Kitty Playpen

I have a special playpen for my cats. Most of them love to play in it by themselves or with a toy. I discovered their joy with it on day by accident. They would follow me in and jump into the tub, on day I tossed an empty TP roll in when Mittens was in the tub. This is one of her favorite toys, as it is cardboard and she can tear it up. As you can see in the picture of her she is having a good time with it.

Toys from milk jug.

Something else the cats enjoy is the top from a gallon milk jug, both the ring and the lid. I usually have a dozen under the fridge at any time. Also I created a little puck using the foil wrapper off of a Ding Dong, Mittens loves that one also.

                                    Mittens rabbit kicks TP roll.

I tried using the empty roll with some of the others but they were not that interested so one day I tossed in the puck, instant hit. Between that and the lid all the cats are entertained. I stopped using the TP rolls as I would forget and turn the water on soaking them. One day shortly after I started this I heard a loud noise coming from the bathroom, go check it out to find The Martian playing. Now when he gets board he will go in there and play by himself. The others still will not play with him, so this gives him something he can do on his own. As you can see by the photos most every one has a good time.

                                         Lil' Bit @ Play.

                                                     Lil' Bit again.

                                               Squirrel circles her prey.

                                                   She stalks it.

                                                She attacks.

                                          Oh oh the Diva noticed the camera. 

                                                Ugly has got it!

                                              Where did it go?

                                            The Martian has it on a roll.

                         The Twins checking out the racket in the tub.

Prima Donna (First Kitty)



Sitting Pretty! Squirrel likes to pose.
(House is mess, sorry)

 When Squirrel first showed up she was the invisible kitty. I would hear her come in to eat, but whenever I tried to look she was gone. Sometimes I would get a glimpse of her tail, all big and bushy. Coming in really hungry one day she let me walk into the kitchen while she was eating. I could not get to close at first, but soon was able to sit beside her while she ate.

Squirrel's Early days.

I tired to scratch her behind the ears but she would just wine ehhh ehhh ehhhhh. Mumbling into her meal, because she did not stop eating. (Skinny cat see second pic) Using her head as a pivot point she would circle around the can of food. Needless to say she was not too friendly nor was I able to get close unless she was eating.



Hiding under the bed.



She started to hang around the house, sleeping in a box or on a blanket. At this time Girl was still spending a lot of time under the beds hiding from everything. Being skittish Squirrel would chase her trying to start a fight. They got into it once, that I had to break up. Two days later I noticed Girl was licking a cut and took her to the vet. I did not connect the two events until the vet said it looked like a puncture wound on Girl's tail. A couple of bite marks actually. Those two have not gotten along very sell since.



Belly Rub, Attack Pose!



One day while my brother and his wife was over she finally let me pet her. She became loving very quick after that. Soon she became a lap kitty, jumping on my lap most anytime I sat down. When I would come home from work she would run out to meet me rubbing against my legs. Looking for some loving. Following me everywhere, constantly wanting to be near her daddy. She has never like to be held, will squirm and wine until she is put down. Then right back to rubbing up against me, wanting to get petted. Most importantly NO belly rubs, Squirrel does NOT like. She will attack. LOL



 

Hamming it up for the camera.



Squirrel's favorite hobby is to chase Girl. She will lie in wait outside the bedroom door for Girl to emerge then chase her back in. From across the room if she sees Girl walking she will leap up and give chase. She came in as head cat pushing Girl out of the way. She started sleeping with me taking Girl's spot on the bed.



 

Her favorite toys.



Squirrel really enjoys playing, chasing after balls through out the house. She would take a toy like the first one pictured and toss it 5-6 feet into the air and jump up to catch it before it hit the ground. The second toy pictured (I circled the attachment) she would chase around the house. She would jump over 5 foot into the air to get it. She would run after a string, when she caught it she would do a flip. Just roll right over grabbing it on the way. Then Mittens showed up while trying to join in she was pushing Squirrel out of the way.

Squirrel had attitude when she first showed up. What with her chasing Girl, growling and mumbling at me when I tried to pick her up. Still though she is the brave one. When someone comes in she will be out to see who it is, if she approves she will even rub up against them. She really likes “M” and will jump onto the couch to get petted by her.



Squirrel playing with her toy.



Then came Mizz Purrzzy, who would chase Squirrel under the bed like she did to Girl. It surprised me at first . But like I said she changed a lot calming down becoming more loving. So maybe that is what it was. Having to fight for attention may be good for her. She has started to come out once again. Playing with almost the same abandon as before.



 

Bribing her to come out from under the couch.



Squirrel likes to help out.
Here she is helping me make cookies.

 

Well that is Squirrel, loving, outgoing, a ham that loves to have her picture taken. She is just so photogenic that I have more pictures of her than of any of the others.

  



Psychic Cats (Mind Reading)

Dinner time audience.

All cats are psychic, as anybody owned by a cat can tell you. Just ignore the naysayers that tell you no such thing as supernatural powers exist. Scientists will deny that psychic abilities are real, stating that they can not be proven. Not one of them ever observed or ran tests on a cat. I firmly believe that all cats have ESP powers especially the ability to read minds.


Take for example the phenomenon of a cat “following” you by walking 3 steps in front of you. I am sure most of you have experienced this. They seem to know exactly where you are going even turning the same way you are going to. And if you change you mind to avoid them, they know it before you do and follow suite. Leading of course. They know when you are busy working at the desk, or on the computer, so naturally will pick that time to need your undivided attention. Now if you were just reading or browsing the internet they will leave you alone. Cats just want to make sure that you know that they are number one.



When I'm not in bed.



My cats are really good at demonstrating this ability. Even when I try to fool them they know what is really going on. Say, when I go to the kitchen to get something to drink, sometimes one or two will follow me and beg to get fed. Only when it has been a couple hours or more since I last put some food out though. It is a different story if I am going to fix me something to eat. They will magically appear in the kitchen before I open any cabinet doors. Even if they had ate just 30 minutes prior. They know that the good food (people food) is coming out. They also know that I will relent and let them nibble on something, like bacon or chicken. (pic 1). I can be mean though, sometimes I will let them sniff at sauerkraut or pickles, to teach them not to beg.


Sometimes when I am getting ready to go to bed I try to fool them. I will turn on the light and mess around trying to lure them in to the bedroom. I want to see how many I can get to join me in bed. ( I usually have 1 – 3 cats sleep with me). Most of the time I am trying to get Mittens or Mizz Purrzzy to join me as they rarely sleep with me. No dice they are not fooled. But when I am not in bed.... (see pic 2)



Caught playing.



I try to get them to think that I am making the bed. I will even pull pillows off of the bed and shuffle the sheets to make it sound like I am changing them. They know better and just ignore me. Just let me try to change the sheets, that’s a different story. Yesterday I changed the sheets and everyone joined in to help me. Even when I try to sneak in to do it they all come running.



Pretty checking things out.



Normally I will have Mittens, Squirrel and Lil' Bit on the bed helping me (see previous posts). Mizz Purrzzy will be in the room, sometimes joining the others on the bed. (If she does Lil' Bit will jump down). This time the Martian decided to join the festivities along with Pretty both for the first time. In the pictures they are joined by Squirrel and Mizz Purrzzy (pics 3-5). Mittens, Lil' Bit, TJ and Ugly had already jumped off with a total of 6 cats on the bed at one time.



Everyone playing.


Jumping on and off, sliding with the sheets as I pulled them off. Or running under them as I shake them out putting them on. A fun time was had by one and all kitties. Mittens had broken the fuzzy tail off of the string (next to Martian). Every one got a chance to play with something. Changing the sheets usually winds up as a “kitty play party”. Sometime if I get a camera I will make a movie of it. I think it would make pretty good showing.

Picture 1: Mittens behind Squirrel on the counter, Pretty with TJ joining her at the food bowl, Ugly cleaning herself Martian staring at Lil' Bit (off camera) who is growling at him. Picture 2: L2R Mittens next to Mizz Purrzzy with Squirrel in the background. Pic 5: Mizz Purrzzy left holding the stick, Pretty at the end of the string, with Martian between them and Squirrels in the corner watching everything.   

Time to Brag



Girl Kitty

 Today’s post is all about Girl and the amazing progress that she has made. Just a couple of days ago for the first time, and again last night for the second time, she played “string”. I dangled a string in front of her, she played with it, batting at the string with abandon. This lasted about 20 seconds each time. So what is so special about a cat playing with a string you might ask, don't most cats? I do not think Girl quite knew how to be a cat. Let me explain and highlight some of her steps along the way to this major milestone.


When Girl first showed up (late 2006) she was and still is a proper little lady. Even with the back door open she would not come in unless personally invited. After eating she would jump up on the couch next to me rubbing up against me to get loved and petted. At the slightest noise from out side, if I stood up, or if she saw another cat walk in (She kept a constant watch on the back door) she would run and hide for hours. She was hard to catch and put out in the mornings. Two weeks after she showed up I relented and got a litter box so she could stay in full time.


Girl didn't see Twinkie


She was a very shy and timid cat, always slinking around with her tail between her legs. She probably spent 8 months or more of her first year with me hiding under my bed. She would join me up top when I went to bed, then back under in the morning. She was always fearful of other cats. One day she came out of the bedroom looking towards the back door, keeping an eye out for other cats, she jumped on to the arm of the couch, still watching the back door. She did not see Twinkie sleeping there, about 15 minutes later when she finally noticed him she immediately ran and hid, for at least 3 hours. See how she is sitting ready and alert she used to always sleep that way, never any other position. Ready to spring away at a seconds notice.



I was beginning to wonder if something was wrong with her I never heard her meow. I only knew she was purring by placing my finger on her throat. Twinkie was still around at this time, he would meow to be let in, get fed, petted, in other words a lot of the time. One day Girl started to meow to get fed and was very insistent about it. Good for her, I think she learned it from Twinkie. It was at least a year and a half before she messed up and I heard her purr, and at arms length too. Around this time also she would lay more like a cat, with her legs extended out and even started to lay on her side, she finally was starting to relax a little bit. Sometimes too much, she reminds me of a turkey spread out like that.



Turkey pose



I tried to get pictures each step along the way, but with her being so skittish it was hard. I tried playing with her but she would run from the string, at best shyly pushing it away when I put it in her face, with a half harted attempt to play. Her catnip mouse she at first ignored finally she started rubbing against it. Just a few weeks ago she started picking it up and tossing it around pouncing on it. I think she is learning how by watching the other cats play. But if she sees them watching her or hears a noise she will stop.



Girl eats in public



I used to feed her where ever I could find her, finally I got fed up with empty cans under both beds and the couch. So I made her a spot in my room and would only feed her there. One time she went to the community food bowl (where I feed the others), I have a pic of it. She does it on occasion now. I also have a pic of the first time another cat (Mittens) laid down near her and she was aware of it. The first cat she walked up to and sniffed was Lil' Bit. (Lil' Bit is smaller than Girl).



Girl with Mittens


I can only guess as to what kind of background she came from, to be so scared all the time. I have a real soft spot in my hart for her because of this. I sometimes think she might have been abused. This post shows just a little of the progress she has made, I could write so much more. Each incident is like a child taking its first step. Recently she has started to growl and swat at any cat that gets too close, will walk up to some of the others, and does not hide as much as she used to.

Progress has been slow in coming. The vet guessed her to be about 5 when he first saw her in 2007, so she is a senior cat now around 9 years old. You would think she would be set in her ways, but she is learning how to become a cat. Lil' Bit tries to play with her, by swatting Girl when she passes by. Girl just ignores her :).


Girl on piano with others :)


It has taken a lot of time and patience with Girl to get this far. She is very spoiled, and tolerances are made. Sometimes I have to pick her up and carry her into the bedroom so she will go eat. She still is afraid to use the litter box to pee in (it is not medical we checked with the vet), I place some old towels next to the boxes she uses and change them out regularly. She has some special needs and allowances need to be made for her. But she is a special little girl that I would be lost without.

So as you can see playing “string” is something amazing to brag about. This is coming from a cat that tried to crawl into a hole and pull it in after her so as not to face the world. A lost kitty that did not know how to be a cat, who was afraid of her own shadow. A senior citizen who is facing her fears and over coming them, gracefully. So yes I will brag about my special kitty because I am so proud of her and the progress she has made. Three cheers for Girl!!
    

More Chores:

Buying Kitty Food



Click on GIF to see animation.



I buy all of their food at Pet Smart, normally getting several cases of wet and a couple of bags of dry at one time. (I find it is cheaper this way, buying it on sale) I use old plastic buckets, that their litter came in to store their dry food. I washed them out with a mild dish soap before using them. When I go to fill them everyone comes by to supervise and get a little taste test. I think they are checking up on me to make sure I bought them the good stuff. The first pic shows them helping me and getting a little taste. That is Lil' Bit reaching deep in to grab some (Click on pic to animate gif: Lil' Bit it the gray one). As you can see it is quite the crowd pleaser, everyone gathers around. How many cats can you count?

This is even better than using catnip to get their attention. Sometimes it is kinda of hard to walk around without tripping over a cat or three. This is a grand ceremony for them with everyone in the house showing up except Girl, who is usually as far away from the others as she can get. Once everything settles down they will all decide that it is time for a nap and lay down around the bucket.



Click on GIF to see animation.



Putting away the canned cat food is even more fun, once I get around to it that is. In the second photo I decided to eat before putting it away. Mittens and Lil' Bit decided to remind me it was time to put their food away. I will open each case and then stack the cans alternating between all the flavors in each stack. Once I spread the cases out on the floor the cats will go back and forth between cases checking out which flavors I bought this time. Then Squirrel will get in the cupboard making sure there is a place to put it all. Very helpful this, as she is normally standing right where I am trying to work.



Click on GIF to see animation.



What to do once it is all put away??? Make forts of course! You can see in this picture I can make a couple of forts for them . Which they will quickly camp out in, and use to attack each other from. Soon there are pieces of fort all over the kitchen. I will rebuild them several times, until I get tired. They never seem to get tired of it. After a couple of hours of boxes all over the house I will pick them up and put them away. I do keep a couple around the house as the cats will use them as beds.

Lets not forgot about cleaning the litter box, I know Mittens won't let me. If she thinks that I have neglected it she has a subtle way to remind me. She will walk up to me and be very loving, then walk away back and forth until I get up to see what she wants. If she walks past the food and into the bathroom I know it is time to clean the litter box. (When she wants fed she will go to the food) I have four litter-boxes, the extra large one is in the spare bathroom. I use scoop-able litter cleaning them out everyday filling as needed with a complete change every so often. Mittens will stand by the door watching me, supervising unless it is urgent then she is right next to the box. Once I finish she will test it out, making sure I did a good job. If it is not her testing it out as soon as it is cleaned then it is Squirrel. It doesn't matter if they had just went before I started, they still have to try it out.

I think that covers all the chores, no matter what I do they are right there. Whether it is to help out or just to supervise, one or more of them will be close by, making sure I do it to their satisfaction. Even if they are a hindrance sometimes, at leas they believe that they are helping.