Does My Cat Like Me?

Dogs are so easy to read; their enthusiasm for everyone and everything is interpreted as love.  But what about cats?  Their reputation for being aloof, solitary creatures makes it hard to believe that they could love anyone.

But cats show that they like us in different ways.

1. Trust.  A cat's belly is their most vulnerable body part.  If a cat rolls over and exposes their belly to you, it means they trust you.  Trust equals love in the cat kingdom.  It doesn't mean that they actually want you to rub their belly, unlike a dog.  Two of my cats love to be held on their back; they love me very much.


2. They have the capability to hurt us, yet don't.  If you ignored my advice and went for a cat's belly, you may have experienced the "love bite".  Biting their human doesn't equal love; not biting hard enough to pierce your skin does.  Biting always means, "I've had enough; don't do that anymore".


3. Presents.  If your cat brings you dead things, they want to feed you.  Food equals love.  If they bring you live things, they are concerned about your welfare.  It's obvious you don't know how to hunt, so they'll start with the basics.  Here's a live mouse.  I'll drop it in front of you so that you can kill it yourself.


4. Using the litter box in the room closest to you.  Okay, so I'm not so sure about this one.  In the human world, going to the bathroom with the door open while talking to your partner signifies that you're very relaxed with each other.  In the cat world, I think they just want to smell their poop.


5. Smell.  If a cat loves you, they love how you smell.  The longer you've gone without showering the better.  And if you go running on a hot day, your shoes are like catnip.  My cat Maggie loves to stick her nose in my ear and lick it.  And my other cats are fascinated with my reading glasses, probably because they smell like me.


6. Marking you as their own.  Rubbing against your legs, rubbing their cheeks on you, head butting; these are all ways of transmitting a cats scent onto you.  It's like hanging a sign that says "My Human - Keep Out".

So how does your cat tell you that they love you?

Living in the Moment

In a previous post, I talked about how having pets was somewhat like having small children.  And when one of those kids is chronically ill, life can be stressful.

My days with Meep revolve around her breathing and her eating.  At 8 months old, she should be 7 or 8 pounds, but instead is 3 1/2 pounds (and it was a struggle to get her there).  Every morning I wonder if she's going to eat or not, and how much she'll eat before she turns away.  Immediately after breakfast Meep gets weighed.  It's one of the ways I can monitor her health.

Since she was found on the beach by the Detroit Lakes pavilion, Meepers has had one respiratory infection after another.  She's been on antibiotics most of her short life, and the Vets I've taken her to don't hold out much hope of her living to a full year.

Night before last, her breathing was worse than ever.  She was breathing through her mouth, and every 6 or so breaths would struggle to get air.  In bed, she immediately curled up under my chin to "sleep".  I could hear every agonizing breath she took, and cried because there was nothing I could do that I hadn't already done.  I truly thought that she was going to die in my arms.  But then, in the middle of the night, she stood up and sneezed 3 times.  And then she could breathe again!  When morning came, she was able to eat, and while her meouw was hoarse, it was there.

Last night, she was struggling again, but this time she wouldn't come out from under the bed.  Knowing that cats often go off to die, once again I thought she was a goner.  Until 5 am, when she bounced on my bed and started to wrestle with Leo.  She ate a good breakfast, and has been engaging in play, which is rare for her.  Most of the time she doesn't have the energy to chase after Leo and Maggie.

So for now, I'm living in the moment.  Meep is alive, and is having fun.  When I hold her upside down, she seems to have tremors of her head and feet; perhaps from oxygen deprivation.  And by late afternoon, my guess is that she's going to be struggling again.  But this is enough for now.

 

Motherhood at 55

I don't have human kids, but I do have three feline kids, all about 8 months old, and all with different baby daddies.  Growing up as they did in a shelter, they came with their share of issues.  Leo and Maggie both came home with colds, and they are both still blowing snot everywhere; on each other, on me, on my keyboard, on the wall...it's amazing how far that stuff travels.  Getting dried snot off a painted wall is not easy; I finally found the toilet paper and water trick.  Put a wet piece of toilet paper over it and it comes right off a few minutes later.

And Meep, well, she's definitely a special needs kitten.  She's mostly blind in one eye, and has had breathing issues her entire life.  The last Vet I took her to said he didn't hold out much hope for a long life.  The possibilities of what are wrong include Feline Infectious Peritonitis (no treatment, fatal), feline heartworm (no treatment, mostly fatal), and congestive heart failure (no real treatments, mostly fatal).

I can imagine what a mother goes through, at least a little.  The nights when Meep's breathing becomes so labored I spend hours with her inside a bathroom with a hot shower going.  This afternoon, Leo had explosive diarrhea - all over the wall behind the litter box.  I discovered that when I picked Meep up and found that she had diarrhea all over the side of her face - of course she had to lay in it!

So after Meep got her bath, I sat down to write this post. Focused as I was, I ignored the odd noises behind me.  Until it hit me - that noise was coming from behind the stacked washer and dryer.  Leo, practising his tightrope walking skills, decided to explore the back of the machines by walking on the cords back there.  He should keep his day job, because he fell down to the ground, and there was no room to walk out. Who exactly would you call to rescue a cat stuck behind a washing machine - the fire department?  I used my MacGyver skills and lowered a baking rack in the slot between the washer and the sink cabinet.  He finally got the hint and clawed his way to the top so I could grab him.

And now to clean up the snot that Maggie just blew all over my keyboard.

The Straight Poop on Cat Litter

So you want a cat, or have a cat.  You know that you need litter boxes, but what kind?  How many?  And what's the best cat litter to use?  From my 25 + years of having cats, I've tried them all.

Let's start with the litter box itself.  Should you get a covered or uncovered box?  It seems that a covered box will help with odor control, right?  Maybe, but it also traps odors inside the box, which makes it less likely that your picky feline will want to use it.  A cat's sense of smell is about 14 times as strong as a humans, so if you can smell the litter, imagine how your cat feels.  The rule of thumb for how many litter boxes you need is one for each cat, plus one extra. Some cats are finicky enough that they want their own box, or some will use one box for urine and another for poop. Of course, those with space constraints might not be able to have multiple boxes, so if you can't, just make sure that the box is kept really clean to avoid your kitties from finding other spots in your house to do their business.

 

Along the same lines, it seems counterintuitive to use unscented litter if you want to control odor, but unscented is the way to go.  Scented litter tends to waft throughout the house, and everyone will know you have a litter box.  Cat litter manufacturers want you to buy the scented stuff; sometimes it's hard to find the unscented in the store, but from personal experience, it's worth it.  As long as you keep the litter scooped at least once a day, no one needs to know that you have cats as soon as soon as they walk in the door.

And for goodness sake, spend a little more and get the clumping litter.  Yes, I know that the clay litter is cheaper, but in my opinion it's not worth it.  It's what most people donate to The Marshmallow Foundation and it's dusty, smelly, and a mess to work with.  And we end up adding baking soda to it anyway to try to control the odor.  Plus, with clay litter, you'll end up having to do a complete clean out of the box much more often than with clumping litter.

So for a happy, healthy cat, do make sure that you provide the best possible environment for them; you'll be rewarded with head bumps and kitty kisses for years to come!

 

 

 

 

 

Fostering Saves Lives

 Meet Meep.  She is the poster child for why animal fostering is so important.

Upper Respiratory Infections (URIs) tend to thrive in shelters.  A URI to a healthy adult cat is like a cold; some are worse than others, but rarely fatal.  To a kitten, however, a URI is bad news.  For Meep it meant losing most of the vision in one eye, and stunted growth.  She weighs less than 2 pounds at 7 months of age.

Meep was special to all the workers and volunteers at The Marshmallow Foundation.  And when I started volunteering there she won my heart too.  Meep is the sloth of the kitten world - she doesn't move very fast, and would prefer to sleep upside down in the crook of someone's arm when possible.  I think she's at least part Ragdoll, which accounts for why she goes limp when picked up, although she doesn't have the characteristic blue eyes of a Ragdoll.

I wanted very badly to adopt Meep, but had already pushed the boundaries by adopting Maggie and Leo when still (temporarily) living with my brother and sister-in-law.  Would Meep survive until I moved into my forever home?  Poor Yunger didn't make it through the latest outbreak of URI, and he was much healthier than Meep to begin with.

Enter Cassi, a full-time employee at The Marshmallow Foundation.  Cassi is one of those unsung heroes that you don't hear much about because she prefers it that way.  When an animal has to be put down, Cassi is the one holding them until they pass. When Yunger was failing, Cassi was the one that reached out to try and find a rescue group that could help him.

Cassi knew that Meep wouldn't make it if she had to continue living at the shelter.  Her immune system was too compromised by endless rounds of antibiotics and illness.  The foster families were already full, so Cassi reached out to her mother for help.  If Meep were to have a fighting chance, she needed a quiet, safe environment with lots of tender loving care.  Cassi's Mom took Meep in with no questions asked, and provided me with regular updates on her progress.

One day while chatting with Cassi, I asked where her Mom lived.  Knowing that I probably wouldn't know where it was, Cassi told me it was a gravel road off of Highway 54 just outside of Detroit Lakes.  In one of those rare moments of synchronicity, I laughed and said that my new home was on that very same road.  Cassi lit up - her Mom and I were neighbors!

I'll be moving in to my new home very soon, and Meep will move in shortly after that.  I'll have to retrain her thinking a bit, since she's apparently a Vikings fan, but nobody's perfect.

What Does Hemingway Have to Do With It?

You may have heard the term "Hemingway Cat", and even knew that it had something to do with Ernest Hemingway, the famous author.

Ernest Hemingway lived in Key West, Florida, and was given a 6-toed cat by a ship's captain in the 1930's.  Cats with extra toes, also known as gypsy cats, were considered lucky by seafaring folk since they were considered superior mousers and kept their balance better on a ship.  Cats normally have 5 toes in front, with 4 toes in the back, and when they have more than that they are called "polydactyl".  Other nicknames for them include "snowshoe paws", "pancake feet", or "big-foot cats".  Hemingway's cat went on to parent many polydactyl cats on his estate, the ancestors of which still live and are cared for there today.

Maggie, a kitten I adopted from The Marshmallow Foundation is polydactly, with six toes on all feet.  She's only six months old, and you can see the size of her paw compared to my hand.



So why are they called Hemingway Cats?  In my opinion, because it's much easier to say than polydactyl!

Nelly and the Six Year Old

Today while volunteering at The Marshmallow Foundation, an animal shelter in Detroit Lakes, I got a phone call from a mother.

"I know our application is still being processed, but we'd still like to come see the cats today if we can.  You see, my six year old son lost his cat about a month ago, and said that he wants a cat or kitten.  Specifically, he wants a black cat or kitten because he knows that they are harder to adopt."

So I sent a note to the adoption coordinator asking if the application could be expedited, since this family was driving all the way from Mayville.  Sure enough, she dropped everything to approve the application, so when the family came in, I happily told them that they could go home with a cat today if they found one that they bonded with.

Two little boys and their older sister came in to the cat room with their parents, and immediately became overwhelmed (in a good way) with the number of cats there.  It was in the middle of kennel cleaning, so several were already running around being cats, so the boys were instantly mesmerized.  I had a cat in mind that I thought would be a good fit, and introduced them to Nelly.  But like, well, kids in a candy store, they wanted to make sure they looked at all of the cats before deciding.  So Burbs was in the running for awhile, as were Peanut and Stud.  Eventually though, they came back to Nelly, and as of today, Nelly has found her furever home.  In the arms of a six year old with the wisdom of the ancients.

 

The Cat's Meow

Interesting fact - adult cats don't meow to other cats.  They only meow to humans!  Tiny kittens, with their "mew", signal to their mother that they want food, but once they leave Mom, they normally won't ever meow again unless a human enters their life.  Instead, cats communicate with each other through scent, touch, and noises other than a meow.

So why do they use it with us?  Simple answer, because it works!  How many cat owners out there will drop everything if they hear their cat meow?  We instinctively know that they're calling for us, and we respond by petting, picking them up, feeding them, or with kitty kisses.  We humans are well-trained!  I also think that because a cat learns to communicate with us, it makes them a lot smarter than we think they are.  Remember, cats rule, dogs drool.

The shelter I volunteer at, The Marshmallow Foundation in Detroit Lakes is having an open house this Saturday, December 5th.  Patriot Assistance Dogs (PAD) is co-hosting the event, so even if cats aren't your thing, come by with your pet for pictures with Santa from 10 am until 3 pm.  We'll also have calendars available for sale.  The calendars themselves, although cute, aren't the cool thing.  $30 will buy a raffle ticket with chances to win prizes throughout 2016.  Prizes are valued between $50 and more than $500, and if your name is drawn for a prize, your name goes back in for another chance!  Prize examples include:

January 1, 2016: Astrostart 721 ($500 value) donated by Webber Family Motors

February 5, 2016: $500 cash, donated by Foltz Trucking

March 22, 2016: $50 Zorbaz gift certificate

May 6, 2016: 2 reserved lawn chair admissions to WE Fest

December 2, 2016: $500 gift certificate to I'll Tile and Stone

Some important rules:

• You must be over 18 years old to purchase a calendar or win a prize


• Checks or cash only


• Winners will be notified on the date the prize is awarded, when you'll receive instructions on how to claim your prize

So come see me and the crew this Saturday.  If you're interested in adopting a cat or dog, fill out the adoption application on the website and submit for approval first.  We take making sure our animals go to a good home seriously, so it takes a few days to get approved.  In the meantime, come on in during normal business hours and meet the animals.   You may think that you want a specific dog or cat based on their photo and bio, but then find that there just isn't that spark of connection between you.  No worries; once you've been approved you can adopt an animal that you truly bond with.  Tell 'em The Crazy Cat Lady sent you.

 

 

#GivingTuesday is for the Birds (and the Cats, Dogs...)

Today is Giving Tuesday, a new holiday apparently, where we put our money where our mouth is.  Last Thursday, Thanksgiving, we gave thanks for all of our blessings.  Today, we give thanks and pass it forward.

I'm thankful for Leo and Maggie this morning, both of whom still fit nicely in my lap together, and are helping me with this post.  I adopted them both as kittens from The Marshmallow Foundation in Detroit Lakes after my cat Gracie died at the ripe old age of 20.  They have already provided endless hours of laughter, snuggles, and warmth, and I'm sure will continue to do so for many years to come.

If you want to do your part on #GivingTuesday, but don't know who to give to, won't you consider an animal shelter?  Right now at Marshmallow, an upper respiratory infection is going around the cat room, which means lots of visits to veterinary clinics and lots of medical bills.  Cats Cradle in Fargo is another good option - they take the cats that would otherwise be euthanized and give them the care they need in order to find their "furever" homes.

If you don't want to give cash, there are lots of other ways to give.  Smile, an Amazon.com program, allows you to designate a charity of your choice, and every time you shop, a percentage of the money spent is donated to that charity.

Volunteering your time can make an enormous difference, where that time is spent transporting animals, helping keep the kennels clean, or fundraising.

Donating gently used blankets to a shelter means that a dog or cat has a warm comfy bed for the night.  Even better, if you have mad knot or crochet skills, make some soft mats out of that stash of yarn you have in the spare room!  Mats for Cats will give you some ideas on projects and ways to help.

So today, count your blessings, then count your pennies to see how many you can spare to help.  Every bit counts.

Yes, I'm a Crazy Cat Lady (and Proud of It)

We all know the stereotype - single, middle aged, female with cats.  The title of crazy cat lady is not meant to flatter; the emphasis is usually on the adjective "crazy".

I am single, of a certain age, and I do have two cats that I adopted from The Marshmallow Foundation in Detroit Lakes.  What makes me crazy is that I volunteer my time at the very same shelter!

Friends tell me that they don't understand how I can do it.  "It's so sad", they say.

And sometimes it is.  Today was one of those days.  Yunger, one of the more affectionate cats, has been sick for several weeks with what was thought to be an upper respiratory infection, which is very common in shelter cats and equivelent to the common cold.  He's been to the Vet a couple of times and been treated with antibiotics with no improvement.  He has lost a lot of weight, and can no longer stand or sit.  Still, when I opened the door to his kennel, he greeted me with a virtually silent meow, and struggled to find his balance long enough to put his paws on my chest to be picked up.  I held him several times today, walking around the room petting him, scratching him behind the ears and telling him what a good cat he was.  He would push his nose against my cheek telling me that he heard me.

But comforting a dying cat isn't the really sad part.  Knowing that if the foundation had more donations, Yunger would be in the hospital right now getting fluids, medication, and the necessary diagnostic tests is the truly tragic story.  The wonderful employees and volunteers are even now trying to find transport for Yunger to the Twin Cities, which is the closest veterinary clinic found that would offer no cost or low cost emergency treatment.

Yes, today was a sad day.  But knowing that I was there to offer a little kindness to one of God's precious creatures made my decision to volunteer at the animal shelter an easy one.

**Happy Update:  Yunger made it to Gregory's Gift of Hope, in New Richmond, WI  and is in the arms of caring humans who have the funds to help him.  He's not out of the woods, and his vet bill for one night is already $1200.  If you'd like to donate,  they accept Paypal.