Cat Sitting Personalities - Volume 3

"Mom wants to use another one of my blogs to tell you about the cats she sits for.  I may as well let her, since she's almost done.  I have to say, some of the cats sound kind of interesting.  Now I know what mom is doing when she comes in smellling of other cats.  It has actually gotten to the point where I recognize the scents of the cats mom watches most often.  But when she watches a new cat, my brothers and I have to sniff her up and down to find out what she's been up to.  Without further ado, here are five more cats, and a ferret."

Buddy & Romeo:  I don't have the opportunity to watch these guys often, but they rank right up there among my favorites.  Buddy is a solid, short-haired beige tabby with the biggest heart in the world.  He is one of the best lap cats I have ever known, and he always looks at me with intelligent eyes.  I know there's something going on inside his head, and I know that I have earned his affection.  His littermate Romeo is aptly named.  With a tall, lean frame, an angular face, and a fine, but long-haired coat, Romeo is the epitome of handsomeness.  Romeo is beige and white, and very difficult to photograph because he just won't sit still for the camera.  I was lucky to get the shot above.  Romeo's a little more distant than his brother, but I've noticed over the course of watching these guys a few times, that Romeo trusts me more and more.  Buddy and Romeo have a cute routine when it comes to their feeding time.  When I'm opening their can of food in the kitchen, they stretch their front legs up onto the cabinets and ask for their food.  They're good boys though, and they don't jump onto the counter.

Milo & Otis: Milo and Otis are two very sweet boys.  Otis is the most outgoing and is such a lovebug.  As for Milo, I have had to earn his trust.  He's a little more cautious, but he's also a wonderful cat.  These two brothers enjoy playing with the Cat Dancer toy, but even more, I think they just love laying in the sun.  I don't mind simply looking at them because they are two of the most handsome specimens of feline masculinity that I have ever seen.

Casey: I have only watched Casey once and she is the newest cat in my "portfolio."  Casey doesn't know her name because her mom usually calls her "kitty" or other nicknames.  She's a pretty, young cat, and is very shy.  The first day I took care of her she hid under the bed and made it clear to me that she didn't appreciate my presence.  I devised a strategy for my second visit.  I brought a variety of dangly cat toys and a laser pointer with me.  I was successful in luring Casey out from under the bed.  We played with a a dangly fleece ribbon with feathers on the end, and we played with the Cat Dancer.  I was able to get shy, cautious Casey running around the living room in circles chasing the laser.  So, there's a lesson for those of you who think your cats don't like to play: you need to create some fun for them.  Who likes to play with an inanimate catnip mouse forever?  Cats like toys with motion, and most often with unpredictable motion.  You need to interact with them and make it into sport.  Experiment with a variety of interactive toys until you discover the one that makes your cat go wild!

Rain: I'm going to conclude with a blurb on Rain, who was not a cat, but was a ferret.  When my neighbor Deb saw my ad and called me about watching her ferret Rain, I was intrigued.  I'd never really interacted with a ferret, but I was excited about the opportunity, and I did some research in preparation for the job.  Rain had a very large, multi-level ferret cage that she slept in at night, but during the day she was free to explore the apartment.  She had lots of toys to play with, tunnels to crawl through, and lots of hiding places.  Ferrets like to hide objects, and hide themselves.  Rain was a petite ferret, and was very curious and smart.  Deb told me how she had been rescued from a dumpster as a "kit" and turned in to the Animal Welfare League of Arlington.  The AWLA doesn't often get ferrets, but they just happened to have Rain available for adoption the day that Deb went in looking for a ferret.  It was fate.  Deb and Rain had several great years together, and I had the opportunity to watch Rain a few times, before she was diagnosed with cancer.  Poor little Rain lost her fight with cancer a few months ago.  I know that she deeply touched Deb's life, and she touched mine too.

With this third cat sitting installment, I've covered most of the cats that I've watched in my building.  There are a few other cats I've watched only once, or who have moved away.  It's been a great learning experience for me, as I can see what products (food, litter, toys) other people use for their cats, observe different cat behaviors, and develop relationships with cats other than my own.  It's also interesting, as Curry mentioned, how my cats become accustomed to the scents of the cats I watch the most.  They really do know when I've been around "strange" animals.  This just confirms for me how smart and observant the feline species can be.

Cat Sitting Personalities - Volume 2

"Just one day after Mothers Day, mom's gonna tell you more about some of the cats she sits for.  (As if my brothers and I don't count.)  When mom tells people she's a cat sitter, they sometimes think that she takes cats into our home.  No way!  She goes to their apartments once a day (or twice in special cases) and takes care of the cats in their own homes.  It is better for everyone this way.  For one thing, I would be mad if all sorts of strange cats kept coming over to visit us.  But also, the neighbor cats wouldn't like it either.  You see, we felines get very accustomed to our routines and our surroundings.  When you switch things up, we are NOT happy.  So, like I said, mom watches cats in their apartments, taking her precious time away from me and my brothers.  She will tell you about the next batch of cats that she watches."

Lucky & GloryBee: I haven't had the honor or watching these guys in a while, as their mom doesn't travel as much as she used to.  Lucky is a big, loving, black cat with a white spot on his neck.  I have a soft spot for him as my Thor had the same markings.  Lucky is one of the most social, friendly cats I know.  His sister GloryBee is also black, but with more white on her chest and paws.  She is long-haired and gorgeous, but is a little temperamental about being touched.  It's hard to resist stroking her silky coat, but I've learned to proceed with caution.  GloryBee is okay with the attention, up to a point.  If you stop before that point, you'll be fine, but if you keep going, she'll stop you with a swat or a bite.  Lucky and GloryBee are so different in personality!

Socks & Posh: Posh is another cat with a little attitude.  She's got a pretty gray coat and lemon yellow eyes.  She doesn't love it when I visit, or at least that's the impression I get.  She will initially greet me but then she maintains her distance and hisses if I try to get close to her against her will.  Socks, on the other hand, is very friendly with me.  He always greets me and follows me around.  He'll roll over and let me rub his belly.  Socks is a black cat with a white chest and white socks (of course).  Interestingly, my neighbor Carlos has also watched Socks and Posh and he says their reactions to him are the opposite, with Posh being friendly and Socks being more reserved.

Abigail & Voughn: These two recently moved out of the building with their human mom and dad.  I hear that they also now have a dog for a roommate, and I hope that's going well for them.  Abigail is a sleek, black cat who was always a little shy, but friendly.  She needed medicine twice a day, so I would give her the pill in a Pill Pocket.  (Here's a tip for those of you who need to give pills to cats: put it in a Pill Pocket, a cat treat with a hole in the middle for the pill.  Not all cats will eat it, but I've seen several who do.  My own cats would eat the treat around the pill and leave the pill.)  Voughn is a male Himalayan with the characteristic flattened face and long, tan coat with dark brown "points."  Like his sister, he was often shy with me, but a few times I got him playing with a dangly cat toy, and he definitely has some hunting instincts!  I wish Abigail and Voughn, and their folks (and dog) all the best in their new home.

Luna: Luna is a pretty girl with a long, mostly gray coat, with some spots of tan and white.  The first time I met her, her mom said she was shy and probably wouldn't come out when I stopped by.  On my first day watching her, she hid under the bed, but I coaxed her out with her favorite toy and her dinner.  Since that day, Luna has been extremely outgoing with me.  She greets me at the door and wants lots of love and attention.  She's only shy with me when her folks are home, so now I know it's just an act.  Luna's mom got a blue betta fish (named Red) a few months ago, and I'm told that she takes absolutely no interest in Red, so his bowl sits right out in the open.  I'm impressed by Luna's self-control; I know that my cats would be after Red!

More cats to come in a future blog.  If I watch your cat and he or she has not been mentioned, just wait for the third edition of the Cat Sitting Personalities blog.  Of course, with Curry's permission.

Cat Sitting Personalities - Volume 1

"Mom does some cat sitting in our apartment building.  I sure don't know why she would want to do this.  First of all, she isn't home nearly enough for our liking as it is.  Secondly, why would she need to hang out with other cats?  My brothers and I are all the cats she needs!  Still, she insists on cat sitting because she likes to help out our neighbors who travel, plus she says it provides a little extra spending money (I have yet to see that extra money translated into cat toys or treats).  OK, so I've heard about mom's cat sitting stories and I've decided that they only add to my feline education.  Knowing what other cats do certainly confirms to me that I am doing just fine myself.  I'll just let mom tell you about some of these cats in her own words."

Amber & Frankie: Amber was one of the first cats I got to watch.  She's a petite, young calico who goes absolutely wild chasing her laser pointer.  Amber got a new brother, Frankie, about a year ago.  He's an adorable black & white cat and loves the laser pointer just as much as his big sister, but it wasn't always that way.  Apparently chasing the laser pointer is a learned skill.  Until Frankie got the hang of it, he would chase Amber instead of the laser!  Frankie was rescued from a very bad home as a tiny kitten.  His so-called owner allowed the mother cat to raise the kittens in a broken down minivan full of trash.  He is so lucky to have a great home and Amber, I think, has accepted her little brother by now.

Madison & Bailey: Madison is a sweet, gray cat with a white chest and very, very soft fur.  She loves to play with a long, fleece ribbon on a stick.  Her little sister Bailey has a place near and dear to my heart - she is Grayson's littermate!  I actually got to foster Bailey for a couple weeks before she moved in with Madison.  It's interesting to see the two kittens grow up in different homes.  They have different personalities and different looks (Bailey is a gray/tan/black tabby, whereas Grayson is...gray), but there are also interesting similarities.  Bailey and Grayson have the exact same posture when they pounce on something, they both like to have their tummies rubbed, and they both get on their older siblings' nerves at times!  Madison has taken Bailey's arrival in stride.  She seems to accept her more and more each time I see them.

Gabby & Lucas: Are you noticing that many of the cats come in pairs?  Solitary as they are, cats do like to have company.  Gabby is a smart tabby with a white chest.  She is very affectionate with her human mom, but a little more reserved with me.  I've been successful in getting her to play with toys like Cat Dancer, or other interactive toys.  Lucas came along to keep Gabby company, and I think it works.  They seem to get along very well.  Lucas is a very tall/long tabby.  He must have some kind of wild cat genes in him, because he really is BIG!  Not fat, but big.  And his heart is as big as he is.  Lucas loves to be social and be held.  He's such a big sweetheart, and I'm glad that he and Gabby have each other.

Nala: Wow.  I've only watched Nala once, but she was so memorable!  She's still a kitten, younger than my Grayson, and she's small for her age.  She is a rare female orange tabby (most orange tabbies are male) and she has an incredible skill.  Nala plays fetch!  If you throw a little foam ball, she will chase it and bring it back to you.  She didn't seem to tire of this as I threw the ball over, and over, and over.  I tried forever to get a photo of her fetching, but it was impossible to get a decent shot with her running back to me so fast.  Nala is such a unique cat.  Her looks and her talent put her in a very special class, and I hope I get to watch her again.

That's all for today.  If you are one of my cat clients and your baby is not mentioned here, you'll need to come back for a future blog.  There are so many great cats in my building, and I can't do them all justice in a single blog.  Rest assured, I'll do another cat sitting post (if Curry lets me).