Holidays are Over!

Thank goodness the holidays are over! Still a little lingering stuff to handle, like putting the Christmas decorations away, and taking down the Christmas cards from my display. But for the most part, stuff is all done. No leftovers in the fridge, no food to tempt me.

The cats are also on a diet. I realized I was feeding them 1/2 can a day plus dry food. I had to cut them back to 1/4 can a day, and sometimes, that means 1/8 of a can in the morning, and the rest at night.

The bad part about this is that Princess doesn't need to be on a diet. I wish I could get her to eat better. She continues to lose weight, and her bones are sticking out. There is nothing to be done, but make her comfortable. She sometimes has a little pain, a creaking in her joints, and she gets irritable with the other cats. Any of the other cats. She just wants what she wants when she wants it, too. She cuddles a bit, on my lap. She can be really insistent about that...

Beasley is the greatest complainer, of course. He wants all the food in the house in his bowl. He will eat his and everyone elses' food, if I let him. At least he's stopped vomiting up his food as soon as he's eaten. He is keeping it down.

I wormed them a few weeks ago, then added some edible diatomaceous earth to their food for a week after that. Any little worms left in their guts were shredded and no longer exist.

The fleas are also much better - more due to the cold weather than any action on my part. I still comb regularly and administer the flea drops. I haven't had to spray, but come spring, if the carpet isn't all out of here, there will be another infestation.

Otherwise, Queenie is a little distant, but she checks in with me at least once a day - right in my face, getting snuggles. Bugs is cuddly and filling out her personality a little more. She was so two-dimensional for so long, it's nice to see her realize that she's more than enough cat for anyone. And Fluffy, who never liked to see a brush or comb, is now coming to me and asking for them! She loves to sit on my lap as long as she can, and get mommy-time.

Beasley has been relegated to the top of the chair, and pouts a lot. But he knows he's my boy. At bedtime, he has dibs on the "next to the pillow" spot and gets to even put his nose on the pillow if he wants to.

The birds are coming by regularly, and I changed the seed mix so we get some really nice little songbirds, now. I have to put up another suet cake today. The cats need a few perches in front of the window. There just doesn't seem to be enough seating for them all.

Well, Happy New Year, friends. I hope your holidays were good, and your cats were healthy through it all. I miss tinsel. I never liked angel hair, so I went to tinsel. But it isn't safe for them. Ah, well... One day, maybe. If I ever get down to only one cat and can keep track of him or her enough to keep it out of the tree.

Does Your Cat Caress You?

Does your cat caress you with his tail? That's a sign of deep affection.

I've noticed my cats will come to me and rub against me, then lean in at the tail end, with their tails toward me from the base to tip. This is the start of a caress.

Other times, I've noticed Beasley, since it's his spot in the bed, lay with his back to me, and put his tail up (if he were standing) and caress my arm. He actually wraps his tail around my arm and moves it up and down, like he's petting me.

Fluffy likes to lay on my lap, and will wrap her tail around my middle. If I move her tail to something that looks more comfortable for her, she will move it back to where she had it. She then twitches the tip of her tail to "pet" me. It's a way of saying "thank you" for the lap space.

Cats have many uses for their tails. Check your cat's tail out and let me know how s/he uses it...

2012 Newsletters

I've selected the 12 topics for newsletters for 2012. I was able to find articles for the first 6 issues, and then stopped for a break.

I'm in the middle of a book on the Mother/Daughter relationship, so I need a little time on that, too.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you, my readers. May 2012 bring answers to your prayers and gifts to your lives.

Articles of Interest

I have some "google alerts" set up and this week these articles caught my eye. I'm sharing now, and in the e-zine.
Smile!

Article on overweight pets

A neighborhood in need of a TNR Program

Stray cats vs. birds

Anti TNR for the birds' sake

Do you Tweet?

Do you Tweet? Do you follow folks on Twitter?

I set up some google alerts (about time I learned how!) and there were some disturbing results this morning. I tweeted them, which is what I do with them. If you follow my Tweets, @tnmorgen, then you saw them...

bit.ly/vdMaBf

fxn.ws/s1y7uP

bit.ly/t4dh1H

Bless all the cat lovers in the world today!

Advertising in Person

One of the annual events I participate in, is the WUOT, or local public radio station, fund raiser. As my regular participation has yielded friends, I've been invited to participate in other things. It's been a pleasure to do this, but my time for one of these things is at an end. My poor body is about done with standing for more than an hour, and this year's "Boo at the Zoo" showed me just how long I could stand.

t's a five-hour stint of standing, entertaining, and handing out goodies to the local kids and adults who come to see what is up at the zoo, and to support the zoo. I made it three hours, and it took 3 days to recover.

But, because I knew it was likely to be my last time out, I went all-out in the costuming department. I was the "classical cat" (for classical music, and cats) while others in our group were other characters and personalities relating to our love of the station and it's programming. We have "Carl (chained to the) Cassil," "Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me! (there's a spider on my shoulder)," "Morning Edition (taking the photo, so not shown)," a "Foreign Correspondent," "Klick and Klack," a "Sports Reporter," and "Classical Cat." Here is a photo of our group...

I hope my body is better next year, and I can do it again, but if nothing else, I got to do it this year, and the memories will be there forever. We always have a good time, and handing out donuts at the end of the run is always fun!

Sticky, but fun!

Trying a New Crunchy

My pet supply store (Pet Supplies Plus) did it again - they put a fabulous product on sale, so I could afford it for a trial. They put a 2-for-1 price on Before Grain Cat Food by Merrick. I got a bag of Chicken and a bag of Salmon flavors.

http://bit.ly/t1yXeu

My cats are ignoring the wet food and going for the chicken like nobody's business! I've never seen anything like it. Beasley, of course, could care less. He only eats dry food if there is nothing else available, but he snagged a couple of nuggets to see what everybody was so excited about. I had one of the girls shoveling it into her mouth & scattering it all over the floor in the process.

So, it's a hit. Now, if it reduces Bugsy's gas, that's a good thing. The flavor is one thing, but the quality of the food over the long term is a better thing. The ingredients list is a little confusing, but that's the added vitamins and minerals. There is nothing in the food that shouldn't be there.

Since I can't get Bugsy to eat any meat at all, this may be the answer. She certainly needs better nutrition than she's been getting.

Fleas, Yowling, Bells, and Giggles....

Last night, Beasley started yowling and wouldn't stop. He finally went and did something else, only to start up again sometime in the middle of the night. I tried to reassure him, but I'm not allowing the cats into my bedroom right now.

When I got up this morning, I noticed one of the fabric mice he is fond of carrying around while he yowls around it. This makes for a particular kind of yowling... I gave him a big hug and he purred. I went into the kitchen to get their breakfast, and Queenie was pushing a ball with a bell around. She even invited Bugsy to play! I giggled, and each time I did, she ran away, only to return a few minutes later.

I guess they aren't used to my giggles!

What this all means, of course, is that they are feeling better. The fleas have stopped tormenting them so much and their health is returning.

I have a little more to do to completely eradicate the fleas, but we are close. We are living on the concrete foundation of the house, but that's OK for now. I plan to put down 24 x 24 cork tiles for flooring, which provides a thermal break from the concrete while maintaining a hard floor, which is not as friendly to fleas as the carpet was.

However, I still have a little carpet to pull up in the bedrooms and linen closet (?), and then to flea-bomb the house twice before I can say we are fully flea-free. I also need to de-flea the property outside - using bombs and sprays. Each visitor who comes to the door potentially carries fleas with them, which is how we got them in the first place.

Meanwhile, it's nice to see the cats behaving more like cats. They are having fun, playing, sleeping soundly, and when they are snuggling, it is not so they can get away from the fleas.

And I love to see this interaction between them. Queenie is such a dominant cat, and she selected Bugsy. Bugsy is our biggest instigator! She seems to purposely get into the other cats' way to get involved with them and their games. This causes her to be cuffed quite a bit, but it's all done with love, and no one gets hurt. She needs a home of her own, where she can be loved and snuggled and held as much as she wants and deserves, but she is with us, with four litter mates.

Bugsy was very ill for a while - I was giving her fluids and hand-feeding her to keep her going. During the deepest part of her illness, she would not move from my chair. I think the others noticed that I would not let her get away with just giving up or feeling sorry for herself. I set her at the food bowls, kept her off my chair, and got her moving as soon as she was able. She can sit on my chair, but only when I'm there, not all the time like she did.

Cat Litter Trial

I got a different cat litter this time. I am trying "Nature's Miracle Cat Litter" made from recycled paper products. I got two of one style- the Odor Control, and one of another- Low Tracking.

So far, the results:
The Odor Control litter has a strong scent right out of the bag. Cedar, or something like it. However, it's very light, and easy for me to carry. It clumps well, and it is very easy to remove the clumps and solids from the box. If the urine begins to change over to ammonia (as in, if you leave it 24 hours), it begins to turn green on the affected particles.

The Low Tracking formula does not clump very well. I've had to be very careful removing the clumps from the box because any shaking to remove the "good" litter from a clump can make the clump fall apart. It also sheds a greenish substance on my scoop, which I assume is from the deodorizer crystals. It does seem to track a little less, but it still tracks out of the box. The particles are very small. Again, it is very light weight, so it is easy for me to handle.

I would try the Odor Control first, and recommend it over the Low Tracking formula, but if you have your litter box on carpet, the Low Tracking may be more to your liking.

I purchased all three bags of litter at my local pet supply store, with no coupons or price breaks. They were about $12/bag. For comparison, I usually spend $12-$16 for a 40 pound box of Tidy Cat every month to fill 3 litter boxes; and this purchase cost me $38, including tax.

Testimonials

I haven't been putting them up, but I often get a testimonial - a thank you - from a happy Cat Whispering client. Here is such a one I recently received....


Morgan- An update on Jasmine. She now rules the house; the dogs & the other cats. Although this makes #12, I am finding it difficult to think of giving her up. She looks at me with such love &, even tho she still has a little edge to her, she is 99% tamed! Such a crazy little kitten dashing around the house & enjoying laying in my lap & giving me head butts. Thought you would like an udate. Geri


I guess I should be putting them up, but I honestly don't remember to do that, and I wouldn't know where to put them. Maybe I should make a page of these, and put a link to the page on the Contact page. Opening a new tab, of course....


Just sayin'... Most of the time, folks are pretty happy with the results...