The Lord of Cats

I don't know why I used that title. I seemed funnier than "When Lesser Mammals Pay Homage to Their Genetic Superiors", I guess.

But neither title has much to do with what I'm writing about, mainly because I'm sure cat's do this entirely for self-serving purposes. Nevertheless, I love it when cats follow you around. It makes it seem at least like they genuinely crave your company. Plus it's just cute. Mine and Kate's are like 15 year old mute toddlers that pad around after you, following innocently from room to room, content just to be near you. Paying them attention is a bonus, of course, and DB particularly will sometimes force himself on you. But from a place of sort of quaint desperation which isn't the least bit annoying.

Dogs I'm sure behave the same way, probably to an even greater degree. But I'm not a dog person, so I can't really speak to it. I know my sister and John's dog Lucy likes the lap, but she may just be imitating the two cats in the house. But okay. Let's be inclusive and expand out to say how great it is when any animal follows you around the house. Especially fish. That's particularly endearing, and astounding.

Simple Pleasures, Part 2 (or maybe 3)

Sometimes there's nothing nicer than an animal sitting in your lap. As I write this, sitting cross-legged on the bed in front of our laptop, DB, our Siamese cat is doing just that, quite contentedly. He's not asking for attention. He's not being obtrusive, trying to nose his way between me and my work. He's just lying here, eyes shut, presumably sleeping. He might be purring, but I can't tell. He's a happy guy.

He's using me. I'm sure of that. He wants a nice warm spot to sleep in, and he wants to be close to his human companions. This spot he's chosen to perch in is entirely about his own comfort and happiness. And I can accept that because I'm using him, too. His presence is relaxing for me. And whether or not he's actually capable of unconditional love, I feel it from him. It might be in my mind, but it's real enough, and I'm using him for that feeling. And I think it's true that if two creatures are mutually using each other toward their own selfish gains, they aren't using each other anymore. They're a team. They're working together to assure each other's mutual happiness. That's what friendship is all about. People getting together to help each other do what makes them happy.

And right now my non-English speaking friend of the feline persuasion is doing just that. And likewise.

My Midnight

Missy, Blackness, Lady of the Night, Queenie, Ladycakes,- these are only a few of the names we call my dear cat, Midnight. She is a doll these days. She can always get a little moody if you pet her the wrong way, but really she's just playing. She's started following me around the house during the day, sometimes because she's out of food, but most of the time she just wants to be near her mommy. When I work out downstairs, she sits on the couch or ground 3 ft away and just watches me. She is just the sweetest doll-baby or should I call her doll-lady, since she's almost 16 years old. I wish she could live forever, but I know she's on to her final lives. I love you sweet black lady of the night, My Midnight.

Catnip: C'mon Mittens...Everybody's Doin' It

Catnip and cats is the funniest herb/animal combination since marijuana and Chong.  Watching cats high on the nip ranks right up there with cats chasing laser pointers, cats chasing their own tails, and cats trying desperately to back away from the yogurt container they were previously licking, which is now firmly stuck on their faces.

It's great for cats.  It's legal, non-addictive, and clearly a blast.  The buzz only lasts about ten minutes, and has no adverse effects.  And it's just as much fun for us, the catnip enablers.  Every cats reacts differently, some more intensely than others, but all comically.  Anyone that has a cat has seen it, their feline friends rolling around in the dregs, swatting at non-existent critters, swatting unsuccessfully at existent critters, pouncing viciously on their compatriots and then forgetting where they are moments later.  It's like getting your younger sibling high, and then taunting them.  Not that I advocate that.

Because I don't.

Unless it's funny.

Swheat Scoop...Here's the Poop

What's natural, smells good, could be part of a sandwich, but is instead intended to gather feline poop deposits?  It's a good source of fiber and an excellent cat litter.  It's wheat.  It's what's for dinner, and a collection spot for dinner, post processing.

I discovered this litter a few months ago.  It's made entirely of granulated wheat, and functions just like common clay clumping litter.  The benefit is that the clumping occurs because of the natural starches found between granules, not because of nasty, somewhat artificial chemical reactions.

The argument against clay clumping litter has always centered on the dust.  This fine powder, which clumps and thickens on contact with water can be breathed in and eaten (while licking) by the cat, causing potential clumps in the lungs and the stomach.  I've never seen a documented case of death as a result, but I've never been willing to take the chance.  With Swheat Scoop you can.  There is no dust.  The granules themselves bond with other nearby granules to form a clump stronger than you find in clay litters.  And there's nothing dangerous to breath.  And eating the litter inadvertently is no more dangerous than eating wheat bread (which I suppose could be dangerous if you have gluten issues, but otherwise safe.)

The stuff works great.  It stands up to a multi-cat environment, and best of all, unlike clay litter clumps, Swheat Scoop clumps are flushable.  I love this stuff.  It's not cheap, but it's completely worth the cost.

Swheat Scoop.  Mention this blog on purchase and receive quizzical looks from the checkout clerk who 99.9 percent of the time will have never heard of us.

Kind Creatures

My pets fascinate me, so many animals fascinate me. They can be so lovable right when you need them most, they are always there for you and they can be so darn cute. I love my three cats dearly. Midnight, is my cat and she's the queen of the house, she rules the castle by being the moodiest and most demanding. But, she can be the cutest sweetheart if you pet her right and give her food.

Jason's Siamese cat, DB., has the most striking looking features, he is a real cuddle bug and the most endearing cat in the house (he sleeps in-between Jason's legs every night, it can get kind of cumbersome sometimes). Jason and I consider him our baby and until recently he was the one with the most medical issues.

Jason's coolest cat, Banjo, recently started showing signs of illness, when we picked him up a few weeks ago and he was skin and bone. Comes to find out he hadn't eaten at all in the past few days. Now since then, we've been giving him hunger stimulates and feeding him manually, and he still hasn't eaten on his own and is getting more and more sick looking. This entry goes out to Banjo, just a couple months ago he could perform some crazy, scaling acrobatics, he was fearless, and always so chill. He is the King of the House, and really admire his strength and the confidence he always carried. Banjo, I love you dearly. I heard a phrase from my darling sister, who very recently had to sadly put her two loving boxer dogs down; that pets teach us about two things: they teach you how to love and they teach you about death.

I love our cats

Our cat Banjo hasn't been feeling well lately. The vet listed a few scenarios that could explain his symptoms, and so far tests have ruled out everyone of them except for an extreme shift in food preference and cancer. And Banjo's never been terribly finicky. It's a very strange experience. Banjo has been healthy his entire life. I honestly can't remember a time in the last 14 years when he's been even slightly ill. I was beginning to imagine that he was either the feline equivalent of a Highlander, or just too dim to figure out how to get sick (Banjo's agile and friendly...but he's not a triple threat.)

So to suddenly seem him sleeping all the time, not eating, and slinking around with his head low, breaks my heart. In the process though, I'm reminded about just how important he, and DB, and now Midnight (Kate's cat) are to me. I figure I've known Banjo and DB longer than most of the people in my life. In a very real sense, they are two of my oldest friends. And my only non-english speaking friends.

So yeah. I love our cats. It's an obvious positive, I'll admit. But it's not until you're faced with potential loss that you realize fully what it is you have.