Thu 5 Jun 2008
Posted in Caitie, Cats, What is a Good Cat?
at 0:05
Just in time for Caitie’s week, The Furry (aka Fussy) Bambinos tagged us for the 7 Useful Things Meme. Considering we’re talking about Caitie here, this list shouldn’t be difficult to do. For example:
- Since shortly after her adoption, Caitie has taken responsibility for telling us when the litter boxes need to be washed. She knows that words could be misunderstood, so she chose not to use words — or the boxes, for that matter. It took a while, but with her help we hit upon a better method and she hardly ever has to tell us anymore.
- While Kelly is the Man Cat who keeps intruding toms away, Caitie volunteered to do the same when female cats who are not Lady Cats violate her territory.
- Alarm clocks are not guaranteed to awaken humans, so Caitie has taken the primary role of alerting us that it is time to eat. Sometimes she does this as early as 4:30, but she has never complained about working at such an hour. (No, she hasn’t, anyway…)
- She is handy to have around as a food taster. This Calico Diva has never complained about her food, either. Has she snubbed her food? Well, sure, but never a complaint. But see, a cat is supposed to be finicky, so this is further proof that Miss Caitie is a Good Cat.
- She is useful as a hunter, keeping us safe from crickets.
- In addition, this little calico waits patiently outside the bathroom door for me to arrive to give her the traditional morning brushie and then her morning fleece.
- As much time as she spends in the family room, Caitie is not a lap cat there. No, only in the office is she a lap cat, and that is useful because it prevents me from making mistakes on the PC due to speed. (That includes the typing and other PC preparations for her week on ‘It’s all Good.’ The irony of her slowdown skills is not lost on me.)
When Caitie’s around, the typing slows down.
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Tue 3 Jun 2008
Posted in Caitie, Cats, What is a Good Cat?
at 0:05
Does a cat moo? Does it whinny? Of course not — a cat meows. This 1-minute video consists of 3 short clips of Caitie, and in the last 2 she demonstrates that she meows the way a Good Cat is supposed to.
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Tue 27 May 2008
Posted in Cats, Kelly, What is a Good Cat?
at 7:45
Like his relatives, the jungle cats, our Kelly Cat is a mighty hunter. Here, he has hunted down some chicken and is finishing it off. The observer cannot help but admire the fearlessness (one might say “the nerve”) of this Good Cat.
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Tue 20 May 2008
Posted in Cats, Kelly, What is a Good Cat?
at 0:05
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While our cats are usually loving and devoted to us — especially when they want food — all of them are shy around people they don’t know well. Their shyness doesn’t keep them from going outside, but if a passerby on the sidewalk notices them, they are quick to run and hide.
Not always, though. Kelly was in the front yard enjoying the sunshine of a summer day when a mother and her little girl approached along the sidewalk.
The child asked if she could pet Kelly, and I began to explain that he’s shy with visitors. The words were barely out of my mouth when Kelly strolled over to the little girl and rubbed against her. For several minutes, he let her stroke his fur and generally behaved as though he enjoyed this sort of thing all the time. Making a new friend while at the same time making a liar out of one’s human are sure signs of a Good Cat.
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Tue 29 Apr 2008
Posted in Cats, Kelly, Nicky, What is a Good Cat?
at 0:05
Nicky wants to jump down from the deck like a Good Cat, but the little black cat hesitates because Kelly keeps getting in his way. (Watch also for cameo appearances from Caitie and Lizzie.)
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Tue 22 Apr 2008
Posted in Cats, Nicky, What is a Good Cat?
at 0:05
Reaching back a few years, when Nicky really was un gatito…
We’ve never had a problem with the cats clawing the furniture, having trained them to use the cat tree in the living room instead. But after several years of daily scratching, many of the carpeted areas on the tree were pretty ragged and shabby — not the kind of thing you want in the living room when visitors arrive.
It took several trips to area stores to find a replacement, but at last we found a nice cat tree on sale, and brought it home and put the old one in the basement. The new one has carpeted areas for the cats to lie upon, like the old one, plus sisal rope and cedar logs for them to sharpen their claws.
At least, that’s what the cats are supposed to use. However, Pat came downstairs one morning and found Nicky vigorously clawing some of the carpet on the new tree. Without raising her voice, she said in mock exasperation, “Nicky, we just got this and you’re shredding it. If you keep this up, in a month this will look as bad as the last cat tree.”
She paused in her extra-gentle chastisement and looked at the kitten, who had stopped clawing, but he didn’t appear to be feeling guilt or shame for his actions. In fact, he was purring contentedly.
When Pat told me the story, the first thing I thought of was the line from Lewis Carroll’s “Through the Looking Glass”: “It is a very inconvenient habit of kittens … that, whatever you say to them, they always purr.”
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Pat’s gentle chastisement was also about as effective as the quiet riot act Alice read her own black kitten in Chapter One of “Through the Looking Glass”. And, this being the Internet and all, here’s the whole book.
So we know that cats purr (especially Good Cats). The next question is: Why? This page might have the best answer of all.
But if you really want to know the answer to something, you need to send your question to Cecil Adams (and his loyal assistant Ed Zotti) at The Straight Dope.
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Tue 15 Apr 2008
Posted in Caitie, Cats, Nicky, What is a Good Cat?
at 0:05
One afternoon, Caitie and Nicky were resting in the shadow of the small Japanese maple tree when they detected something in the yard next door. They became alert, for it could have been one of the neighbor’s cats, and a Good Cat must remain vigilant to keep any trespasser off its property.
I snapped the picture and then turned around to see what had caught their attention. It was the big dog next door named Casey, out to answer nature’s call. Casey kept her distance, and both Caitie and Nicky resumed the watchful relaxation of a couple of Good Cats.
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