Tag: Sally

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Cat Scratchers

As any cat caretaker knows, giving kitty somewhere to scratch is not only important for the cat’s happiness, but for the survival of one’s people furniture.  Finding the right cat scratcher however, is not as straightforward as it seems like it should be.

Traditional cat scratchers are generally rather monstrous, unattractive, and expensive.  And it is not uncommon for cats to completely ignore these monstrosities.  I feel like I should invest in one because it would give my little furry loves a fun place to climb and nap and scratch, but they are just so awful.

These days, there is a whole other category of chic cat scratchers that are generally minimalist and not covered in shag carpeting.  Unfortunately, these are also usually even more expensive, and I can’t seem to bring myself to rationalize the splurge.

Fortunately, there is another style of cat scratchers that I find satisfactory functionally as well as budgetarily – the cardboard cat scratcher.

When these first started coming out, they were usually just a flat rectangle of bias-cut cardboard.  These days, there seem to be all sorts of new shapes and larger sizes available at my favorite discount home furnishings store.  I must not be the only fan.

Most importantly, Anabel and Sally are also fans of the cardboard cat scratcher.  We have quite an assortment and at least one of them will use at least one every day.

I saw a tutorial online about how to make your own cardboard cat scratcher.  It involved cuttings many, many strips of cardboard, then gluing them together.  Sort of like making your own butcher block.  And much like making your own butcher block, although it is not particularly complicated and would be extremely budget friendly, I still have no interest in attempting it.

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Sleeping Beauties

News flash: cats sleep a lot.

Ok, not actually news at all.  As I sit here writing, I am surrounded by sleeping kitties and it made me think about how funny they are about where and when they sleep.

Of course, there are daytime sleeping spots and nighttime sleeping spots.  And while in some ways it seems like they will sleep anywhere, Anabel and Sally can be fairly particular about their nighttime sleeping spot.

Both kittens come to bed with us at night.  Sally knows when bedtime is and he will sometimes beat me there.  Anabel likes to wait until no one is looking and then she comes to bed too.  Neither of them snuggle with us though.  They both sleep down by my feet. 

I used to have a blanket on top of the duvet.  One night, Sally started going crazy and was attacking the blanket.  He would scratch and bite at it.  I kept throwing him off of the bed and throwing him out of the bedroom, but he kept coming back (no, I didn’t close the door because…cats) and raging at it.  Mr. Man was not happy.  Finally, I took the blanket off of the bed and then he was fine.  He had just been upset with the blanket.

The kittens resumed their nighttime sleeping position.  It was a tenuous detente because I was worried that at any moment Sally would get mad at the duvet and attack my new down comforter.  At some point during the next few days a sweatshirt or something wound up on the foot of the bed.  The kittens made a point of sleeping on top of it; Anabel seemed especially happy about it, so I left it.

After a bit, Sally started getting mad at that shirt too.  Yikes!  Ok, let’s put that in the hamper.  How about if I get a clean shirt out of the drawer?  Oh, he likes it!  Happy kittens, phew.

So, now we have a system where I leave a t-shirt out on the foot of the bed for the kittens to sleep on.  Every few days I switch it out for a clean shirt.  The kittens love their spot and we haven’t had any more incidents with trying to kill the bedding.

On one hand, I really would like to be able to sleep with my legs stretched out.  One the other hand, when I wake up in the morning, I find adorable snuggling kitten vignettes that make my heart overflow with happiness like the bubble run-off of a poorly opened bottle of champagne.

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Manifesting Kittens

I may have already told you a version of this story, but stick with me here, it’s about to get weird.

We had put down both of our cats, Emma and Clementine, in about a six-month period.  We loved them both very much and this was the first time for both of us of being grown-ups and having to go through that.  Mr. Man was very adamant that he didn’t want any more pets.  I wasn’t so sure, but I wasn’t in a hurry.

Anyway, one weekend when I was traveling up to go to the ballet with my mom and sister, I was sitting on the airplane, flipping through Vogue and daydreaming.  There was a story about the private club in London, Annabel’s, which was going through this fantastic renovation.  The photo of the dining room that was all done in this fantastic floral pattern really caught my eye.  And I thought to myself, Anabel (with one “n”) would be a nice name for a cat.

As I indulged in this daydream, it got really specific: I would get a kitten that looked like a little Clementine (brown tabby Maine Coon).  I would name her Clementine II and call her Tutu for short.  Then, I would get another fluffy, brown tabby kitten, but this one would have some white on her.  I would name her Anabel and call her Belly for short.  They would be sisters and grow up together and get along and we would all live happily ever after.

I was so happy about my plan!  I put in my order with my animal rescue friend because I knew that she would have access to all sorts of wonderful kittens and also because I knew that I would be better able to stick to my plan if I wasn’t going kitten shopping myself.

It was around four months later when she sent me a photo of this precious little tabby/white kitten with the sweetest little booboo face.  It was my Anabel!  She had a tabby littermate, but he was a boy.  Mr. Man had already put the kybosh on naming a cat Clementine II, so I wasn’t that worried that he didn’t look too much like Clementine.  The rest is history.

Ok, so here is the weird part: maybe three or four weeks later, after I had brought Anabel and Sally home and everyone was all settled in, I was changing purses and I pulled out my old make-up bag.  I had bought this thing probably at least three years ago, maybe longer.  It had Anabel’s face on it!  Ok, not EXACTLY, but close enough.  I hadn’t really used it much, certainly not recently.  It was a very weird moment.  Was I subconsciously manifesting kittens based on objects that I already had around me?  Or was it just a coincidence?

Is there a moral to this story?  Be careful what you bring into your life?  Little things can lead to bigger things?  Only buy make-up bags with cute kittens on them? It’s hard to say…

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Take Your Cat to Work Day

I recently found out that my friend took her cat with her to her office one day (she’s the boss, it’s ok) which is pretty much one of the greatest things that I have ever heard.  We were talking about how there should be a national “Take Your Cat to Work” day and then how it should really just be every day, much in the same way that national Margarita day should.

One great thing about working from home is that I do have my kittens at work with me.  Every day is take your cat to work day in my life.  And they are very good helpers.  They both have their spots and when I settle in to start working on my writing, they go to their designated places nearby and get hard to work on their mid-day sleeping.  It actually makes me feel like I need to stay at my computer and be productive because they are making a point of keeping me company after all.

Many years ago, the gal that I worked with suggested that we get an office cat.  It was just the two of us and we were both cat lovers; it was an intriguing idea.  The only problem was what were we going to do on weekends and holidays?  Both of us already had cats at home who were not likely to appreciate company, even if it was only part time.  Around that time, Mr. Man gave me a pair of kitty stuffed animals who sufficed as our office cats.

Here are a few of the great benefits of having your cat help out at work (that I just made up):

  • They make a great paperweight.
  • Cats are good at filing (if you use the floor as your filing system).
  • Free notary and paper shredding service.
  • The heat generated by your computer doesn’t go to waste.
  • I once had an office in an old building that had mice – that wouldn’t be a problem if I had an office cat.
  • Cats are a good judge of character, they could help with interviews and client meetings.
  • Prevents you from having to meet with people who think they are allergic to cats.
  • Getting up to pet the cat ensures that breaks are taken.  Petting cats is also proven to relieve stress and can help to generate great ideas.
  • Reduces absenteeism – workers would miss seeing the cat more than they would want to miss work.

Places that are open 24-7 (or at least every day) like police stations, firehouses, and hotels are good venues for live-in workplace cats.  Other workplaces like shops and offices would probably require a commuter cat – one who is brought to work in the morning and taken home at night, like when my friend took her cat to her office.

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Bathroom Privacy

Any cat parent knows that bathroom privacy doesn’t exist.  Beyond the usual, don’t you dare close that door behavior, Anabel and Sally are very interested in the shower on a daily basis.  Most days, when I open the shower curtain, I find Sally sitting on the bathmat waiting for me.  If he was distracted when I went in, he will come running when he hears me getting out.  He examines all of the drips and once I’ve toweled off and stepped out of the tub, he hops in to inspect it.  It really is too bad that he can’t hand me my towel.

Sometimes Mr. Man closes the door.  If Anabel is keeping tabs on him, she will sit outside of the bathroom door and cry and cry and cry.  If Sally is keeping tabs on him (they take turns), he has a door opening technique.  He will sit up on his back legs and use his front paws to push at the door – it is sort-of like speedbag boxing.  If the door isn’t firmly latched closed, he can get it open; it’s worked many, many times on my closet door.

The other day, both kittens were supervising while I showered.  Anabel was sitting on the edge of the tub and Sally just outside on the mat.  After I dried off, I closed the door partway to hang up my towel.  One thing that the kittens like less than being closed out of the bathroom is being closed in the bathroom.  I try to close it sometimes when it isn’t kitten bath day just to switch it up on them, but it’s too late.  They think that the closed door mean they are getting a bath.

Because of the placement of the vanity and the door, even when the door is ajar, there is not enough room to get out at ground level.  So, as they noticed that the door was closing, they tried to run out.  It was great to watch them panic, then start to problem solve.  Sally jumped up on the counter, then out the door.  Anabel noticed that her brother had left and was about to follow in his footsteps, but Sally went ahead and pushed the door open for her.  What a gentleman.

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Playing with Fire

It was a cold and rainy night.  Mr. Man decided that it was a good occasion to have a fire in the fireplace.  I was not so sure for two adorable reasons.  Yes, my fireplace was still packed full of cardboard boxes to keep Anabel and Sally out of it.  No, they hadn’t gotten bored with it by now.  In fact, Sally had just spent the whole weekend trying to get in there.

So even though I love a cozy evening by the fireplace, I was concerned that we would have more on our hands than Mr. Man realized.

Our dearly departed Clementine loved having a fire in the fireplace.  Clementine was always looking for the warmest spot possible and lounging on the ottoman in front of a raging fire was one of her favorite ways to spend her time.  But she was a grown cat by the time the fireplace came into her life and never paid it any attention when it wasn’t serving her insatiable quest for warmth.

As Mr. Man was removing my make-shift barricade and getting the logs ready to light, I was in the other room putting the kittens’ harnesses on them.  When I bothered them by attaching the leads, they knew that something was up.  This part was probably more disturbing than the fire wound up being.

Mr. Man kept telling me that I was over-reacting because animals know what fire is and they know to stay away from it.  I’ve seen The Jungle Book, I get it, but I also have seen how interested these kittens were in a candle.  I felt that an abundance of caution would not be regrettable in any case.

Helpful hint: place your candle inside a large glass cylinder to keep curious kittens safe.

The kittens and I watched from a safe distance as Mr. Man lit the fire.  Once he had it going and the screen back in place, I let them wander around and check it out.  They were respectfully interested, but not overly so.  Within a few minutes I felt comfortable taking the leads off so that we could all go about our own business.

Sally did get bold and approached the hearth, but he didn’t get after the screen like he does other times.  I will probably want to put the leads on again the next time we have a fire, just until things get going.  But it is looking like the kittens and the fireplace will be able to co-exist peacefully and happily ever after.

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Toe Tufts

Anabel lounging with toe tufts visible

I know that I often revel in the fluffiness of my kittens, but today I want to take a moment today to appreciate how fluffy their feet are.

I mean look at this!

I googled images for furry cat feet and none of them had hair coming out from between their toes like Sally does.

That is not to say that these are the only kitties with furry toes.  I discovered a great term for it on Wikipedia: toe tufts.  According to Wikipedia, toe tufts are, “commonly found on cats with medium to long coats.”  To officially qualify as a “tuft” the fur must stick out at least a centimeter from the paw pads (so strict!).

Cats with toe tufts are even more silent than non-toe-tufted breeds.  Except when they slip on the wood floor and crash into something in the middle of the night, then they are equally noisy.  It certainly means that they are well-equipped to traverse snowy ground…not that that is something that I have to worry my kittens will ever experience.

Mr. Man thought that I should ask the vet if we should trim the kitten’s toe tufts (and by “we” he meant me).  The answer is (thankfully) no.  Messing with it could cause irritation that would lead to excessive grooming which could cause problems.  Of course, if my kitten steps in gum or some other sticky gunk (I’m not making this up y’all, this is what the vet told me), I should try to work the sticky gunk out with olive oil before taking scissors to it.  If my kitten steps in gum, Mr. Man is going to have a lot of explaining to do.  Can you imagine?

I will admit that on occasion, I’ve accidentally snipped a bit of toe tuft when trimming the kittens’ claws.  Sometimes it is really hard to know what I’ve got when I’m looking at Anabel’s white claws against her white furry feet.  It doesn’t happen often, and no one has found it a reason to be irritated yet (beyond the standard low-grade irritation of having one’s claws trimmed).

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Butterfly Cat Toy

The kittens received a Christmas gift from their cousins.  My dear nephews are experts when it comes to battery-operated toys and of course they (their mom) found something for their furry cousins.

A little motorized butterfly cat toy!

My sister knows the frustration of gifts without batteries and she made sure to put batteries in it before it went under the tree.  She also noted that it came with a spare butterfly.  Which was a good thing because that first butterfly barely lasted a week.  I kept straightening out the wire and picking up little bits of pretend butterfly wings.  Once I found the whole contraption flipped over and another time, it was no less than three feet from where it had been.  Mr. Man found the whole thing shoved inside of the cat tunnel one morning.

Eventually, Mr. Man changed out the batteries and put on the spare butterfly.  Then he got on Amazon to see if he could find replacement butterflies.  Fortunately, he did, and they come in a six-pack!  The box says, “Recharge Papillons” which sounds so much more fun than “butterfly refills.”

The base of the toy has a little button to turn it on and off.  Les chatons have figured this out and will turn their toy on themselves when they are ready for playtime.  I’m impressed that the little motor has lasted as long as it has since it has run for hours at a time.  And especially because sometimes they will just grind that poor papillon into the carpet and then leave it stuck there.

Anabel really likes when her cat tunnel is lined up with the papillon.  She likes to shoot through the tube to preserve the element of surprise for her attacks upon the poor, motorized butterfly.  Sometimes she will charge back through the tube after she pounces, other times she leaps to the far end of the tube, turns, and zooms through again.

But by far, the most adorable part about watching Anabel and Sally play with this toy is the way that they take turns.  No, I am not exaggerating.  Yes, it is hilarious.  Sally will sit back and watch while Anabel takes a few passes at the poor thing.  Maybe 3-4 times.  Then she will take a few steps back and settle in to watch Sally go at it.  It’s kind-of like a kitten break dance battle.  They get their licks in, then sit back to let the other guy take a few swings at it.

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Distraction Duo

Oh these kittens, they make my life better every day.  But I’ll tell you what, they are a HUGE distraction! They are THE distraction duo.

As I write this, they are maybe four feet away, getting into things.  I hear a thud, and look to see what they’ve knocked over now, and just keep staring because watching them trouble around is so entertaining.

The way that Sally always tries to pick up my pen…

We are just really lucky that he doesn’t have thumbs

When Anabel takes her nap behind my laptop…

The view when I closed my laptop

How Sally tries to get into the bag of dry cat food – not because there isn’t dry food in his bowl at this very moment, but because it is there, so he feels that he should get into it.

Those times when they run out in front of me, flop over, and ask for belly rubs…how can I resist?

Here comes Anabel, she is going to help my write this post.  Maybe if she walks on the keyboard we will wind up with the next great work of English literature?  Nope, that did not look like a masterpiece to me.

You know how multitasking was big for a while?  I remember sitting at my desk, working on tasks for at least two or three different projects, and replying to every email as soon as it came through, even if I was on the phone.  I was so busy, I must have been getting a lot done!

Anabel finds multitasking exhausting

Then it turned into, no one really multitasks, they just switch between tasks.  Oh, and that is a really inefficient way to work because your brain isn’t that good at switching tracks.  I believe it.  And I’ve been working at only working at one thing at a time, really focusing and forcing myself to stay on task.  I will set a timer to write and not check my email or my phone during my writing time.  But when you’ve got a kitty sitting on the back of your chair, grooming your head, it is tough to stay focused.

One strategy that I’m trying to keep me from getting too off track when they come in flaunting their cuteness at me is that I set aside little bits of time throughout my day to play with them.  That time is focused on appreciating them; I don’t try to catch up on Facebook with one hand while Sally gets his belly rubs.  Often, my kitten time coincides with their nap time.  There are only so many hours in a day and they need to sleep for 18-20 of them, so I can’t really expect that they can be bothered to get up just because I want to play.  But if they are up for it we might play with the ribbon on a stick or practice walking on a lead for a few minutes.  If they are feeling mellow, it might be a good time for a nail trim or other grooming.

Sally needs tummy rubs now

The only thing that I can say for my kitty distractions is that every time it happens my heart feels happy, as opposed to the panic-y, fear feeling that I would get from trying to multitask at work.  Some distractions are worth it.

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Kitten Road Trip

I had a brilliant plan: take the kittens on a kitten road trip to my mom’s house for Christmas.  I would get to have them with me and get to show them off to the family and they are so easy going that I didn’t think that they would be too bothered (of course they would be a bit bothered, they’re cats).  Also, since I’m home a lot these days, they are not used to being left alone for long periods of time.  They make a big deal when I come home after a couple of hours, I couldn’t bear the thought of how upsetting they would find it to only have a cat sitter just stopping by a couple of times a day.

I had some great ideas about how to prep the kittens for going on a road trip and how to handle them in the car.  It’s not unheard of.  I found articles on Chewy.com and one on Medium which led me to the official Adventure Cat website!  I’m not the only crazy cat lady out there.

I got them both harnesses which we practice wearing around the house.  They would be slightly bothered with the harnesses when I put them on, then quickly forget about it and go back to their usual kitten hijinks.  Now, it’s not even a big deal at all. Mr. Man is so much more bothered about the harnesses than the kittens ever were. Anabel will pull hers out and bring it to me to put it on her; I know that is because she likes the way that the pink accentuates her pink nose.  After a few days of harness practice, I even got Sally to walk on a lead (for treats).

Part two of my brilliant plan was to take them on short car trips around the neighborhood.  The last time they had been in the car was when they went to get fixed, I knew that it would be smart to let them know that every car ride does not lead to surgery.  Well, I pretty much blew off this part of our prep completely.  When I finally did take them on a car ride, they were mildly bothered, but I could tell that it was something that they would be ok with if I had taken the time to get them used to it.

Mr. Man was not on board with my genius idea from the beginning.  You would think that he has learned by now that I’m always right and that he should support me.  But he was even less ok with this plan than he was with getting these kittens in the first place. And even though he got over that in two seconds, it was clear that he was not going to be swayed so easily this time.

So, Mr. Man stayed home to take care of the kittens and I went by myself to visit my family.  Of course, I did spend the entire drive working out what I would do if I had the kittens in the car with me. I think that a kitten road trip is in our future.  I just need to be more thorough in my preparations and I’ll have adventure cats in no time!  Well, maybe not AdventureCats.org style that go hiking and camp but at least kittens who are emotionally equipped to take a road trip occasionally.