Why Your Comments Matter

Pippin, by Pippin's human, Suzi

Last February on the 27th in 2012 I posted this picture with a short blog. June 22, 2012 I received this comment from his owner, Suzi. I'm sure, by her comment, that she won't mind my posting what she told me about Pippin. So, here it is and just to point out to my visitors and readers that every comment you choose to leave means a great deal to the author and other visitors/readers of the blog you post it to, they do get read. Your comments count and each one is welcomed.

Thank you Suzi for your comment and I am very glad to know your kittens name. I am so very sorry for your loss of him. You're comment made a difference. 

Hello! I thought you might like to know who this dear white cat was... His name was Pippin and he was my dear cat from 1998 to 2003. I took this photo when he was about 5-6 months old. He's actually playing with a little stick I had tossed to him. He was an amazing character and I've written many stories about him. This photo was one of the first of my photographs I posted on line back in 1999, and it keeps showing up all over the world, with captions in many different languages, on web sites, blogs, chain emails with cat photos, etc. etc. I'm glad my dear boy's photo has been so popular and that he can continue to bless people's lives a little bit, even beyond the grave. - Sincerely, Pippin's human, Suzi on A Cat's Prayer

Catspaw

Please remember, if there is something you want to share, to leave a comment and your name. Thank you to everyone who has already left comments on my blogs, I appreciate them all.  

Cats ~ How Litttle We Know Them

We all know what to expect when living with a cat, don't we???

Maybe we missed a few details in our assumptions! Allow me to clarify...

Don't they just take "what's mine is yours" to the absolute LIMIT!!!

Imagine, being 'told off' by your cat! What is the world coming to?

And what does happen when you discover there is no room for YOU!?

Well, this is what happens... you also discover they are the most loving, darling, crazy animals ever that have personalities and characters of their own and just watching their ridiculous antics makes you calmer and you live longer.

I am BORG!

You will be assimilated. 

Resistance is futile. 

I mean Heck, they even mimic our attitudes and behaviors sometimes...

But in the end, 

Resistance is Futile

We can't help but love 'em!

Catspaw

Cat Hybrids - Elf Cats

I just KNOW you think I'm the 'cutest' thing you've ever seen!

Ok, just keep an open mind here.  

The Elf cat is a very new, extremely rare hybrid breed created by Karen Nelson and Kristen Leedom. They started this breed by crossing the Sphinx and the American Curl. What an idea! 
Aside from inheriting the hairless appearance of the Sphinx, they also have the curled ears of the American Curl. Like the Devon Rex, Elves are not hairless as short fine hair can be found on feet, ears, nose and tail; this is more like down fur and comes in different colors. Obviously they hardly shed and believe it or not, you DO have to groom them on a regular basis but this is more to remove sebaceous secretions that develop on their skin that can become sticky to touch and can lead to the development of skin difficulties. So its necessary to sponge bathe from time to time; its good to know elves tolerate their baths well and some grow to really enjoy them.

Of course with any engineered breed, its very important to limit an elf's exposure to the great outdoors, especially in extreme weather;  cold and overexposure to hot sun are hazardous to this breeds health. But overall Elf cats are healthy and remarkably free of genetic defects.

Baby, tabby elf kitten - Love the EaRs!

Elf's have athletic and muscular bodies similar to that of the Sphinx. Sharing an almost lack of fur with their hairless ancestor, Elf cats have very prominent cheek bones and whisker pads. The whiskers and eyebrows are so sparse and short you'd think they lack those as well. Their skin is intensively wrinkled in the shoulder area, their ears and muzzle, though this is especially obvious in the kitten stage. Ears are curled backwards which is a trait inherited from the American Curl. Unique ears together with hairless appearance make up the most recognizable features of the Elves and the long tail tapers into its tip. They weight in at between 10 to 15 pounds.

Elves were originally bred to retain the best qualities of their parent breeds; this makes them highly intelligent, very friendly, intensely social, outgoing and ever so affectionate. Lively and active but gentle best describes this new breed of cat; they literally thrive on human attention and love. Together with being loyal and often be found by your side or on your lap, they also have a mischievous side. Lovers of high perches to climb on and playing with absolutely anything within their immediate grasp, lots of toys are a necessity, especially hanging ones and a must have if you are the owner of an Elf cat. Providing them with a few high shelves or other high locations in your home will prepare their new environments for their homecoming. Highly adaptable, Elf cats can fit themselves into almost any home situation easily and readily. They also adjust to other animals remarkably well so they are social with people and other cats and dogs. It's not recommended to leave your cat alone all day long unless you have things that will stimulate their interest while you are gone. So aside from getting a companion for your Elf  you might also consider building a more elaborate cat tree system ~ any cat would enjoy that!

My name is Helios and I have noticeable fur!

My husband is planning a reversible cat tree this time. Made in two separate sections that come together and can be taken apart one way to make it up in another. I also want a runway system that goes up the wall and across. There will be little sitting nooks, boxes and niches for our four to play on, sleep in and explore. 

Elf's are pretty pricey and not for the average cat owner with kittens starting at two grand each ~ this price includes first vaccination, deworming, one vet exam before it leaves for your happy home and TICA registration papers.  Kittens also exit they breeders place with a written comprehensive health guarantee. Why the expense? Seems they are not the gold mine one might think. 
Back Yard Breeders and pet shops make their money selling the kittens, most legitimate breeders don't even make enough to cover their own costs. So it’s a very expensive hobby. Most breeders can only hope they can just about break even but usually fall short of that goal. What looks, at first, to be a gold mine can be a financial pit if these breeders aren't careful. Going through the expenses involved limits turning a profit for a authentic breeder. They do it for the love of cats and their new breed, not for the money.

This is a parent elf for breeding 

These cats are easily show cats and can earn some of their expense back for their owners if so inclined. For more information check the Official Elf Cat Foundry Breeders Group and I am including the website of the Cattery I got this information on (www.elfcats.com) in case someone wants more info. I, like the owner of said site, believe that any animal, be it cat, dog, bird or fish, should be a pet first and foremost and they are NOT disposable! If you have an animal, they are part of your family and entitled to all the benefits that their human families can provide. Its just plain wrong to throw them aside because they become 'inconvenient' should you move or something else comes up. 


I hope you enjoyed meeting and getting to know the Devon Rex and the Elf Cat ~ there's more to come. 


Catspaw

Kittens GONE!

I am happy to report that a lady from Cat Action PEI came at 1 pm and picked up the two kittens from my Kijiji Ad. She said they'd be dewormed and vet checked but they were too young and malnourished to be spayed yet. If people are still interested in them, they can phone Cat Action or email the lady who picked them up. Please contact me for this information by leaving a comment in the box or email me from my Kijiji Ad, that I have already updated.


As to availability, an interested party already contacted them so I don't know if a kitten has a new home already, but one or both still need homes. They are available for immediate adoption now and their new owners can have them spayed themselves when the time comes or Cat Action will do them. They are still strays until they are adopted, then they become house pets. You will need to talk to Cat Action about that if you have questions regarding spaying and shots. 


Living on a registered cat colony, animals are always being dumped at the farm, I and my husband always take them in and eventually they end up on Kijiji. Check back often as anything that happens, you will learn about it on my blog first.


Catspaw

PS: This just in, one lady phoned Cat Action and got to talk to someone. Interested parties will need to contact the lady who picked up the kittens directly. Please contact me for her email address if interested.

Stray Cat Strut ~ Again.

Two skin and bone females have been discarded at the dairy or they have found their own way here. This one came in without hesitation yesterday evening so hungry she could barely eat! She could not decide what she wanted more, food or affection and I couldn't give her enough of both. 


My cats were not at all pleased to have her in 'their' house but they know its what happens around here and if they misbehave, outside they go to cool their paws for awhile. 

This morning there were two! The dark kitten brought her sibling, another female, light grey in color. In this pic, she got the flash in her eyes. Both are half starved and very wanting for affection and attention. Either they've been on their own for awhile or their former owners threw them out, denying even their basic needs of food and shelter and they have not been able to find another kind caregiver since. I can feel every bone in their little bodies, they are so thin!


If there is anyone out their interested in giving these two a home on Prince Edward Island, Canada, where I live, I'm posting an ad on Kijiji for them.


Catspaw

An Outdoor Excusion, In The Yard

A day or so ago I was out-of-doors with the cats; it was a balmy 77F, who could resist, I ask you!? Couped up all Winter with blowing snow, ice crystals and gale force winds; Ya, I love living on an island in the middle of the Atlantic with only a 9 mile slip of a bridge connecting us to the mainland of Canada!! 

I digress...  so, getting back to my 77F day with only a light warm breeze, I was happy enough to hang about the porch for awhile watching my cats and those of the neighbors, the cat colony cats. My cats have cat collar with bell so I hear them wherever they are, much to the shurgrin (if anyone knows how to spell this word, let me know) of the, shall we say, `quieter`cats. 


So here`s a pic of the colony cat area of where they hang out on a day like mentioned above:

All the long and relatively mild winter this is where they`ve been hold up. Though this particular day I could not find hide nor hair of even one, with the exception of the ones that always come round my place. 

Again, I digress... getting back to MY cats...

Winston was NOT keen on being outside, he`s quite convinced himself that the dogs are about and out to get him. In fact, they visit every two weeks or so but he remains convinced and is not at all keen to be out of doors.

He was barely outside two seconds... 

when I called him back! He`s looking a little distrustful of me now, but...

he came and went in through the porch door. 

Honesty!

Catspaw

Cats and Dogs ~~ Go Figure!

Usually on a sunny day I leave the porch door open to get the benefit of a sunny spot where the cats can sun and snooze. This day was heard a mad and violent banging at the door combined with a mixture of strained yowls so terrible it brought me running to the door!


My Drama Queen was have a hissy fight with the door and in particular, with what lay beyond ~~~

Molly violently reacted

It was a visit from the dogs down the lane, so to speak. 







A blond Boxer and a mini Dobi ~ friendly enough dogs but they like to terrorize the barn cats and create havoc on the dairy in general... Just dogs having fun I guess.

The frantic pounding on the door and the screaming yowl from Molly didn't take long to convince the dogs they weren't welcome and Molly, the attack cat, was ready for them if they insisted in pressing their claim.

It was hard to get a picture of Molly in action as she acted way too quickly.

This was not the calm situation presented here!
I hunted through my fridge and found leftovers the cats would turn their perky noses at ~~ so I gathered it up and gave it to the dogs. 

There's nothing funnier that a dog with spaghetti on his face!

After the meal and my cleaned out fridge, they happily headed home and left the barn cats alone, who by this time had made themselves pretty scarce. I happily cleaned the rest of my fridge! Molly was happy that she triumphed over the dogs and protected her territory. 


Yes, everyone came away happy from the situation.


Catspaw

Cat Collar With Bell Antics

Since I am planning to get some cat collars with bells for my cats this spring, if it ever comes, I have a few recent pics to share on their recent antics... 

What is it with cats and sunshine? Can you see all four of my cats?
Emerald is the one actually 'in' the sunshine on almost the only day that we had sun and blue sky. It was great, during these two days most of the snow melted and the promise of Spring was in the air. I live on an island in the Atlantic so I know better than to trust that!

Story Alert! - I had to kick Winston outside on our last day of decent spring weather...
He's checking for dogs.

A week ago a pair of dogs from up the road 'visited'. Winston didn't care to get further acquainted so he high-tailed it into the shed on the dairy and flatly refused to come out, even after the dogs left. That meant my hubby had to go looking for him and that's the only reason he came in. Since then, Winny hasn't wanted to venture outdoors. CATS!

I think Emerald is smiling here, but I can't be sure. She could just be miffed to wake from her nap to find a camera in her face!

Now this is Prime!!
This improvised cat tree has been here a month and its the first time Sassy has ventured onto it - it met with her approval.


The light behind her is the full moon.

Here you can appreciate the reason why, in medieval times, people believed that cats were reciprocals for devils. Check out Molly's eyes! If you were totally uneducated, lived in squaller and rampant poverty and were only able to hear God's word in Latin; how would you react if this suddenly jumped on your window sill?


Isn't education and science a wonderful thing!


Catspaw

The Tale of a Cat Collar With Bell

Boo

He was a pint-sized black kitten with a touch of white; a blind, small, slight creature when I first rescued him that dark winter day in the cold barn. When, months later, he regained his strength and a little more growth, I gave him his very first cat collar with bell. Boo loved it and would shake his little head just to hear his cat collar with bell jingle. Many years later I was to find out that he was a Tuxedo cat and considered by experts to be very clever. Boo was indeed cagey enough to achieve the removal of his cat collar with bell and not a couple of times, to lose it as well. Of course this sent me searching the entire trailer for his cat collar with bell and scrutinizing each blade of grass outside for it. I usually managed to find the cat collar with bell for him again. 

Poor Boo, he genuinely missed his cat collar with bell the few times he lost it; so much so that he'd follow me out of doors to help look for it. As he grew older I had to extend his cat collar with bell for him. Boo didn't care for this because he wasn't wearing it and he insisted on having his cat collar with bell close by so he'd play with it and grab it out of my hands. Later, when another of our cats would try to play with his cat collar with bell, Boo would give them a whack and take it back. The cat collar with bell was his and his alone; no one was allowed to touch it! He was certainly not about to part with or share his cat collar with bell; that was just understood. After we'd had him for several years, Boo traveled with us on that memorable seven day road trip across Canada, that I'd like to forget, when we moved from Alberta to Prince Edward Island. I had the cats in my van so I was privileged to listen to a constant barrage of complaining and his cat collar with bell whenever he moved or shook his head, which was often! 

Boo was very disdainful of his bath time since it meant separation from his favorite toy, his cat collar with bell for the period of the bath; a long interval for him. It typically happened that he would reach over with one paw (his dry paw) and snatch the cat collar with bell when I was otherwise occupied. He'd drag it into the water and play with the cat collar with bell while I shampooed him. Well at least it kept him busy so he didn't mind as much. It quickly proved quite impossible to separate him from his darn cat collar with bell when it was sopping wet and set to dry on the register; he'd sneak in and steal it! Before long I'd hear the jingle of the cat collar with bell and discover Boo playing with and dragging it about the house. 

On occasion I had to mount a reconnaissance when they roughhoused in the basement and a loud, angry yowl would go up; Boo got the cat collar with bell off again but one of the other cats had absconded with it. My retrieval missions for the cat collar with bell were routinely successful and Boo was, to his great delight and to the peace of the rest of the house, was happily reunited.

After we lost him a year ago, I kept his cat collar with bell as a living reminder of a very special cat who once graced us with his special friendship and shared our lives for awhile. I miss hearing his cat collar with bell. So much so that every now and again I almost think I hear his cat collar with bell dinging faintly through the house. I still go looking for the sound only to find his cat collar with bell still hanging right where I left it. I miss you, Boo.

Here is to one of our best friends, our unique Tux cat Boo; in memory of him and his cat collar with bell.

Catspaw

Does Your Cat Do This Too?

Last year I had Molly and Emerald spayed and since then their appetites have gone through the roof, along with their weight. They are totally consumed with a concern for eating that borders on obsession! Whether its treats or food doesn`t seem to matter; once they hear that can opener they just assume its for them and I`m surrounded by four caterwauling cats demanding to be fed. (Every time I use the can opener!)


I`m looking into some strategies to curb this new trend before it gets further out of hand. If any of you have an idea or two to share, I`d really appreciate it. Please share it with me in my comment box.


Thank you in advance.


Catspaw

And Then Came…

And then came… Winston. Once again Sassy and this time Molly graced us with little ones. Now there were eight kittens and three cats in our family. Emmy was curious about them but highly concerned lest they take the attention away from her. I assured her this would not happen and she was happy, though she remained suspicious of them until they grew older and she realized, they were her personal animated ‘toys’. She was never too rough with them as they made a good job of nipping her if she did.  

I had found homes for them on one of the more popular classifieds engines online and as each one found a home, I found I had one left, a little tabby male with a darling personality. Compared to the three females he is mild and calm and half the time couldn’t figure out what all the ruckus is about with the sparing between Molly and Sassy. Winston is Molly’s baby; it seemed that people wanted females instead of males so we kept him for ourselves.

He’s a beautifully colored dark stripped tabby with a line of color that extends under his chin making him look as if he’s wearing a white bib. He is the calmest of the four and rarely gets excited about much, being more cautious about new things whereas Emmy will dive right in, regardless of the consequences. 

Being of an age now to be aggressive in play, a fact Emerald distinctly dislikes since she can be somewhat of a bully at times, their play can get quite yowly at times. Winny is strictly an indoor cat at this time, the one time he did venture outside he wasn’t impressed; he’s decided it has to be the right temperature for him to grace the world with his presence. He prefers to look out the window instead.   

Now that I have introduced them all, the intention of this blog is to not only share cat stories but to endeavor to offer other information from my own personal experiences with these unique animals and share them with my readers. In upcoming articles I will write about practical things like how to write successful ads that get immediate results when finding homes for kittens and cats, especially online; naturopathy that I have used for cat health and well-being, raising kittens, saving strays and throwaways; how to help farm and feral cats.  

I hope you will stay tuned for these upcoming articles, stories, quotes, ideas, names and even a cat food or treat recipe or two. Thank you for stopping by. 

Catspaw