What is it about, Cats ?

[moi621 (imported)]

Cats do communicate. Tail posture and tail touching, various vocalizations and signals. Most Americans view them as solitary creatures and do not pick up on the communications even when they are staff to one. I've sensitized my neighbors to communications they normally ignored and they communicated back. The cat becomes closer.

fhunter, do you think Russians are more attuned to cat speak? They do the best cat circus acts.

BTW my wife's family cat in Russia would take the apartment elevator. Sit and wait for human assistance. People knew which way he wanted to go.

With the warmer weather, old fat Black Kitty went to the yard down the hill. I call to her, she flicks her tail slightly at the tip but, otherwise demonstrates apathy. Good to know she is not so old and fat to give up wandering to the yard down the hill.

Feral Orange kitty eats minimally. Must be well supplemented on tender, baby rodents.

The Siamese brothers, Izzy and Solly do their thing. Izzy has taken on the habit of asking to go outside in the morning to eat some grass, puke and return inside. I'm glad we got that arranged.

:kittygray

[Riverwind (imported)]

Temptations have come out with a new flavor, CatNip Flavor, I must say Rupert has never ever eaten out of my hand, he just does not do that, but he will eat this out of my hand and lick my fingers.

The tail is a kind of slow swish back and forth, total contentment in cat speak.

River

[transward (imported)]

The tail is a kind of slow swish back and forth, total contentment in cat speak.

River

Has anyone else here belonged to a Manx, a tailless cat? The ones with back legs like a rabbit. They have a different cat speak than cats with tails. The most passionate relationship of my life was with a female Manx. She slept every night on my pillow with her nose snuggled under my hair. She died literally in my arms, purring.

Transward

[moi621 (imported)]

I enjoy waking up with the Siamese brothers.

The big one, Solly, goes ape like a puppy for attention when I open my eyes. Head butting, not just cheek rubbing and motioning to my hands to get busy. Or he will lick them or rub his wet nose on them that gives me the itchies so I get to my task.

I have noticed Persian cats may like to be close, but never too close.

The Abyssinian was totally 'involved', wanting to sit on you but never sleep with anyone.

Thanks for the heads up on the treats River. I have two patches of catnip in the yard

Yes Kitty, coming - - -

[moi621 (imported)]

The hills must be plentiful.

Old Fat Black Kitty and Feral Orange Kitty are well fed and refusing most of their "cat food".

Black Kitty caught a lizard and played with it a while. Eats the rodents, yum yum.

What I notice is when they make a kill, they announce it with a low toned, like pained "meow"

Just as rented goats have been found to be cheaper and more efficient then Mexicans to clear brush, cats would be more efficient and less hazardous to the environment then raptor killing rat poison.

:kittygray

[transward (imported)]

The hills must be plentiful.

Just as rented goats have been found to be cheaper and more efficient then Mexicans to clear brush, cats would be more efficient and less hazardous to the environment then raptor killing rat poison.

:kittygray

I lived on a houseboat in the middle of Seattle for 17 years. Every one of the 11 houseboats on the dock had one or more cats. We also had considerable problems with wharf rats, The cats were great at catching mice and crayfish, but not a one would tangle with the big rats. That is why ratters are so valuable. They are rare.

Transward

[moi621 (imported)]

Did any stray dog ever have it this good?

http://www.ocregister.com/news/cat-3493 ... -cats.html

SAN CLEMENTE – Orange County's southernmost animal shelter Saturday hailed its new status as one of the few municipal shelters in the area to offer its feline residents spacious kitty suites with big windows and play features.

The new facility features eight spacious "kitty condos" that can house up to five cats each, equipped with picture windows, cat towers and catwalks where residents can climb, perch, play and sun themselves. Smaller, glassed-in cottages allow cats that need to be separated to be fed special diets or to meet other special needs. Those are equipped with a pluggable porthole that, when open, can allow cats to meander from cottage to cottage.

A "shy cat" room is for felines that need quiet time and gentle socialization before going into the kitty suites. In a separate room, the shelter's isolation and quarantine facilities for cats have been enhanced. . . .

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I went to Petco today to pick up over priced cat food for the four cats. They had a cat adoption area with adult cats. I really connected with one at a distance of five feet. A tabby similar to one I had as a kid. Explained I feed four and moved on.

Out here they have a 100% adoption rule. No killing.

:kittygray

[moi621 (imported)]

Seems like bountiful rat season is over. The feral Orange Kitty and Old Fat Black Kitty are consuming standard quantities of high priced, nothing but the best, Science Diet age 1-6 cat food.

Yes even though most are old I avoid the senior formulas heavier on the carbs.

The neighbor a few houses down tells me she has rodents and the cats stopped hunting them since they got a second dog. Old Fat Black Kitty stopped hanging out at the downhill neighbor's pool where she caught a two fists sized rat. She consumed it in my yard. I saw it. She left the large colon. So the Kitty Patrol does seem to work. And they can be called in at sunset too. Safe from coyotes.

:kittygray

Why Not a Feline for President?

[Cainanite (imported)]

I don't know why I never replied to this thread before.

I have two cats, and have had them for over 15 years. They are brother and sister (same litter) but different breeds.

Ulysses is my Russian Blue. Short grey fur and green eyes. Very slender and athletic. Very active. He will actually bring me toys, so I will play with him. He comes across as the smarter of the two. He is always the first to figure things out. He can figure out how to get into things, and around obstacles better than any other cat I have had. For the first two years of his life he didn't meow once. He could purr, but I thought the weird little feline was mute. Around two years of age, he started to vocalize. He hasn't shut up since.

Persephone is my Havana Brown. Short brown fur (very dark like chocolate), with the same green eyes as her brother. Havana Browns can occasionally come from Russian Blue litters. In their litter, there were four Russian Blues and two Havana Browns. Persephone is an odd mutant breed. She has short front legs, Long back legs, and has the eating habit of most dogs. If there is food in front of her, she'll eat until she pukes, then go back for more. She is short, stocky and built like Danny DeVito. Though not quite the genius her brother is, she'll follow me around wherever I go, and ALWAYS wants to be petted and paid attention to. If she doesn't get it, she'll holler at the top of her lungs until I submit.

A number of years ago, some developers leveled a small field near my place, and began to build some new apartment high-rises. This drove all the wildlife into the surrounding houses, and joy-of-joys we all got infested with mice.

My two cats were little god-sends. They happily patrolled my house, and eliminated the threat. At the time, they were both 10 or 11 years old, and had never hunted a day in their lives. Yet, that didn't stop them. They figured those mice out in record time, and even alerted me, when a small family of mice took up residence in my top-most cupboard.

Some of my neighbors still complain they have mouse problems, but not me. With two hungry and bored mouse killers in my home, no mouse has dared set foot inside since. I would have called this a 100% victory, except for the one mouse Ulysses decided to kill on my bed. Mouse guts + my comforter = Grrrr.

My two fur-balls are inside cats, but I'm glad they still have their hunting instincts. They are good company too.

[Riverwind (imported)]

I know what you mean, the hunter is in them. I have two pets myself, Rupert who is my avatar and Nelly who is the dog, what a joy they both are.

River