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It’s early September, still a few hot days but the nights are cooler. The Oak Court Cats are starting to change habits to reflect the temperature changes.
The big guy ‘s fur is starting to fill out, his face is fuller and he’s not shedding as much. The tonkinese has stopped hunting lizards and is focusing on the moles now. Without the warm days the lizards don’t come out as often. And Missey has made it known that she is reclaiming the corner of my bed.
Missey is 12 now and likes to spend 18 to 20 hours a day sleeping. As the weather cools down she can usually be found curled up on a fleece throw on the corner of my bed. She’s not particular about which fleece; her biggest concern is that other cats not sleep on it. When she catches one of the other cats sleeping on it she rewards them with a swat on the face, a loud hiss followed by a growl. “Yo! What are you doing? Get out of my spot!” While she sleeps a lot, she wakes up int e early morning hours and is patrolling the house while the rest of the cats sleep.
Precious, the tonkinese predator, is also spending more time in the house as it cools down. In the heat of the summer she wants to be out by 7:00 AM. As the seasons change, however, she’ll not venture out until 10:00 or so; preferring to wait until it’s warmed up a bit. Ats the sun goes down, she is ready to come in, eat and settle infor the night. She’s not nocturnal; preferring to spend the night sleeping. On really chilly mornings she’ll burrow under the blanket to keep warm.
And the big guy, Blutto, well, he likes to sleep, usually sound asleep by 10:00. He rarely wakes up during the night; only when there’s activity in the house. Most mornings he’s still where he settled the night before. As mentioned earlier in this blog, he starts to fill out his fur in September. During the heat of the summer he shed quite a bit of fur; by the end of August he drops to maybe 18 pounds and his fur is thin. As it cools down he starts to fill out, starting with the collar around his neck. By January he’ll fill out to where he resembles a porcupine. Now, as to sleeping, in the warmer weather Blutto prefers to sleep on the foot of the bet, no blankets or fleece. When it starts to cool off, however, he has a preference for throws, fleece or an electric blanket.
The cat’s eating habits also change. During the summer they drink a lot of water and prefer dry food. Int he cold weather they drink less but eat more of the wet food (the preferred meal is ocean white fish). There is also a drop off in the quantity of fresh food (Precious doesn’t bring as much in from the hunt.
More later, the cats are asking for dinner.
The Oak Court Cats enjoy a relatively good life. There is always crunchie-munchies in the bowl; the water bowls are always clean and filled (only bottled water please, we don’t like tap water) and, of course, the daily ‘wet dish’, the canned cat food.
Ahh, the canned cat food. What delights are safely packed into those little cans? Hmmm….
Two of the regulars have long preferred to have a bit of wet food first thing in morning. So, instead of finding the coffee pot when I enter the kitchen, I first need to clean the bowls, open the can and spoon some of the wet food into 2 bowls, setting them on the floor exactly a foot apart. (Seems that Missey doesn’t want to have any other cat within a foot of her when she is eating).
As I prepare the meal Missey sits on the floor, patiently waiting. The sound of the pull top ring being pulled back will result in her standing up on hind legs. She awaits that first scent of the mystery meal as I toss the lid into the trash (yes, the lid is recycled; wash it off before tossing it into the recycle bin). Her tail switches one side to the other in anticipation, as I drop a spoon full of the meal into the bowl. Finally, the moment she has been waiting for, I lower the bowl to the floor and offer it to her. She approaches the bowl slowly at first, cautiously sniffing the dish. She lowers her head into the dish and takes that first taste of breakfast – then – just then – she stops.
The look on her face when she looks up at me is one of disappointment. She slowly backs away, looks up at me again as if to say “What’s in the can?” I’m speechless; don’t know what to say. “Missey, what do you mean, ‘what’s in the can?'”
Missey slowly turns away, not happy with what I’ve put int he bowl but she doesn’t bother to explain the problem to me; she just walks away, back into the dining room.
Don’t worry though, this is the daily routine for Missey. Every morning we go into the kitchen and run through the same script. She walks off then comes back in 5 minutes and eats whatever is in the bowl; if there was something wrong she quickly forgets about it and cleans the bowl. I’ve long since given up trying to find new flavors from this or that manufacturer. No matter what I put down I get the same reaction.
Maybe I should try fresh sockeye salmon? Or mahi-mahi on a bed of rice? Hmmm…
Later
As I mentioned in an earlier post, we are hosting 2 cats for the summer. Seems their “people” are in the middle of moving to a new apartment and their felines are spending the summer with us.
When the kitties first arrived, they stayed in my son’s bedroom and didn’t venture out into the rest of the house; they were a bit intimidated by the Oak Court Cats. I don’t know why; these visitors are both Maine Coons, one weighing in excess of 20 pounds while the other was at least 25 pounds. However, they went over a month without leaving the bedroom.
This lasted until mid July. Things changed.
Their “people” had told us that these cats had not been with other cats from the time they were removed from the litter and weren’t in to catnip, the occasional need to cleanse one’s butt in front of visitors nor did they growl, hiss, spit or claw. They were well behaved, didn’t jump up onto furniture and never touched the trash can.
Yeah. Sure.
It seems that the Oak Court Cats started to work on their inhibitions. The larger of the visitors has taken to rolling around in catnip for hours at a time (must be a 12 step program for cats somewhere). Missey has taught them to hiss and spit quite well; she greets all cats with a hiss and a swat these days. and they have started to run the length of the house with the regulars now.
Occasionally one of the pride will get the kittiy-crazies at times and will run the length of the house, turn around and run back the other way. Depending on which cat and the mood, this can be repeated a few times. Now I have not just my own cat running, I have 2 big Maine Coons running along side. Tails waving in the wind, they slam into furniture as they miss turns or hit a slippery patch. Chairs have been knocked over, plants are dumped; it may be good fun for them but it’s dangerous to step into their path, sort of like running with the bulls in Spain. With wood floors it can get quite noisy – especially at 3:00 in the morning.
I’ve learned how to read the newspaper with one of both the visitors sitting on the table, on top of the paper I’m trying to read.
At least once a week I find a trash can overturned, contents pulled out as if the cat needed more room for closer inspection (these guys are too big to crawl into the trash cans).
And, to demonstrate their desire to be accepted into the pride, they have begun to sleep on my bed – on my pillows – while I’m trying to sleep.
So, the vacationing cats have finally settled in; it’s going to be rough when they have to pack up their bags and go to a new home in September. Rough on me as I’ve finally gotten used to five cats underfoot. Rough on their “people” as these guys have started interacting with other cats and like the activity. I think that Missey is going to be the only one happy when they leave; she prefers not to share my pillow at night.
Nite.
Cats have personalities, ask anyone who has invited one into their home. One aspect of this personality is in their speech. Yes, they talk; we just don’t understand them and they don’t understand us either. I mean, has your cat responded when you call his name? The Oak Court Cats don’t make it a habit of acknowledging my voice when I try to get their attention.
They do, however, speak.
The maine coons don’t have much to say and that’s probably a good thing as these big cats have little squeaky little voices. They will squeak when they want to come in the door, they squeak when they want to be scratched and when they want to be left alone . . well, you get the idea, they just squeak.
The weegie (Norwegian Forest Longhair) has a voice. She will come forth with a loud “meow” when she wants attention (usually when the food dish is empty). She’ll great you when you come into the room with a chirping sound. When she wants something (like a good scratch behind the ears) she’ll quietly “meow” and it sounds like a question.
The tonkinese, on the other hand, likes to have conversations. She’ll greet me on the sidewalk when I come home from work and will start talking, telling me what went on during the day. It’s not just short “meow” words but long sentences where the meow may have 8 or 9 different syllables (if you would call them that). She’ll stop and wait for a response then continue complaining that the neighbor dog was barking and the other neighbor’s dog was running across the lawns and the squirrels were running in and out of the garage. If I answer her she’ll continue the conversation for a good 5 minutes.
I don’t understand what she is complaining about and I am pretty sure that she doesn’t know what I’m saying to her but she has a lot to say.
One of the court cats learned to mimic human sounds. You’d hear him early in the morning when he’d be looking for fresh food in the bowl. You’d hear “her r ow” repeatedly until someone would wake up and go to the kitchen with him. At 3 in the morning it sounded like “hello”. He would also stand at the back door and clearly say “M out”. But he would never engage in a conversation with me; he was a cat of few words.
Do they talk to each other? I don’t think so. At least I don’t think they do. At least I can say that I’ve never caught them sitting around the table discussing the skyrocketing price of canned cat food. The communicate using gestures, spitting, swatting and other gestures. For all I know they may have long, serious conversations on Kafka, Freud and Hawkins when we humans are not around.
But, for now, they communicate when they want to tell me something and that’s fine.
Missey is now telling me that it’s time to turn the light out and call it a day; she sighed audibly and settled down on the pillow. Nite.
Two of the regular inhabitants of the court are known for their thick coats; Missey is a Weegie, a Norwegian Forest Longhair while Mr Big Guy is a Maine Coon. With the hot weather upon us, they are shedding and suffering. Right now it’s mid day and both of them are in the coolest corner of the house, stretched out sleeping.
Both are brushed regularly and, in the warm weather, we try to help them cope by keeping an eye on their undercoat. The Big Guy’s thick fur is thinned now and Missey, well . . . she’s not furry at all right now.
All the cats drink more water in summer; even the little tonkinese drinks a fair amount several times a day. Missey prefers the bottled water from the refrigerator, then again, she is the queen and has come to expect the royal treatment.
So today they’ll be dormant for a few more hours, coming to life around 6:00. The pride will congregate at the back door, waiting to go out and resume their neighborhood patrol. There are squirrels, birds and neighborhood dogs to be watched; neighborhood kids to be avoided and the occasional stray cat to be chased away.
Tonight they settle down around 10:00 and we’ll give them a quick brush, removing any stray grass or weed from their coats.
In the meantime, I’ve got to clean up their toys, fill the water dishes and freshen up litter boxes.
Later
It’s morning here on the Court. Awake before 6:00, I go about the business of preparing for work:
1) Feed the cats
2) Clean the litter box
3) Separate the snarling cats
4) Let some of the cats out for the day
5) Do all the things I need (coffee, clean up kitchen debris, etc)
6) Stop and have the coffee and read the news (on line of course)
7) Separate snarling cats again
8) Feed the squirrels
9) Get out the door and drive to work, it’s got to be quieter there.
Breakfast is a busy time here; the visitor cats (yep, still here) are very active at night so they want a good meal before the curl up and sleep the day away. The predator wants a good meal before she goes out to stalk anything smaller than she is. The Big Guy prefers wet food in the morning, goes out side for a bit then comes back in for the next course, dry food. Missey, always the picky eater, samples the wet bowl and daintily steps away, not wanting to let on that she really likes this one or that one.
A half hour after the morning’s activity starts, they’ve all had their fill and drift off to different parts of the house; some to sleep and others to begin the day’s adventures.
Predator sits by me at the table, cautiously sniffing each item on my plate. She does not like human food but I believe she is cataloging the smells, trying to identify the source. It’s like she is compiling a list of things she’d like to hunt (eggs, they’re from birds and they’re good to eat…. yogurt is from cows, too big to attack…) and on it goes. She tires of this and goes out to the back yard.
Missey settles down on the floor by the TV. From here she can see the both the hallway to the bedrooms and the back door; easy for her to keep track of the comings and goings of the rest of the pride. As she is the pride’s alpha, she needs to keep an eye out for them.
I’m finishing the coffee, the news and it’s off to work.
Later.
The Oak Court pride has 3 regular members: Missey, Precious the Predator and The Big Guy. For the summer, we’ll be hosting 2 kitties for a friend. Oh, the kitties, just short of their 2nd birthday, are brother and sister.
They were introduced to the regular residents over the weekend and, aside from some staring and the occasional hiss, things have been quiet. Missey wasn’t too pleased to see the vacationing couple come int he door with their luggage (cat food, litter box and toys). The Oak Court gang is used to the occasional visit from a stray (strays have no luggage and don’t stay more than a day). Missey is more concerned that they will like the place and want to spend a few months here.
Precious carefully moves through the house, looking for the visitors; she’s a little intimidated as the visitors are much larger than she (OK, they’re Maine Coons and are twice her size). She spends her days on top of cabinets, dressers and other high places. And Big Guy, also a big cat, isn’t sure what to make of them yet. He doesn’t get close to them, preferring to hang out on the dining room table where he can see their comings and goings.
We haven’t seen any swatting or smacking yet; the pride seems to have accepted the presence of the vacationers. As long as there is food in the bowls, water in the dish and clean litter in the pan, things will work out.
Nite
The weather improved today, while still cool (mid 60s) it was sunny. The Oak Court Cats were on the back steps this morning, warming themselves. Missey prefers to take a nap in the morning sun stretched out on my desk. today, she ventured out to take advantage of the sun’s warmth on the concrete steps.
They had been there for a half an hour when the first visitor came up the walk. The squirrels.
Missey was asleep and didn’t notice the gray squirrel that walked right by her and up the steps. The big cat, sitting in the old planter by the door just watched and the predator was more interested in a dragon fly than the squirrel.
The picture is a little blurry, I was at the other end of the house when I noticed the squirrel looking around the kitchen. They know the peanuts are in a special container (I keep them in an old Folgers plastic coffee can). She was looking for the can.
Sneaky Squirrel
We may have brought this on ourselves; the squirrels come by in the morning for a few peanuts. At first they’d approach the house slowly, wary of the cats. Now, however, they come up to door and beyond. It would seem the cats have figured out the gray furballs are no threat and and because they people feed them, they must be ok and are not to be attacked.
So they walk right by the cats.
I’ve seen other cats putting up with them; our first cat, a mellow Manx, was born in a house that had a squirrel in residence and he must have thought they were part of the pride. When Missey was much younger, she used to chase them from the yard; now, however, she only chases the other cats away from her nap spot.
We have a dozen furry visitors now, the oldest being a chubby female (the alpha from the way she acts) all the way down to 2 small young ones (who haven’t figured out the cats yet). There is an old guy, looks like he’s been through a few fights (torn ear, right foreleg looks like it was damaged and didn’t heal right). While most are California gray squirrels, there are a few brown and one who is almost black. A diverse group who make their homes in the trees just outside of the yard.
The cats have accepted the visitors, probably until one of them touches the cat food. Things could change then.
Nite.
It’s been a week since Peanut passed away and the cats have begun to move on.
The Queen continues to walk through the house looking for the tabby. She assumed the role of ‘alpha’ a few years ago and keeps an eye on the rest of the pride. In the mornings she comes into the kitchen for first feeding and looks around then sits, looking at me. The tabby would usually be sitting up on the kitchen stool, waiting patiently for breakfast. Missey looks at the stool then back at me. Yes Missey, I know, Peanut isn’t here today.
The big cat is a little lost as well. He enters the living room looking for Peanut; the 2 of them would roll around the floor in mock combat then head to the kitchen for a quick snack before resuming the battle. Now he comes in the room and looks around. Mr Big has taken to sleeping on my bed at night; he used to bunk with Peanut on the couch.
The biggest change of all has been with the tonkinese, the predator. She doesn’t go out as much as before and is becoming a lap cat. She even puts up with the big cat’s attention now.
It’ll take a few weeks or maybe a few months before they’ve all adjusted to the smaller pride. Missey will continue to watch over the 2 younger ones.
The humans have also began to move on. I still pause when I go through the kitchen, expecting to see Peanut on the stool, looking for a snack. He had developed a habit of reaching out with his paw and tapping me on the arm when he wanted to get my attention. I miss that.
Later.
It’s quiet on the court tonight. The cats are settled down early tonight; it’s been a rough few days here.
Mr. Peanut, the tabby, didn’t come in on Sunday evening. We looked around the neighborhood but he didn’t come back to the house. We know that occasionally a cat will find something that they find interesting and they loose track of time. We humans have learned to expect this behavior.
Monday morning came and he didn’t come in. We were worried and started to canvass the neighborhood again. Calls to animal control and the Humane Society were made; no sign of the golden tabby.
On Tuesday evening, on a hunch I went out into the yard again, looking places I had looked earlier. I found my tabby.
I remember how he was on Sunday. We had rain in the morning followed by a gradual clearing and warmup during the day. Mr. Peanut spent the morning sitting on the table next to me as I read the paper. I would read the comics and editorials to him; he would look at my face as I droned on about rising gas prices and unemployment rates.
Some time in the early evening Mr. P snacked on some crunchie munchies then went out to the back yard. He’d usually follow the walk around the yard, behind the shed, along the fence and back to the steps. I was busy and didn’t see where he went. Late,r when I called him to come in, he never showed.
Tonight, for no real reason, I walked to the back of the property and looked around . There I saw him. He was laying down, as if asleep. Peaceful.
Mr. Peanut had gone back there to be alone, laid down, as if to take a nap.
So tonight the cats came in early, they seemed to know we were sad and their mood was subdued. I’ll miss him, his funny meow that sounded like he was saying “hel – low”.
Nite.
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