Sassy cats – Cat ownership 101

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Gracie on the windowsill. That is Gus’s tail. He’s on the nearby cat tree. See her sleepy eyes?

Gracie two seconds later

It’s the peep today. Gracie is taking the day off. Something about ‘nip and nap day. I’m going to give you a lesson in cats.

First, don’t get just one, get two. They do better in pairs except for the occasional older cat that doesn’t like other cats and really there aren’t too many of those. They are like people though. They don’t like all cats just because they are cats. They pick and choose their friends just like we do. Some like dogs and others think they are slobbery creatures. I fall in between.

First off be careful of what you do. They like routine and will turn anything they like into a routine. For example, I gave Morgan a treat after dinner when she broke her leg. Sasha and Gus hopped on that bandwagon, and we’ve been doing it ever since – that’s a year and a half now. The leg has long since healed but the routine goes on. There is no hope of not doing it. Come 7 p.m. they are gathered in the treat spot wailing their displeasure at my tardiness.

Here they are trying to get the best spot for treat distribution. I’m still in the kitchen cleaning up dinner. They are not happy about that.

The zoomgroom thingie

They find your buttons. I like to go on my computer early in the morning (after I feed them breakfast of course). Recently Gracie, who doesn’t like anything including treats, discovered the Zoom Groom. It’s a rubbery thingie that must feel good. Now she will not let me at the computer unless I do that first. She has put on cap lock, deleted my page and created  other chaos. It’s easier to zoom groom her first then to try to figure out what she did.

They have superb hearing. I get that hearing of the flip top cat food can and the unique sound the opening of the treat door makes, but I don’t get the non-noise the Zoom Groom makes. It’s not in a drawer but lying on top of my computer table yet as soon as I pick it up, Sasha is there. Even if she’s sleeping on another floor. She can tell. So before I can go on the computer, I have to use it on Gracie and Sasha. I’m hoping they don’t tell Gus. They all like it. I don’t like it because the static electricity that it creates puts cat hair all over the place.

Whatever they like today, they may not like tomorrow. Don’t buy anything in truckloads. That includes toys. Mostly my cats don’t play with anything that cost money, preferring to drag dirty socks or odd pieces off fabric around. They only do dirty underwear when we have guests. That’s reserved for special.

They are like people in that they have fallouts with their feline friends. Sasha is a very self-absorbed cat. She likes to be first in everything. Occasionally the others get fed up and she gets the paw of “no” smacked on her head. I don’t interfere because it’s always warranted. No one is hurt and Sasha is reminded that she’s not the only cat in the house. Gus prefers a “nibble” on her ear to keep her in line.

That’s enough for you to absorb for today. Maybe I’ll do another lesson in the future. Perhaps a lesson on administering (or not) medications. That will be as long as War and Peace.

54 thoughts on “Sassy cats – Cat ownership 101”

  1. Animals sure “get it” quickly how/when to score treats. I’ve never had cats, as I’ve mentioned before, but I have fond memories of Grady, the Eastern Gray Squirrel from a few years ago. One day I had a peanut or two left from my walk and saw him in the driveway. I tossed the peanuts to him and the next day returned from walking to see him sitting on haunches on the front porch begging. This was an established daily ritual just 24-hours later. Then he brought a friend (likely his mate) and then a few more furry buddies showed up. It’s good to be a soft touch and let them think they have you wrapped around their paw(s). 🙂

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  3. Louis Catorze has that very same Zoom Groom, which Oscar the dog gave him for his 10th birthday. It’s brilliant, isn’t it? He used to hate being brushed and would scream and scream all the way through, but now he loves it.

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  5. Our Z Cat would have loved the Zoomgroom. And your best advice… get two… cats/kittens. Our Z was and only and she really was velcroed to me. When Jerry retired and we started leaving the house together she sort of had a meltdown. And she didn’t want another cat in the house. So that day when she picked me at the shelter, I should have taken her sister too!

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    • I felt like that with Magic way back when. I should have taken her sister too. I had another cat at home but the two were never friends. Magic was a friendly sweet thing and the other was a spawn from Hades and she lived to be 18. I thought she’d outlive us all. Magic would have done well with a friend. When I lived in Wilmington for 4 years she was buddies with the next door cat. They got into a lot of trouble together. The other cat was a stinker. She taught Magic how to climb onto the garage roof and look down on everyone with judgment.

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  6. Hello, Great [pst/ Although seeing all the comments, I realize I am a day late. Gotta love fb! I have always loved how you have given words and voice to your cats. Today was no exception. It also amazing how well they can tell what time it is. It’s 4:45 and I am ready for my dinner…it is 9:00 and I know you are coming up the stairs with that needle. But, he will hide just enough to get me to get the treats and then comes right out …takes his shot and gets his treat. This is every day.

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  7. Teddy is an “only” cat…..we could tell at the shelter that he wanted to be IN CHARGE…..he “guarded” us from being approached by other cats and was totally focused on us. He’s still like that six years later. He is a HUGE cat – big bones – maybe part lion or tiger (hahahaha) but a BIG BABY when he’s not patrolling the house looking for intruders (bugs) that may have snuck in when the door was open. He LOVES to be brushed and won’t leave my side in the AM until I’ve brushed the heck out of him with a resulting pile of hair that I could use to make stuffed toys. He is spoiled and loved and while I would LOVE to have two or three cats, Ted’s personality is so big it’s like we have a crowd with just one.

    Hugs, Pam

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  10. There is no doubt that you know cats! You are an expert, I’d imagine. I think the one thing that is very similar to your experience with cats is in the area of habit. These animals are smart! And they do know how to push our buttons, although my experience with cats is that they take this to a high art! 🙂

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  18. Yes, I remember that extraordinary sense of hearing on my cats. Dogs are also creatures of routine. You might recall my post, Tea Time With Tre. He expects a sweet potato treat when I make my daily afternoon cup of tea. It’s almost that time now. 🙂

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    • So true. Gracie especially is finicky. She only eats wet cat food half the time. I’ve given up trying different brands and flavors. The other cats eat whatever. Sometimes Gracie will eat it too but not always!

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