posses a certain elegance and mystic about them that sets them apart form other animals. The qualities that they have make them perfect house pets. All you have to do is feed them, and give them a clean litter box. After that they pretty much take care of themselves. In fact if you try to get a cat to come to you it's like they say, "take a number and I'll get back to you." Even so, they are adorable and I love holding a furry purry in my lap, but I draw the line at worshipping them. I don't think we should worship the creature but we should give our devotion to the creator who made heaven and earth and all that is in it.

Book Review: How to Pet a Cat

How to Pet a Cat, The Complete Hands-On Guide by Peter Farrow
This book is about how to overcome your cat's Tactile Deficiency (TD) caused by neglect (lack of proper petting), and I mean the proper ways to pet a cat so that it is completely satisfied. The book describes how to recognize TD and use various stroking methods such as the blades, the occiput, drubbing, the socket, jowling, ruffing, puddling, the swipple and many others to give your feline the love it needs. Apparently, more than 90% of all cats suffer in silence from the lack of a satisfying tactile relationship with their owners (servants). So don't ignore your pet and get to it.

A Moving Experience

Sorry it has been a while. We've been busy trying to sell our house.
We've been wondering how to move our four cats when we relocate. We have only two cat carriers and four cats. My mother-in-law has two cat carriers so maybe we can borrow them. Moving can be a traumatic experience for our feline friends. It literally turns their cosy world into chaos. Moving is traumatic enough for some people and it can be difficult knowing that your pets don't understand what's going on.
The last time we moved was 25 years ago. We put the cats in a bedroom in our new house before the move happened. Water, food and a litter box rounded out their essentials. A familiar blanket was included. We closed the bedroom door and put a sign on it: "Cats - Keep Door Closed". When I opened the door after everything was moved in, the scaredy cats climbed the walls. Poor things, but it didn't take them long to settle in and adjust to their new and better home.
I picked up a business card on the last visit to the vets that advertised a pet taxi. They even offer long distance commutes. They have a kennel service too. Since we may be moving as much as 100 km (60 miles) or more, this alternative maybe better. It may be easier on us, but our pets might be even more traumatized by the moving experience if we do that.
We could have one of us take the cats on ahead, and prepare the new house for the movers, while one of us stays behind and cleans up after the moving company and answers any questions. Since we have only one car, this arrangement may be costly to rent a vehicle, or else drive back and forth a bit. We'll see how it goes.

Book Review: Cat Behavior Answer Book

I've been reading the Cat Behavior Answer Book by Arden Moore. It has really nice illustrations by Matt Ambre. IT's divided up into six parts with each part having many headings that are no longer than two or three pages of script. Each heading has a question and answer format. There are also tidbits of information highlighted in blue that are very useful. I would like to have seen this book  be able to be used in dictionary style, by looking up a cat behaviour that you may be particularly interested in. Part 1 is Feeling Fine about your feline is about the relationship between owner and cat. Part 2 is Chatting with your Cat. It is about how to read your cat's body language and different sounds it makes. Part 3 is Kitty Quirks and Funny Felines, which is about cute and not so cute feline behavior. Part 4 is Thinking Outside the Box. This section is about problems with the litter box. Part 5 is The Basics of Chowing and Grooming. Part 6 is The Ins and Outs of Living with Cats. These last two part titles are self explanatory. This is a good book to help you understand your cat better even if you are a seasoned cat owner or new at the experience. Cats are such a joy, it's hard to believe there could be so many problems, but each cat is different and each one posses different challenges. A cat is not going to fit into any mold you make for it. They are their own person.
I just want to wish my readers a Meowee Christmas and a very purry new year.

Caged Bird

          A laundry was happening in the furnace room during which time a noise was coming from the furnace. The furnace was off for the summer. It sounded like some kind of creature was living in the furnace. I couldn't investigate that day because the laundry machines were making too much noise to track down the cause. The next day the noise was still coming from the furnace. The first thing that I did was open up the duct work. Clean! The next thing I did was open up the bottom of the Selkirk chimney. I found a couple of feathers. Meanwhile the sound was still coming from the furnace. I opened the fire box and looked in. I could see nothing. I used a stick to keep the firebox door pried open and stood back. To my surprise a starling poked its head out the door. I left the room and closed the door. I stayed out for a few minutes and came back in. The bird was sitting on a bench. I put on a pair of work gloves and chased the bird around the basement as it flew from one place to another until it was cornered in such a way that I could pick it up. Squawk! I raced with it up the stairs through the house and out the back door. I let the bird go and watched it fly to the nearest tree as my four cats looked at me bewildered from their vantage points in my garden. The bird sat in the tree looking around for several minutes. Without looking back to took off toward the noon time sun.
      The little starling was living in the sooty firebox for at least 24 hours with no hope of escape. It had no light, no food. and no water. It was dirty, smelly and dark. What kept this small bird going for so long? I wonder if I was in a situation like that how I would react. That little creature showed marvelous tenacity, hope, determination, and the will to live; or was it just instinct that kept it going. I like to think that God's creatures are designed with more than instinct when I look at the wonders of nature. What a beautiful world we live in.

Book Review: Urban Tigers Two (More Tales of a Cat Vet)

Urban Tigers Two by Kathy Chisholm is definitely better written, with more emotion, fewer similes and more tidbits about Halifax than her first book, Urban Tigers. The stories are told in the narrative voice just like her first book but with more gusto this time. She doesn't hold back any punches and in two of her chapters she reminds us that our sins will find us out; even if she steps on the church's toes in doing so, which is so popular to do these days much to my dismay. Kathy Chisholm is the owner of Tuxedo Stan who was nominated for a candidate to run as Mayor of Halifax to raise awareness of the stray and feral feline problem in our neighbourhoods. I was disappointed when he wasn't on the ballot. This book is a must read for cat lovers, and if you haven't read her first book, no problem her books can be read independently of each other. Her first book is still available and I recommend both of them. I'm going to buy them for Christmas presents. I look forward to her third installment and wish Kathy the very best in her writing career.