It's a cat's world

joanlawson

Hi everyone

As many of you know, I love cats. All my life, I have had at least one cat for company, and my present one, Tommy Tucker, is curled up next to me as I type. He appeared as a bedraggled stray 6 years ago, and decided that we would do nicely as his slaves.

Now he is the king of our neighbourhood, as his favourite spot is under the street sign for our road, where people regard him as a valuable asset, and stop to stroke him and fuss round him as they pass by.

It is on the corner of the road, so it gives him a good vantage point to guard his territory, and to defend it against Whisky, the ginger tom who lives round the corner.

Whisky and Tommy have an on-going feud, but called a temporary truce at Christmas, when they exchanged feline-influenced Christmas cards. The snowy weather is also having the effect of keeping the peace between them, because neither of them likes to get their paws cold and wet.

However, once the snow melts, and the weather gets warmer, it will be business as usual, and they will be using their full range of psychological warfare against each other.

Occasionally, they inflict some mild bodily harm on each other, which often results in a trip to the vet, and a bill of about £50. But they do have the decency to alternate the injuries between them, so that the cost evens out between Whisky's slaves and us in the course of a year.

Both Whisky and Tommy Tucker were unwanted cats, and when they moved into their new homes, they were grateful for whatever food was offered to them. However, now that they have their paws well and truly under the table, they are both gourmet cats of the highest order, refusing any type of ordinary cat food, and insisting on fresh chicken and prawns,. But not just any prawns, only the expensive king-type ones. After all, the kings of the neighbourhood deserve the very best :!: :!:

Every cat has its own unique personality. If you live with a cat, I would love to know about it.



Joan and Tommy Tucker

annebr

Joan,

My master is Mischa Cat she is a pampered house cat, she runs the house with a paw of iron and lets us slaves know exactly what she wants and when she wants it.

She has defined roles for her two slaves, Mummy (me) is for cuddles and pets which she adores but only when she wants not on my terms, Daddy is for play fighting and hide and seek.

We got her when she was 8 1/2 weeks a friends cat had got accidently pregnant we had only seen a picture of her before we got her and she was adorable. she came into the house and made herself right at home.

Mischa is also a gourmet cat and enjoys her food but she has a penchant for all types of strange things including olives, she prefers black but will eat green under sufferance.

The house is hers not ours and she likes nothing better to jump in your seat when you stand up or take over the king size bed, especially in this cold weather where she snuggles into us both.

She is a vocal little cat and is always chatting to you and she has differnet expressions for different occasions.

I have got to admit the last year that I haven't been working she has been my faithful companion. She seems to sense my moods and if the black hole is looming she seems to know and rewards me with extra cuddles. She is also a dab hand with the laptop and knows how to press all the buttons!

We wouldn't be without our little master.

Anne

skezier

Hi Joan,

I live with one or two they are all very different and normally they are one harmonious bundle but now an then there is a bit of fall out.

All of mine are either ex feral or rescue and all have different versions of my contract which they tricked me into signing in blood I think. They all say hi to Tommy but a couple of these are matriarchs and very good at saying this is mine! Don't see many cats say its not.........

Assorted purrs to Tommy from this lot x

tkachev

this is a sad post for me and I will be crying.
I had 2 cats when I divorced but due to housing difficulties I had to give them to the ex.I had hung onto them for 2 years but then had to rent a place with no pets.My present OH family didnt offer to have them.
Marco is now almost 17 years but Luigi disappeared a few days after handing him over.He is/was grey stripey cat and a bit of a scaredy cat.I got him on my 30th birthday when he was about a year.He came from a cats home in Brighton.He was prob timid cos of the previous owners treatment.
I adored that cat and was heartbroken when he disappeared as I never know why or how.I am angry with the ex for uprooting everybody and feel I let Luigi and Marco down.I have vowed never to get another cat......
Elizabeth

jaspercat

Hi, we are the slaves to a cat called Jasper, he is 11 now and came from an animal sanctuary, where he had the nick name of "Razor Rudduck, because he can be a snappy.

He dosen't go out, we have left the front door open but he wants to stay indoors, he sulks if we go out, we often say that we get the cold paw when we return.

He is diabetic and has injections of Insulin twice a day, but he isn't worried about it, he is fed at 6.30am and 6.30pm with biscuits in between, he seems to know the time as he wakes me up at 6am every day.

He is just adorable though and we wouldn't be without him love Jaspercatxx

jaspercat

tkachev wrote:

this is a sad post for me and I will be crying.
I had 2 cats when I divorced but due to housing difficulties I had to give them to the ex.I had hung onto them for 2 years but then had to rent a place with no pets.My present OH family didnt offer to have them.
Marco is now almost 17 years but Luigi disappeared a few days after handing him over.He is/was grey stripey cat and a bit of a scaredy cat.I got him on my 30th birthday when he was about a year.He came from a cats home in Brighton.He was prob timid cos of the previous owners treatment.
I adored that cat and was heartbroken when he disappeared as I never know why or how.I am angry with the ex for uprooting everybody and feel I let Luigi and Marco down.I have vowed never to get another cat......
Elizabeth

Hi Elizabeth, I had a tear or two when I read this, I hope that you feel differently in the future love Jaspercatxx

joanlawson

Hi Fellow cat -lovers

Anne

Mischa sounds like a lovely cat. She is certainly a gourmet cat if she eats olives, and even distinguishes between the black and the green ones. I agree that cats can sense your moods. They are very sensitive animals.

Cris

How many cats have you got altogether, or are there too many to count? I always say that if I had the money, I would open a cat refuge for all the homeless cats.

Elizabeth

It is so difficult sometimes to cope with everything when there is a divorce, and you didn't let Luigi down. It sometimes happens that cats stray away when they move house, and my guess is that he found a new owner to look after him. My cat, Tommy, must have been someone's cat before he came to us, because he had been neutered. We did try to find out where he had come from, but gave up.

annie_mial

Dunno about gourmet cats, ours just likes odd things - salted biscuits, cream crackers (she steals those), fruit cake and brown bread! Like most pampered cats she very, very fussy about her food, what suits one day is off the menu the next!

She's needy, demanding, it's a bit like having a toddler round the house, except that this toddler now sleeps for most of the day. She won't go to bed unless we take her upstairs and spends most of her time awake at the kitchen window - last night she was having a meaningful conversation with a young fox who was standing in a plant container with his paws on the window-sill! I understood what she was saying - I didn't know she knew such words!

........and we love her to bits!

Annie

joanlawson

jaspercat wrote:

Hi, we are the slaves to a cat called Jasper, he is 11 now and came from an animal sanctuary, where he had the nick name of "Razor Rudduck, because he can be a snappy.

He dosen't go out, we have left the front door open but he wants to stay indoors, he sulks if we go out, we often say that we get the cold paw when we return.

He is diabetic and has injections of Insulin twice a day, but he isn't worried about it, he is fed at 6.30am and 6.30pm with biscuits in between, he seems to know the time as he wakes me up at 6am every day.

He is just adorable though and we wouldn't be without him love Jaspercatxx

Hi Jaspercat

Razor Rudduck was a good name for a snappy cat. Tommy was just the same, and still has a wild streak in him even after 6 years. Maybe it is because they were not treated well as kittens.

Tommy also has a set routine every day eg. Roaming round his patch in the morning, and dealing with Whisky, his arch enemy. Home for a snack at lunch time, then a snooze on the chair in the conservatory. Then he sits under the street sign on the corner at exactly the right time for when all the children come home from school, so he gets lots of fuss.

joanlawson

annie_mial wrote:

Dunno about gourmet cats, ours just likes odd things - salted biscuits, cream crackers (she steals those), fruit cake and brown bread! Like most pampered cats she very, very fussy about her food, what suits one day is off the menu the next!

She's needy, demanding, it's a bit like having a toddler round the house, except that this toddler now sleeps for most of the day. She won't go to bed unless we take her upstairs and spends most of her time awake at the kitchen window - last night she was having a meaningful conversation with a young fox who was standing in a plant container with his paws on the window-sill! I understood what she was saying - I didn't know she knew such words!

........and we love her to bits!

Annie

Hi Annie

What is her name :?:

Cats do have some choice swear words, don't they :?: I guess the fox got the message too :!: :shock:

annie_mial

Tillie - she's a stripey tortie........but she's a sweetheart!

Annie

joanlawson

Hi Annie

Tillie sounds very sweet. I love torties.

joanlawson

REASONS WHY YOU HAVE TO OWN A CAT

Cats never criticise.

Cats never need a babysitter.

Cats don't need to be walked.

Cats don't mind if you call them silly names.

Cats don't talk back.

Cats don't mind what you watch on TV.

Cats don't run up huge telephone bills.

Can you think of any more?

annebr

My Mischa talks back to me. I will try and post a pic as she is very cute.

Anne

chris7

Hi Joan and purrs to Tommy

I do so love to hear all these cat stories, they are such personalities and and these all sound such characters

Sorry to see your post Elizabeth. Me too! Left the cats with my ex trying to do 'the right thing' as it was the only home they had known. Discovered later he had moved and given them away without asking me if I could take them. Broke my heart (again!) You have my sympathy.

A friends cats did agree to stay with me later while she was abroad for year. Though they did insist on the high standards they had been used too They were lovely and always up for a cuddle 24/7. which was fine by me.

Would be nice to see piccies of your resident cats peeps. I would love another one someday.

Chris

skezier

Hi Joan,

I'm with Anne mine really answer back and they criticise......and do time and motion studies it seems....... they also have been known to dial out and once even phoned the vets :oops: :oops: Now that was quite embarrassing

I have a lot but half the number I used to have when I was more able bodies etc x

Hi Chris,

Will see what I can get to let me take their pics..... I just need to learn how to use photobucket better..... Dipstick said he is on his way to stay a few days xx

tkachev

Thanks for your kind words,
Chris you know where I am coming from.i had no choice and had really struggled to keep the family(2 girls and 2 cats)together despite his better efforts.He had already given them to a friend without my permission once and the girls read their phone number on the cats tag during a visit so I was able to trace them and get them back.
I hope he found a good new home that is my only comfort,
Elizabeth

jaspercat

Hi Joan, I have to say that Jasper knows what programmes he likes, he watches animal programmes and egg heads, when he hears the egg heads theme tune he knows that food time is approaching, our cleaners call him "King Jasper".

He is a very intelligent cat, a bit daft a times, he tries to catch snow flakes through the window, he does have another cat called "Petal" who comes round, and they chat to each other love Jaspercatxx

ikesother

Hi everyone, I love this post! We have a ginger tom, co-incidentaly called Tom who just happened to move in at our house, when his then owners had a baby,(they lived across the road from us) they also had 3 other cats, so I guess he got fed up of being last in the pecking order! and just started miaowing at my daughters bedroom window at 6am for food! So one thing led to another, the neighbours moved and 6 years on hes still here, ruling the roost Having never owned a cat before, I cant believe how weve all been transfixed by this animal, who has us all trained for his every need or whim Hes been a lovely companion to me when Ive been down with pain or felt a bit low; he seems to instinctively know when i need a fuss!
Love all the stories jk

annebr

Cats seem to know when you need TLC. My Mischa knows when I am down or not feeling well and gives me lots of attention.

After my op when I came out of hospital and I was housebound for 2 months she was my faithful companion and instinctvly knew not to go near my right side.

Even funnier is the way she is with my Mum. If we go on holiday she goes to Mums and she gets really spoilt fed on demand and none of the cat food nonsense, fish & chicken for her. Plus if it's the winter she gets a hot water bottle at night. So if Mum comes to the flat she is straight up for cuddles.

She can be a cheeky wee devil but she has us slaves wrapped round her paws.

Anne

joanlawson

ikesother wrote:

Hi everyone, I love this post! We have a ginger tom, co-incidentaly called Tom who just happened to move in at our house, when his then owners had a baby,(they lived across the road from us) they also had 3 other cats, so I guess he got fed up of being last in the pecking order! and just started miaowing at my daughters bedroom window at 6am for food! So one thing led to another, the neighbours moved and 6 years on hes still here, ruling the roost Having never owned a cat before, I cant believe how weve all been transfixed by this animal, who has us all trained for his every need or whim Hes been a lovely companion to me when Ive been down with pain or felt a bit low; he seems to instinctively know when i need a fuss!
Love all the stories jk

Hi jk

Cats often seem to 'adopt' a family in this way. Then once they've got a paw in the door, they set about training you up to their high standards.

I'm glad your Tom has been such a good companion to you when you have been feeling down.

joanlawson

A few quotes about cats;

I have studied many philosophers and and many cats. The wisdom of cats is infinitely superior. [Hippolyte Taine]

Most cats, when they are OUT want to be IN, and vice versa, and often simultaneously. [Louis J Camuti]


Never underestimate the power of a purr. [Anon]

There are no ordinary cats, [Colette]

suncatcher

Our bundle of fluff yasmine will be one in april. Yasmine is so loving but very playful. The christmas tree was climbed and tinsel was knocked off and she knocked all the cards down she really enjoyed her first christmas with us. Yasmine insists on eating as well as her cat food what we eat here is what she has eaten and loves
Speggetti bolagnais, Popadoms, chrisps, peoples ham sandwiches, cheese on toast, fresh cream, jam, curry,pork scratching,soft cheese hard cheese, weetos, cabbage, carrots. We now have to ban her from the room when we are eating as she thinks we should give her some. .
I have enjoyed reading this thread as i love cats. from joanne

joanlawson

joanneprice wrote:

Our bundle of fluff yasmine will be one in april. Yasmine is so loving but very playful. The christmas tree was climbed and tinsel was knocked off and she knocked all the cards down she really enjoyed her first christmas with us. Yasmine insists on eating as well as her cat food what we eat here is what she has eaten and loves
Speggetti bolagnais, Popadoms, chrisps, peoples ham sandwiches, cheese on toast, fresh cream, jam, curry,pork scratching,soft cheese hard cheese, weetos, cabbage, carrots. We now have to ban her from the room when we are eating as she thinks we should give her some. .
I have enjoyed reading this thread as i love cats. from joanne

Hi Joanne

Yasmine sounds lovely, and still a big kitten. I never heard of a cat which would eat so many different things, especially cabbage and carrots :!:

My cat, Tommy, likes to drink water out of a mug, even though he always has a bowl of water there for him. He also likes to drink pond water :!: :shock:

angel1

My elder son, and his partner have "ordered" a Blue Russian kitten. Won`t be born until next month, so they will get her in April. They did a lot of research, and apparently, this breed, whilst very loving, and cuddly, are quite happy to be left at home. She will just be a house cat, it seems.

As they travel frequently with their work, they have asked me if I would have her either at my home, or theirs. I said yes, of course - well, you do don`t you with your kids! - but now, I`m wondering how I will get on. I have absolutely NO experience of cats!

skezier

Hi Ange,

Don't worry..... the cat will teach you They are very good at getting people to do exactly what they want you to do! Russian Blues are so lovely, sensitive mind and I an jealous now :oops: I don't think the cat will be too much different to your Amber really, cats as a general are talkative, demand affection and my lot like 'novices' cus they can mould them into what they want As a kitten they come complete with the training your human Manuel in their pockets..... Just be prepared to find you end up actually getting one after you have kitten/cat sat a few times...... You'd like Eeyore Sorry just had to try....... Love and ((( ))) Cris xx

Hi Jk,

Nice to see you and hope everything's going well? x

Hey Joanne...... Mine said they are organising an eating contest, would Yasmin be up for entering? Mine don't get curry or pasta but they would dine with Yasmin any day Mine also like sandwiches of any kind, I think their idea is humans are just their food testers Cups of tea can never be left unattended cus they like tea and if they can't put their head in the cup, well they got feet Nice to see you Cris x