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Now You Are Acting Like a Cat

April 30, 2020 By Cat Voices

By Suzy Scamper & Rusty Diamond

We’ve tried to bend you to our way of life for many years. We are so happy that it has finally worked. It has been very pleasant to just lay in your arms and sleep all day and in the evening before going to bed. You never have to go to work anymore either.

Typical Cat Behavior

Typically we sleep most of a 24 hour period. Normally just when we get to sleep if you’re sitting in the chair you need to get up so we get disturbed. Then we have to get resettled again.

We expect regular times for eating. Lately it is right on schedule. No changes. You’re not late getting our meal ready.

You have time to talk to us and pay more attention to us. That is the best. If we are interested we WANT your attention. Otherwise, don’t bother. Of course we can entertain you if we want to.

Building A Relationship With Your Cat

April 13, 2020 By Cat Voices

In a multi cat home you may not have the same relationship with each cat in your household. After losing Sapphire and Bug (read post about Grieving) I find that I have a need to build a closer relationship with Rusty, Scamper and Dutch. Rusty and Scamper have been in the household for many years and have a closeness with me. Dutch is fairly new and I’ve never taken the time to really know him. That isn’t fair to him.

Dutch’s Story

Dutch was a kitten living in my friend’s house. She knew she had too many to take care of and one evening she called and then brought him over to my house. I had barely met him and when I had been around him he avoided me. So, all of a sudden this little guy who had been born in the wild is in a new house with new cats and a new human. How scary that must have been for him. He adjusted beautifully. He allowed me to hold him and he didn’t fight with anyone. He wasn’t a great cuddler but affectionate. He needed to be neutered and that wasn’t possible for a few months so before it happened he had some bad behavior and most annoying of all he was making a lot of noise. After getting neutered it settled right down and also became much more affectionate. I haven’t seen that much of a change in any other animal I’ve had when they are neutered.

Steps To Build A Relationship

4 Steps To Create The Relationship

Pay More Attention To Dutch

So , first I will be sure to great Dutch each time I come in to my house and to say bye when I leave. Call him by name at mealtime or other times.

Try to Cuddle With Dutch

I will try to pick him up and cuddle with him at various times. He sleeps on the bed, but not very close to me so I attempt to get him close and hold him or pet him a little. He is actually getting more comfortable with this.

Talk To Dutch

Moving forward I will work on talking to this delightful kitty. The more he listens to my voice the better connection we will have. It is interesting to watch their eyes when you start talking to them.

Play with Dutch

Dutch is only a little over a year old and still likes to play. So, we have batted a ball around back and forth sometimes. He loves to climb the tower and look out the window.

I have been working on these steps for a couple of weeks and seeing results. Dutch is becoming more affectionate and coming when I call him. He is a very nice tempered cat. We are going to be good friends I am sure. Never give up on a cat. They do have an independent nature but are able to become attached to their human family. Make friends with your cat.

How to Cope With Grief and Loss

March 15, 2020 By Cat Voices

Life is not without loss. We can experience many types of loss. Right now I am coping with the death of two really special cats in our home. Yes, two!

Who died? Well, We lost Sapphire a couple of weeks ago. We believe he may have had a heart issue. Previously unknown. He first had a front leg go limp for about a day. Then got use of it again. He seemed normal but a couple of weeks later all of a sudden midday he was wimpering and came to lay in my arms. His backend was not working. I thought he may have had a bowel obstruction, been consptipated. Of course this situation made it difficult for him to go to the bathroom so the concern quickly became if he’s not eating and drinking or going to the bathroom he will die within about 48 hours. There was no vet available for hundreds of miles so our clinic gave me something to give him if he was constipated. He took that and I got him to eat a little and drink, but the back legs would not work. Finally there was a Vet able to see him locally so he got some steroids to help with inflammation and pain. They helped a little, but in a few days it wasn’t helping a lot. I called another Vet and she mentioned it could be a blood clot that escaped the heart and rested in his backend. Within another day he passed away. I had had a chance to hold him for many hours and comfort him and me in the process.

It is tuely heart breaking because he was a really special cat. His personality was so gentle and caring. He was 11 years old. He had a good life but had had several health problems through his life.

Our little Bug had a wild streak in him. He dashed out of the house when the door was open the other morning and before I could grab him he ran off. I kept thinking he would come home, but by night still hadn’t. I made some posters the next day and took them downtown. In a matter of minutes I got a call that somone thought they had found him but it wasn’t good news. He was either dying or already dead. So I quickly drove to the alley behind our local grocery store and the kind person who found him had placed him in a box. Yes, it was Bug. There wasn’t any blood or obvious injury so I ran him out to the vet clinic to be sure he was gone. Yes, there was no heartbeat. I’m not sure he had been gone for very long, but nothing was going to bring him back.

With Bug I feel guilty because I should have shut him in a room inside when I was going in and out. That would have prevented him from dashing outside. But, I didn’t do that and now I have to deal with losing the cute little guy. He was only 3 years old.

I don’t give up my animals easily. They are my “family”! I know many of you understand what I am saying.

I will need to accept that they are no longer here. I need to quit being mad at myself for not doing a better job of taking care of them. I’m not sure there was anything I could have done for Sapphire. I realized he wasn’t feeling 100 percent recently. But, there was nothing really obvious.

It is possible that Bug was sick as well. He had seemed to have lost weight and his appetite wasn’t as good as it was. God may have taken care of him so he didn’t suffer for any length of time and I didn’t have to suffer with that either.

There is also always another cat or kitten who needs a home and love and I can certainly give that to them. So there will be new kitties in our household relatively soon I am sure.

There is so much guilt when a pet is lost to death. If they are old and have a peaceful end it seems like God’s will, but other than that it feels like I am responsible. Not a good cat parent.

Rejoice in the Love and Good Times

Both of these animals gave me so much love and pleasure. I hope I made their life good, too. Sapphire was so unique in his gentleness with other cats and humans. He loved everyone who came into our home. Oscar, when he was so sick and frail, Rusty would lay on top of him all of the time, Oreo, Bug and Dutch. He did not hesitate to discipline them when they needed it. Then they would all be cuddling together on the bed. He had intelligent eyes, like he completely understood what you were saying to him. He is actually the 2nd flame point Siamese I have found as a stray. The first one had that same gentleness and intelligence. He had a urinary blockage that I didn’t realize because he lived in the wild and just came to me for food and water mostly, sometimes a little love.

Bug didn’t like to be held and cuddled for long periods of time. He had too much energy to stay still, but occassionaly he would come into my arms and rub his head or chin on my nose and chin. It was like he was giving a kiss. What a fun little kitten.

Dealing with the Anger of Death

Yes, it is normal to feel anger when you loose someone to death. That is part of the grieving process. So many times I have had animals in stressful situations and wasn’t sure they would survive, but God saved them so Why didn’t he save Sapphire and Bug this time? I don’t know the answer to that but I do know and believe even tho they are animals that we will see each other again someday in heaven.

Share Love With Cat Friends Before It Is Too Late

July 5, 2019 By Cat Voices

Stop just thinking about letting your loved ones know how you feel!

Just Do It!

Now!

Today!

Before You do anything else!

You never know when you won’t be able to say “I love you” to your cat friends.

The Disappearing Cat

When did I stop watching for Boo Boo?

He didn’t always come inside to eat, but it had been winter and still cold outside so he would come in and even stay for a little while. Then one day he stopped coming inside. I don’t know what happened to him.

What I realized was I didn’t let him know that I loved him. When he was inside this winter I didn’t go and nap by him or groom him a little. I would play games with him when I was outside. We played hide and seek and had a lot of fun. He kept our yard free of visiting cats. Now he isn’t sitting out there keeping watch.

Taking Our Loved Ones For Granted

How many times in our nine lives do we take our cat and human family for granted? Then all of a sudden without warning someone is gone. We get used to a routine of certain people and the other cats or even dogs in our lives. They will always be there. They aren’t that old. No one should die before they are old, should they?

Snuffy, our dog, was 17 years old. But, he was nice to us. Bug would lay on Snuffy’s big pillow.

Love Is Important

Feeling love from and for your cat family and your human family will help you to feel safe. That feeling of contentment and tranquility is because you know you will be fed at a regular time and there will be special time with your human.

Rusty is such a perfect example of a feral cat that went from being alone to finding his place in our home. He was trapped to be taken to a free spay/neuter clinic. He had a younger kitten with him we called Oreo. They were both neutered and came home to be with us. They were very scared of us and our humans. It took years for Rusty to feel he could trust he had a home.

Now that love is a powerful emotion for him. He insists on showing how much he cares for Mom and for the rest of us. He especially likes to lay on top of one of us when we are napping. But who can refuse getting that much love from him. It makes me feel better, how about you?