Hallmarks of Felinity

The gangs all here!

One of my very favorite cartoons is HALLMARKS OF FELINITY. I just love Solange (the cat) she is absolutely the epitome of feline attitude. Brooke McEldowney must be owned by a cat. He captures the essence and spirit of our feline pals so well.

In case the wording is a little blurry the caption reads: Spontaneous expressions of camaraderie.

I don't know about everyone else, but Boo who sleeps with us each night, will suddenly announce her need for some affection and attention each morning about 1 am. She is my alarm cat.

Cat In The Doghouse

Ping has been a little stinker lately. He has started to spray on the bed in the master bedroom. He only does this when he is feeling insecure, but it gets a little frustrating nevertheless. I love my Ping boy, but he does take special handling. We knew this the moment he came into our lives. That very first day when we found we had been adopted by 3 cats, Ping was too afraid to allow us to come too close to him. He would not let us pet him for days and even then he was very skittish. It took months before he felt safe with us. I don't know what someone had done to him to make him so fearful of humans.He has such a sweet nature and he is child like in his behavior. We have dubbed him 'our special needs kitty'. He still has those remants of insecurity in his personality, and I know that Abby has made him feel a little more stress which has caused him to 'act out'. So for now, because of Ping, all the cats have been banned from the bedroom, and can only go in with supervision. I will take the Tux girls in and we will all sit together and watch TV and we haven't had one accident. I feel badly to keep Jinxy from his morning ritual of hopping up in the 'big' bed and curling up into a tight ball and snoozing the morning away, but I have to keep Ping out of that room. I hope we can find a way to overcome this little problem, so everyone can go back to normal and we won't have to keep closed doors.

Tiny Dancer

Abby loves to be rubbed under her chin and then up and over her ears then down the other side of her face and up and over her ears. This is repeated over and over and over again. She will then arch her back and she wants to be rubbed down her side and a tiny little scritch over her tail(less) area. She is so cute when she is 'dancing' on the counter, she reminds me of a tiny ballerina.

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Your cat has special scent glands located in various parts of his body, including the area underneath the skin on his chin, and the area around his eyes. When your cat rubs up against you with his head, he is actually “marking” you with his own scent, as a signal to other cats that he is claiming you as “his”! You will probably notice that when your cat is doing this behavior, he is in a loving, peaceful and contented mood. The scent glands around his face release what are known as “facial pheromones”, sometimes dubbed “happy hormones”! You should feel honored when your cat does this behavior to you as it is demonstrating his deep affection for you. Rubbing his head against your shoes is also a marking behavior - perhaps your cat is trying to cover up the scents from where you have been during the course of the day (which of course will be on your shoes) with his own scent, signifying again his “claim” on you.

A Few Facts About The Manx

Abby is a total "rumpie". She has absolutely NO tail. Just an indentation where a tail should be.



There is a breed of cat, the Manx, that does not have a tail. Manx cats have been around for nearly 500 years. The breed comes from the Isle of Man, a small island just off the west coast of England. There are many legends to explain how the Manx lost her tail. One story says that when Irish soldiers invaded the island they cut off the tails of the cats for trophies. Other stories tell of a cross between a cat and a rabbit, a match not possible. In reality, the Manx has no tail because of a genetic mutation. Not all Manx cats are tailless. They can have a short stump of a tail or even a long, full tail. Cats with no tail are called "rumpies." Those with a short tail or half a tail are called "stumpies," and those with a complete tail are known as "longies." The gene that gives the Manx cat no tail also gives her a shorter spine and longer hind legs than other cats. This causes Manx cats to walk with a little hop. With her long back legs, hopping gait and no tail, it's easy to see how some people think the Manx is part rabbit.

All Things Feline Friday--Boo Makes Herself Comfortable

Hey sailor got a light?



Visit Friday Ark, to see this week's round-up of cats, dogs and other animals.Also, make it a habit to stop by the 87th Carnival of the Cats which goes up every Sunday and will be hosted this week by IMAO.

Giving Thanks

From Abby & Ping
Boo Jinx
& baby Grace...we all wish everyone a safe and happy Thanksgiving.

Lap Kitty

Here Abby is asleep in my lap at the kitchen counter. She has a habit of getting up into my lap when we eat dinner ( or breakfast as was the case in this instance). The first thing she does is knead my legs and then she wants a few tiny morsels of food, which she eats from my hand.Then she will curl up on my lap and fall fast asleep. Just like she is here. I know I spoil her, but she loves it and I must admit I do too.

Kneading you with his paws
Most people realize that when their cat kneads your stomach with his paws, he is showing his love for you. Usually, the cat will have a very special, loving expression on his face; he may be purring, and he may even be drooling slightly. Your cat is back in touch with his instincts as a kitten when he does this, and feeling the same sense of comfort and warmth that he did as a kitten when he was with his mother. Young kittens knead their mother’s nipples to stimulate the “let down” reflex in her so that her milk flows for the kittens to suckle. If his kneading behavior is uncomfortable for you, be sure to keep your cat’s nails clipped short, and maybe keep an extra towel around to pad the area he is kneading!


When she is kneading, she does have a loving expression and purrs loudly ( full throttle) and she will drool when she is especially happy, and I do need a towel to keep from getting too nicked up from her claws. But it makes her a very happy kitty, and makes me a happy kitty Mom.

Behavior Modification

The flash faded out Abby's tuxedo stripe, but her fur was shaved so she could get blood work done last week. Luckily everything came back normal. I heaved a great sigh of relief knowing that overall she is doing OK. But she does have a broken canine tooth, which needs to be removed and also has to have a kitty tooth cleaning done at the same time. I feel so bad that I didn't realize that her broken tooth was probably causing her discomfort. How dumb can I be? I knew she had trouble chewing on that side, why I didn't connect the dots, I don't know. So we will work to get that quickly fixed. Today, I have an appointment to discuss some behavior modification with her vet. She wants me to isolate Abby in a room 24/7. She would eat in there and have no contact at all with the other cats. *sigh I have worked so hard to get her to be with the other cats. I feel torn because, #1 Abby doesn't take kindly to doors which are closed (she will sit and paw at the door and cry) and #2 when I go in to be with her I then have 4 other cats sitting on the other side of the door pawing and crying to get in! I just don't see this working all that well, at least for me. Even though it does cause Abby stress to be around the other cats, I really hate to keep her locked up. I have been experimenting with "taking her" to the litterbox when I think she needs to use it. I have had good success with that, but I am not home all the time, so I know there will be clean ups. I wish I knew what it was that triggered Abby to draw away from the litterbox...

I wish I could erase all the anxiety she feels. I wish I could ease all the baggage she carries from the homes she was in. I fear she was punished for many of the things I am trying to correct with love. For all her bravado, she really is fearful. I realize that it will be a work in progress with her. Because when I think she has made good progress she will suddenly lash out at me with a quick snap, and I won't understand what triggered her response. I refuse to punish her any more than she already has been. She is such a sweet girl but she has such strong defenses. I will keep working on making her feel safe.

Feline Friday -- Open sesame.....

Errrr... I can get this, I know I can get this...
ALRIGHT I have it! I have it!!

We're in the money Gracie. I hit the motherload!!


Visit Friday Ark, to see this week's round-up of cats, dogs and other animals.Also, make it a habit to stop by the 86th Carnival of the Cats which goes up every Sunday and will be hosted this week by Scribblings .

All Creatures Great And Small

Annie

Abby

Yesterday was not a good day for the animals. Abby has been having elimination problems for a few weeks. So I took her to the vet yesterday. They discovered right off she had tape worms. I didn't know that cats got tape worms from fleas. They told me that they ingest them when they are grooming themselves. My surprise lay in the fact with Abby having fleas. She is an indoor cat, and I didn't think she had any, but with her dense coat, I really wouldn't be able to tell. But they informed me in Florida there would still be problems, so I need to keep her on Advantage even though she never goes outside.My vet is running her blood work today to make sure that there isn't anything else physically wrong that may be causing her to eliminate outside of her box. I am hopeful that all of her results will come back with positive results. Then we will work on behavorially changing her bad habit. One other thing the vet noted (which I was aware of after we had adopted her) was her front canine. She said it was broken off at the gum and should be extracted. So, I guess within the next few months she will have to go back and have some dental work.

Annie is my Mother's Jack Russell. She had a real bad day yesterday also. She was playing with one of her stuffed toys and got the squeaker part dislodged from the toy which she then swallowed. She had to be rushed to the vet, and of all things her normal vet wasn't there. So she had to go to another vet. Luckily because my parents acted so quickly they were able to induce vomiting and cause her to bring it up without any complications.

So all things considered, everyone is glad to be back home and doing fine.

The Great Lizard Chase

There isn't much more that will get a kitty all excited than by seeing a trapped lizard in the window...now only if they could get their little paws around this little creature. He doesn't realize how fortunate he is. To have 3 predators after you but to have a panel of glass between you, must be his lucky day.

New Kid On The Block

Sorry this picture is a little hard to see. I took it off our back screened in porch, it's the new nearly all black kitty that has taken residence up next door to us.

Last weekend I looked out my kitchen window and there sat this young tuxedo cat. He looked as startled to see me as I was to see him. But, he didn't fly away like most stray cats do. I tried to talk to him as much as he would let me, but in the end his fear got the better of him. It got me to thinking about how lucky my 5 cats are, each one of them someone else threw away. I couldn't help but get a little lump in my throat and wonder about this little guy and why he was out there on his own. I wish I could take in all the strays that show up, but the room at this inn is full. Still I cannot help but feel for all the little ones that stroll through my yard. I can only hope that more people spay and neuter... so sad to see a lonely cat watching you through a window seemingly asking to come in.

This Is Not What I Had In Mind

Ping is our most athletic cat. He moves with such grace and ease. But he does get into some places he shouldn't, like on the back of the chair. I decided to cover the chair, but Ping had other ideas up his sleeve. He decided he had a new place to hide out underneath the chair. So he pretends he's playing "tent". I have caught him climbing underneath the cover to go up the back of the chair... *sigh. But, I tucked the cover in and even have the legs of the chair holding down the bottom edges, that hasn't stopped my boy from figuring out how to use this to his best advantage though. Ping & Gracie just love playing 'hide and seek' under the chair. I suppose they think they are invisible when we can't see them beneath the chair covering!

Feline Friday --VCR Baby

Abby is finally getting the lay of the land. She has been very careful in what rooms she wants to visit in the house. I am guessing that the scent of the other cats keeps her from wanting to venture too far outside of her normal rountine. She has finally decided that the master bedroom is a 'safe' room to inhabit, and she has found a new spot which she likes to nest on.... right on top of the satellite box. I suppose she likes the warmth that it emits when it is on? Although she will lay on it even when it's not on. It is a good vantage point within the room, and that is why I believe she likes it so much. It allows her to see anyone coming into the space and she will greet you with her "meow" as in, "meow you are waking me UP!"

Please remember those who have served or are serving our country. We honor their sacrifice and unselfishness, and thank them for all they have done and are doing to allow us all the freedom to live in such a wonderful place we each call home.

Visit Friday Ark, to see this week's round-up of cats, dogs and other animals.Also, make it a habit to stop by the 86th Carnival of the Cats which goes up every Sunday and will be hosted this week by Curiouser & Curiouser

Playing Stick

Boo and I invented a game that she really likes to play. She is not that fond of the 'feathery' end of the proverbial feather toy, she likes the other 'stick' end. What she likes for me to do is run the the stick along the edge of some fabric (like the bed linens) and she will give chase to the movements which are burrowed under the covers. She was really giving it all she had in this play session. Boo likes to play alone. She doesn't enjoy playing with the other cats, I think she feels intimidated by her brothers. She is a very girlie girl. But when she comes into the bedroom at night and she is alone she can be a wild woman! Woo Woo Boo!

Only The Shadow Knows

A shadow lurks....what masked creature looms behind those lace curtains?

Who do those furry feet belong to?

It's JINX!

A Tisket A Tasket

Abby in background, Boo sitting in the basket.

Boo


I brought in one of my baskets to use and the girls thought they would make better use of it.


Abby

Sweets

Abby on the counter


It all started off like a normal workday morning. Each morning I get up and all the cats greet me with a very empty stomachs, so first order of business is getting breakfast on their plates. Then it's time for a little cleanup and finally I can start getting ready for work. Abby always stays with me each morning and will either sit at my feet or get up on her new box on top of the bathroom counter. This morning she had something different in mind. She kept walking right along the edges of the bathroom counter and then she would stop and nuzzle me right at the waist. She would look up at me like she does when she is ready to hop up into my lap, but I was standing up, so she had me a little perplexed by what she wanted. She walked by me several times and stopped and looked up at me, and finally she stood up and put her paws on my chest and I reached under her little bottom and she crawled up and got into my arms and began nuzzling my neck. When I began to pet her she started to purr very loudly, and the look in her eyes was sheer delight. After awhile I sat her down back on the counter so I could start getting ready for work, and she begged me again to pick her up and we repeated this same scene. I could not help but think back to her former owner telling me that they had to relinquish this cat because she was "too affectionate". All I want to do is show her how loved she is and I for one think she appreciates that.

Feline Friday -- ON Demand

Boo's orders
OK, give me the leg of lamb and nobody gets hurt.


Visit Friday Ark, to see this week's round-up of cats, dogs and other animals.Also, make it a habit to stop by the 85th Carnival of the Cats which goes up every Sunday and will be hosted this week by PagesTurned.

That Strange Noise

Abby's Curl
The other evening my husband was sitting in his easy chair and he heard this strange noise. So he turned off the TV and listened, but it stopped. So he turned the TV back on again. All of a sudden he heard the this noise again. So this time he got up to go investigate. He discovered it was coming from a 4/12 pound sleeping cat in another room. Abby was snoring so loud he could hear her all the way in the den from the kitchen where she was curled up on top of a table sound asleep and dead to the world.

On a totally different note, I encourage anyone to please read Lost In The Fogg. This poor little kitty needs help and do so his guardian angels. Please help if you can.

Abby's Soapbox

Abby watches!
As I get dressed for work each morning, Abby has found a new spot to survey from. This box is nearly the same size she is which is only about 12" tall. But, from the top of the box, she can clearly see any of her other brothers and sisters coming into or out of the bathroom. She likes having control of situations, and she doesn't like being surprised, so she always finds the spot in a room where she can has a good vantage point to watch and make her decisions from. She also likes 'guarding' me in the mornings, and it's not uncommon for her to chase the other cats from the bathroom. She really is a dynamo!

Who Is That Kitty In The Window?

Boo, Ping & Jinx

This window gives the cats their 'view to the world'. They can watch anyone that comes to the house or see my husband in his workshop. This is the their perch for waiting and watching me come home from work each day. I can always count on one, two or all three of them being in the window. I know that they recognize the cars because one day I was standing next to Boo and we both saw my husband's van pull into the side street from the main street and she knew it was his van. We don't give them enough credit for how aware they really are.