Tag Archives: kittens
Photo(s) of the day: The box that cats love
For some reason, my cats can’t get enough of this empty Pepsi box.
Crazy for cat toys
A package full of cat toys arrived this morning. Before I could even open it, I was pounced on by Isis, who must’ve smelled the catnip right through the bag.
Here is what arrived:
Lil' Creepers Refillable Catnip Mice
Smatykat PetPong balls
Fish Flop catnip crinkle toys
Smartykat Fish N Play, complete with refillable catnip pouch and many things for cats to chew on
All are designed to stimulate cats and keep them busy. And wow, do they ever work! Here are a few still shots of my cats going bugnuts:
A few minutes into the frenzy, I decided that a video would be more effective. You can view the video HERE. (Sorry, I still have to pay for the wordpress upgrade that will let me embed videos.) All 8 cats played with the toys, but I stuck to documenting the younger ones, since they’re more entertaining. Isis, Loki and Abby just licked the catnip mice and laid down.
More information on the toys (which were provided to me) can be found on the Pet Links System and Smartykat websites. The toys can be purchased at PetsMart, PetCo, and other pet supply stores.
Filed under pets
Eight is enough (no, not the TV show)
This past weekend, Josh and I adopted our eighth cat. Yes. You read that right – 8 CATS.
It all started on Saturday, while I was at my parents’ house having a garage sale. One of our neighbors rescued a kitten from the bushes of the building next door. They knocked on Cindy’s (our downstairs neighbor’s) door, and she thought one of our cats had gotten loose, so she ran over and dragged Josh outside.
But all of our cats were accounted for, and none of them are this small, so Josh told the neighbors that he wasn’t ours.
Then he made the mistake of picking up the little guy, who apparently started purring and snuggled up to him looking as cute as can be. He told them that he wanted to adopt the kitten, but had to wait for me to get home. Once I did, I informed him that he never has to ask me first when a homeless fuzzy is concerned.
To make the rest of the long story short, the neighbors (I never got their names) brought the kitten over Sunday afternoon. We named him Socrates. It’s now Wednesday and he’s offically at home, completely fearless and unafraid of playfully attacking our much larger cats. Our best guess is that he’s around 2 to 2 1/2 months old, but our vet will have to confirm that.
Here are a few more pics of Socrates, officially nicknamed “Little Booger” and “Socks.”
How to tell your cat’s mood
Today I have a guest blog on the body language of cats. Check it out:
Our furry little friends have been with us since the Egyptians worshipped them as gods; we have been surrounded and bombarded by hidden messages from these cute little creatures. From tail-wagging, to hair-raising; cats contain an arsenal of emotions that they secretly portray to our unknowing eyes. If you want to understand what your cat is trying to say when its doing whatever strange behavior, you’ve come to the right place. Figuring out what your cuddly buddy is saying is just a paragraph away!
- The Flailing Tail: When your little pal swings his or her tail wildly from left to right, or even up and down; you’re in trouble. Contrary to the soft and lovingly swing, this symbolizes anger and discontent. It could be caused by the cat being hurt or touched in an irritating place such as the base of the tail. Be careful with this one; a bite or clawing is shortly followed if you are near!
- The Swishing Tail: These are the soft and lovingly swings aforementioned. It symbolized contentment and happiness. If your cat is swinging its tail oh-so-pleasantly from side to side at a gentle and steady pace, you’ve done something right! Petting, purring, and snuggling is in your near future!
- The Spiked Tail (A.K.A. Upcoming Doom): When a cat’s hair stands-at-attention on all parts of its body, especially the tail; it symbolizes the cat is startled, shocked, or surprised. It generally is accompanied by anger or retaliation of some sort. If you are near a startled cat it will do anything and everything in its power to protect itself from the recently unexpected event.
- Half-Mast Eyes: When your furry friend has its eyes sailing comfortably at half-mast; it means just that, they are comfortable. This is all-the-more obvious when the upcoming purring-session commences. If your cat’s eyes are half-open, it could also symbolize exhaustion or a period of rest soon to come.
- Bent-Back Ears: When your cat pulls its ears back to resemble the wings of an F-22 Raptor, you best back off a few feet if not more. Your cat is agitated, and ready to strike at any moment; we’ve all learned this the hard way by sticking our hands just a few inches too close in hopes of coaxing the cat into calmness; only to be mangled by those five razor-sharp claws. Keep in mind, agitation means stand back!
- Purring: This is probably the most obviously discerned physical activity that cats can use to display emotion. It is associated with happiness and content. If a cat is purring on your lap it means he or she enjoys laying on you and that you make a pretty good mattress in his or her eyes. If your cat is purring on you it means you are in its “in crowd” of trusted people, so feel special!
- Rubbing against your legs: This symbolizes the need for attention. Ever wonder why whenever you seem to be preoccupied or busy your cat seems to want you the most? This is because they crave your attention. If a cat is lonely it will go out of its way to get you to pet it and play with it; whether that be rubbing or meowing or even nibbling on you. Remember, cats get lonely as often as we do!
Although there are innumerable hidden messages a cat can portray; these are the primary ones that are given. Follow these simple expressions and you can easily avoid any harm and enhance all the positives of being a cat owner. May your cats live long and healthy lives!
Tim Frisch is a blog writer for PSCPets.com, and also a Student at the University of Wisconsin – Stout. He is a cat lover, that highly recommends fresh, cold-shipped Azodyl for cats that are suffering from kidney disease.
Random cat pictures – new apartment edition
I figured I’d start off the week on a cat-related note. Here are some pictures of my fuzzies (mostly) enjoying their new home:
Horus, trying to figure out what to do next. BTW - his tail is almost 15-inches long!
Osiris hopping off of a windowsill, birdwatching successfully completed.
Hercules the Chicken-cat hiding under the coffee table. He's terrified of the ceiling fans in the living room, dining room and kitchen. When they're in motion - he's in hiding.
Filed under pets
Matching cats
Father (Hercules) and son (Horus) lounging on the old "cat chair."
There’s weirdness afoot
I’ll start off with the non-cat related news. I’ve decided to take the National Blog Posting Month challenge in April, so be prepared for at least one post a day starting tomorrow. First up are the many book and food reviews that I’ve been working on.
And now, on to the cat stuff:
Abby has never been a lap cat. She’s a sit-next-to-you-and-lick-your-arm-cat, but not a lap cat. Until today, that is. She decided to join Josh on his new(ish) recliner and get comfortable:
In fact, all of the cats have been trying out the new chair, including Isis:
And Hercules:
And on top of all of that, Osiris has figured out how to play fetch. And get on top of the refrigerator:
And for the final picture of the day, I captured Horus out-cold on the cat tree:
And while you’re at it, don’t forget to sign up for my new weekly newsletter. The first issue goes out tomorrow!
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Filed under pets
Bad cats
Hopefully my cats are done with their week of madness and mayhem. This week they’ve managed to:
- Chew through the cord on Josh’s cell phone charger — while it was plugged into the wall. (Horus)
- Attempted to jump on top of the TV, missed, hit something and knocked our router out of commission thus bringing down our network and causing me to lose an hour worth of work. (Osiris)
- Managed (despite having stubby legs and a lack of jumping ability) to get on top of the fridge and knock everything off of it. (Xena)
Argh.
Aren't you proud of me?
Filed under pets
