I Like Cats

Presley

They say you're either born a cat person, or a dog person.  While I do love dogs, I definitely fall in with the company who loves those of the feline persuasion, or should I say puuurrrrsuation?  I own two Himalayan Sealpoints who you will likely become familiar with if you continue to read my ramblings on this blog. 

First we have Mr. Presley, who we affectionately call "Pres".  He's about 10 years old, and the most lovable furball on Earth.  He's the alpha-cat who is the big instigator of trouble and chaos, but at the end of the day, he's just a big snuggler.  He "talks" and takes non-stop handling from the kids - which he loves.  He will do anything for attention even if it means being carried around in a bear hug by the 3-year old.  Not a night goes by when Pres doesn't take up real estate on the bed, sometimes trying to claim your space for his own.

Gigi is our second Himalayan, about 11 years old (we think) who's behaviors fit the description of what people think of when they think of cats.  She is 80% independent but is the first to beg for food when you're making dinner.  She doesn't like to be held, and she'll run from you if you try to pick her up - that is, if you're an adult, but for some reason doesn't even run when the kids go to catch her.  She'll sit next to you on the couch - on her own terms. 

Gigi, is an animal rescue cat, which we were blessed to come into possession of.  It's sort of a sad story but her previous owner, an elderly woman, was forced to move out of state, into the home of her daughter who (we were told) sort of forced her to give Gigi up and forced her to give her to a shelter.  The woman was heartbroken about giving up Gigi.  And we actually did talk with her a number of times, as the shelter gave us her contact information so we could get some additional information about her medical records.

We kept in touch with the woman for several years.  She would call every few months to check on her, and sometimes would leave a message on our answering machine for Gigi.  And we took some pictures of Gigi and put together a picture book so that she could have a memory keepsake.  I thought for awhile that one day I would find her at our door asking to take Gigi back. As time went by, we didn't hear from the old woman.   

At this point I would be remiss if I didn't mention that Presley had a friend before Gigi.  Our first Himalayan Sealpoint was named Precious.  She is unfortunately no longer with us.  That story can be found here.  I don't want to go into too much of the detail about Precious because it brings me a lot of personal sadness, but I will just say we miss her dearly.  While it would be cruel to say that Gigi is Precious' replacement (Precious could never be "replaced") we did want to find a companion for Presley to play with and keep him company when we weren't here.

Gigi

Gigi's transition took nearly a year.  When we first brought her home, she was extremely distraught and would spend most of her time hiding out of sight.  Now she's a regular member of the family who has her own way about her.  At times she chases Presley, and sometimes its the other way around.  Presley can be a bit rough with her, and tends to instigate issues.  He often tries to push her out of whatever space she is in.  Sometimes she wins the battle, but more often than not the poor girl retreats.  Presley never lets Gigi on the bed, even if we try to bring her up with us.  Although occasionally, she has been known to walk over me in the middle of the night.

So that's pretty much my goal for this entry of Random Selection.  Now you know about my favorite furballs.  And when I reference them going forward - you'll know who I'm talking about.

I just want to close this out by asking a few things of people.  Or at least get them to consider a few things if they ever find themselves thinking about purchasing a pet.

Pets, whether dogs or cats, are a lot like people.  They are family members that really matter, and they do have feelings, and a level of cognitive thinking.  They understand, or perhaps recognize is a better word, what is being interpreted as love, loneliness, acceptance, good treatment, abuse, and even abandonment. 

If you are going to get a pet, make sure you are in it for the long haul. And you're going to take it seriously.  Many pets are brought to shelters because of some ridiculous reasons that deal more with convenience rather than legitimate issues.  Animals need care and attention.  If you don't think you can give them the attention they need - both emotional and physical, then don't get one.  If you know someone who is thinking about adopting a pet, you can help by mentioning how much care and support these animals need.

And second,  if you are seriously interested in getting a pet, I recommend looking at some of the shelters in your community or online that are working to find homes for abandoned pets.  There is always someone willing to pay top dollar to a breeder, but some of the best pet success stories come from people who've adopted from shelters. 

That's all for now.  See you next time.

Kitten Mittens

I can't get enough of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia on FX. Season premiere was last night, and while the new episode wasn't one of their best, I'm definitely looking forward to this season... if only for the following moment:

Chapter 70.3: What I Really Want to Do Is Direct

This is my first attempt at posting a video on my blog. I don't know if there are size limitations. (I'm already assuming there's limited interest.) But this is one of the early interactions between our puma, Riley, and his new little sister, Oreo. There's no audio to this, so don't worry if you don't hear anything.

Anyway, aside from wanting to experiment with video, this post is to show our cats for the children they are.

As always, comments are always welcome. Especially you, Cammy.

Oh, it's a large file because I don't know yet how to compress video from a camera.


Ok, this was a failure. Some other time.

Chapter 69.93: If I Only Had a Name

The little girl has been christened with a name. Meet Oreo. Her mom wouldn't allow any clothing-related names that dad suggested, such as Tuxedo, Mukluk, or Bowtie. (All right, I actually didn't suggest Bowtie -- even I think that's a dumb name for a cat.) Since little Oreo has been confined to my wife's home office for the past few days, I suggested we name her after the cat from The Office. However, I couldn't picture either of us calling this cat Sprinkles, and that cat's life ends badly. No one needs to be saddled with that kind of ominous name. And Fart Monster wasn't kind either, though incredibly appropriate so far.

And mom wasn't keen on Orca, either. But Oreo's coloring, which inspired the Orca appellation, led to her eventual name.

Oreo also has a job. Like most kids these days, she's comfortable with technology and has already become quite familiar with the keyboard, the CD-ROMs, and of course the mouse. So Oreo has become the IT Specialist -- as seen above. Note: the photo a couple posts ago of a kitten with a toy computer is not actually our little Oreo but an incredible facsimile. That post was created before this little bundle of shaky nerves (she likes coffee, too) entered our yard and our lives.

Chapter 63.2: My Cat Made Me Do It

I saw this report last week, but the New York Times has included an opinion piece on it today. Apparently, cats chose to be domesticated; it was their decision more than ours. Since I'm owned by a cat, I can completely understand the relationship.