Yesterday's Post About Pictures and Their Stories

You see Emerald here; this was yesterday, July 7th. She slept all day! So much so that Winston was growing concerned enough to come check on her and meow at her to see if she'd respond.

Friday, she was outside all day; I always get my cats in for the night just because, in the rural area where we live, there are night predators like eagles and foxes. There are also a few dogs that go after cats... So I get them in whether they want to or not. Occasionally they will insist on remaining outside if the house is too hot or after a particularly hot day.  Generally, they are indoors for the night. 

Emerald decided on Friday to remain out of doors all night. It was apparently not enough to go gallivanting all day; but the night was cool and she was off across the road in the bush. She's quite careful in going across the road, she stops, looks both ways and darts! She doesn't stick around for cars, she's just gone. Anyway, by 7 and 8 am Saturday morning, I was getting worried. The night before I had called and called ~ No Emmy ~ and she still wasn't responding to my calls by the night morning. My husband came in from work at 9 am and shortly after he spotted her trotting up the drive!! 

Finally she'd decided to come home from wherever she was. She was both hungry and tired. So tired that she spend the entire Saturday slumbering indoors; actually because of the rain and threat of thunderstorm, all the cats stayed inside. When they wanted to go out in the mid-evening, they weren't allowed. The pictures in yesterdays blog show Molly greeting and looking after Em! I thought it was so cute because Molly is holding her head down... not that she had too, Emmy was passed out! 

Catspaw

~*~*~ Its Time Once Again For... *~*~*

Cat Collar With Bell ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

go FANCY!

During last years' winter months I put cat collar with bell on my four felines so I'd be able to hear them whether they were out of doors or in the house somewhere. Its quite the tale to tell, really. Their reactions to having a constant quiet jingle close to their ears every time they moved, scratched or shook themselves was quite comical. At first it was merely adjusting to having an alien cat collar with bell around their necks where nothing had been before; they didn't react to the bells until they moved. Sassy and Molly, being much older and wiser and old hats at this sort of thing ignored both cat collar and bell; just accepted them. 

go BRAIDED!

Emerald and Winston, however, had different reactions. Winston's was confusion to his cat collar with bell, he couldn't figure out where all that noise was coming from every time he moved and figured that maybe the best strategy would be to 'run' from the noise until he realized the jingle from his cat collar with bell was following him wherever he went so, problem solving cat that he is, he went to his mother, Molly, for advice and observed the way she handle this new and intrusive situation. After watching her ignore cat collar with bell, he began to get used to his own cat collar with bell and learned to ignore it as well.

or go BELLS!

Then there's Emerald.

Yep and then there's Emmy! Boxing Winston's ears???

Totally and singularly unimpressed, she fought with what she regarded as her 'new enemy' and managed to get the cat collar with bell caught, twice no less ~ once on her tooth and another time, in her claw. Immediate rescue and relief came in the form of tightening up the too-loose cat collar with bell so she was no longer able to attempt maneuvering it over her head. 

Its hard to see Em's Cat Collar With Bell, but its there

 Is she a smart cat or what!  It annoys her to 'jingle' when she is strategizing catching a bird and its totally funny to watch her as she adjusts her body and behavior so she can still stalk them but in the end, not catch them. 

Sassy and baby from her last litter before she was spayed

Her mother, Sassy, hunts the over-numerous mice, voles and rats on the dairy and leaves the birds alone, completely. She's developed strategies where, while hunting, she is able to keep her cat collar with bell completely quiet. Sassy only jingles when she wants too. 


Catspaw *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Sailor and the Ruined Castle, Con't

The week past quietly enough and was filled with fishing boats and days at sea, Sailor was content to visit with the fish mongers and meander through the village thoroughfares; there was even that special trip to the open market that was very interesting. But the very air began to feel different to Sailor and it seemed to signal change, a change he didn't necessarily want. Always now this feeling dogged his steps; almost a part of him now: this nameless apprehension. Something was going to happen and soon! Was it meant for the town or for him? He could not tell because as the week progressed this feeling became like fog, enveloping Sailor, making things unclear and hard to see. It was like being swallowed into something or somewhere... Yes, that was it ~ somewhere. A place, different from here? But 'here' was the only place Sailor knew, the only place that was familiar to him. He was leaving! He felt that too and it frightened him. 

The story gets creepier from here 


Catspaw

~~~S.A.N.D.Y~~~

Sandy, Mrs. M's companion, has a tale to tell:

Sandy is a beautiful, long haired gold Persian and belongs to friends of ours. Mrs. M got him as a tiny kitten and he has grown into a lovely, good tempered companion for her. 

One day, a few months ago, Mrs. M heard a loud yowl from Sandy and found him limping rather badly. She and her son took him to the vet. Turns out that he'd somehow managed to break his hip. Now whether he'd gotten caught somewhere in the house or had climbed and fallen Mrs. M had no idea, but he'd hurt himself and being an indoor cat it could only have happened in the house. 

For a month or two, Sandy had to get used to dragging around a small cast but the vet said he healed very well being the young cat that he is. He is now back to his old antics and is as healthy as ever, though he has a slight limp and every so often will react to a slight sciatic nerve that becomes bothersome to him. 

Happy news is that Sandy is back on all four paws and is the same loveable, burly kitty that Mrs. M and her son adore. 

Catspaw  

Drawings of My Cats

These are a few pics I drew of my cats, I hope you enjoy them.

Winston & Em on the cat tree, Em's in the box

Emerald on top of the fridge

Molly, on the box; Emmy beside & Sassy are watching the Ravens

Ok, technically I drew them, first as pictures then as drawings with my picture software. What do you think of them?


Catspaw

A Readers Narration

A visitor to my blog told me this story and I wanted to share it with you, verbatim:

Quote: “I don't really have much of a story, we had a white color mini poodle who died then we got three cats from the SPCA . :) We got a Maine-Coon that was about 10 years old, she seemed lonely. :)
So we got a Tux Boy that was only about 1 year old but he was too much energy for the Maine-Coon :)
And then we got a several month old ginger Tabby to play with the Tux as he is very high energy. :)
Our Tux cat is like a dog, he is smart and he nods his head at you to say hello. :) He always gives you a double head nod as a way to say hi. :) It's funny, as he's like a person since people often nod too. :)” End Quote

I decided to see if I could find some pictures of a Maine-Coon and a Tux Boy, here's what I came up with. A Tux is a Tuxedo cat and I didn't realize it but I believe Molly and Boo were Tux's! Go figure, the things you learn huh! 

Pictures of Maine Coons

Pictures of Tuxedo cats

Picture of Boo, the baby I lost just last year was definitely a Tux Cat!

Molly, Tux Cat!

Catspaw

Well Written Ads Successfully Find Homes for Cats and Kittens

You’ve raised the kittens and it’s time to leave the nest. You have rescued a stray and it’s time to find a good home; what should happen next? To find them a loving home advertising for free, is the quickest way to go, on the more popular classified search engine sites. 

First, find a website like Kijiji where you can advertise everything from selling toasters to giving away kitty’s to good households, read the guidelines and write a really great ad. When I had a litter from my unspayed females to find new residences for (they have since been spayed) and when I rescued three throwaways that were tossed from a car near the dairy we live on, I posted ads on Kijiji that got three hundred responses within the first two to three days and phone calls/emails inquiring about them the same day. Since then, I have successfully found homes for fourteen kittens, three of which were strays and one six month old fixed male cat. How did I do it? Read on. 

Knowing me for the writer I am, I like to include a bit of a story about them that catches people’s attention and I always include the cutest pictures I take from a bunch that I have. I like Kijiji because I can write more than on some of these sites and I can easily update my ad with changes. Here is an ad I wrote for a stray cat that came round one night – yes, of course I took him in. 

“3 weeks ago a 6 month old (my husband estimates his age as 6 months), Fixed, white multi colored cat was abandoned at the farm and has been wandering from house to house ever since looking for someone who will accept him. He is clearly an indoor cat and has been trying to live outside in the barn ever since. The other cats here do not accept him so he's been getting rough treatment from them. I was able to catch him and he's very grateful to be indoors again, as he's not used to the harsh cold outside. He's unusual with a large head and large paws, six toes on each paw! He is healthy. His temperament is VERY loving and gentle. Even after such terrible treatment, he's very responsive to human kindness and compassion.

Please, I know he's not a tiny kitten but he is still a kitten. At only 6 months old, he is as loving as one. He would adapt well to a home with no other animals or to one with younger animals. I believe he would be no trouble around children. He really needs a home and with the Christmas Season soon to be passed, sometimes human compassion passes as well. I would love to keep him but I already have 4 cats and they are not taking kindly to his presence. I have to keep him separated, in a cold porch, by himself, visiting him once in a while until someone claims him and calls him their own. He desperately needs a new home! Please, someone, give him one. He is litter box trained.

Please contact me by email or phone to see him. I will give cat food and kibble to the new owner of this homeless baby.”

Although this seems like a lot of text to include in an ad and I usually write a little less, I included this much because this cat is older and most people want kittens. It’s more the content than the length that got me the results I wanted for this older stray. I have found that telling a story about the animal helps people understand the urgency of finding a loving home for it. This extends to any animal be it cat, dog or bird. The time of year also seems to have a bearing on an ad’s success.  I wrote this one at Christmas last year when it was popular to give a kitten as a gift. If necessary I will keep the animal for a little longer until the new owner can collect it and I usually offer canned cat food or kibble when they come. Because it was the first cat for the new owner, I put together a small 'care kit', he couldn't believe I'd done that and was very appreciative. I have had an email since, the cat has had a vet visit and is doing very well. His new master is happy with him.

Catspaw