Category Archives: Our Cats

I Am a Cat Person

WOW! …am I ever a cat person…

I understand cats. Predicting their behavior is pretty simple. And I talk to them. Lori rolls her eyes and shakes her head when a cat will do what I say with a simple, calm, quiet command. “Down”… and they will jump down off wherever they are. Lori yells at them 2-3 times before they decide to get down. They understand what I want them to do.

We lost our oldest kitty – Cymbeline – a month ago, at 17. It is still very difficult to think about her. She slept in one of the cat-beds on my desk. There are five cat beds around my office. During the winter, three of them have warming pads. There are often four cats sleeping here.

They are my friends. They are my only friends. Caliban sleeps near me all the time… wherever I go in the house. They each have their own personal ways of accepting commands. But they are always around.

Our backyard has cat-fence so they can’t get out, and others can’t get in. They love it out there. Except Miranda… There are some cat-perches out there.

There are three cats here now.

They are a calming influence in my life. They make it easier to relax. Their positive reaction to me makes me feel better. I take care of them too.

Where the Heck Have I Been?

Caliban is home after being missing for more than 2 weeks… but I have not written since he has been back.  My energies were depleted while he was gone, and have taken a while to build back up some.  I am still not quite right, (am I ever?).

I missed one trip to Newport while Caliban was missing… I hardly went anywhere except to look for him.  I have been out a couple of times since, so that is about back to normal.

But my mind still seems to be off a bit.

Actually, I have been having a lot of unusually sudden low periods.  I am swinging back and forth emotionally more than is normal for even me.  How long will this go on?  (that is a rhetorical question)

My little beasties are very important to my life.  They are my friends.  And they really do make my life easier – except in the morning during feeding time at the zoo.  But it is all worth the effort.  Maybe I am just being overly vigilant right now…

I have had many thoughts about what to write, I have just not been able to think them thru.  I hope to get back to more regular writing soon.  Once my mind settles back down to its normal craziness, things will be better.  Until then… pet Caliban.

BTW… the Cat Fence has been repaired so Caliban can not get out again.

Caliban the Krazy Man

This is my little Caliban – not so little really, he is 17 pounds.  But I always think of him as the Little Man.

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Caliban has been missing since last Sunday night.  That is not very long… but it feels like an eternity.  My kitties take care of me.  And Caliban loves to sleep on my desk right here by me.  He is a companion for an agoraphobe.

I have not been thinking about much else the last few days… I know that is not good for me, but it is all I can do.  It has been harder to think clearly about much at all.

But my hopes are still high, and I am doing the best I can.

My Cats Save Lives

I could not possible count, how many times in my deepest depressions, that I have thought, `who would take care of my kitties?’  I can’t say that means they have saved my life.  There are always many reasons for sticking around.  It’s just that they tend to be rather prominently listed.  Hmmm…

Right now, Io and Hyperion are sleeping on my office chair.  Phoebe and Caliban are sleeping on my desk.  Cymbeline is in the living room… I am not sure where Titan is…

There seems to be a tendency, for them to follow me around the house… wherever I settle.  Sometimes it is difficult to turn over at night.  And reading my Kindle can require a very carefully built quilt wall to keep them at bay.  But it is… how do you say “worth it” when it is astronomically beyond “worth it”.  They save lives.

I am sure, very many of you feel the same way.  These small critters twist, and squirm their way into our soul.  We are not so different after all… they need us too.

That is being a friend.

Io

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Io is a great little kitty.  He is also known as Io Schmio, and Spotted Nose Kitty.  In the photo, he is climbing out of a display case thru an opening because of a missing pane of glass.  Io explores everything.

Io likes to cuddle up at night, next to you, in a small kitty ball.  He also likes to find the highest spot to sit.  This is not a brave cat.  When we moved, he spent the first month hiding in our bed… he was not seem downstairs much at all.  But he is all settled in now.

When he sits or lies next to me, he will rest his chin on my hand, or arm.  He can stay like that a very long time.  Io likes to be close.

Cymbaline – Top Cat

Cymbaline… King Cat

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Okay… She’s a she, but we still call her King Cat.  She is the Top Cat in our house.  She gets what she wants.  Cymbaline is very talkative.  She meows when she is unset, and when she is happy.  If you pet her, she meows.

Cymbaline is very demanding… she wants things just the way she wants them.  And she will let you know when you slip up.  Don’t every forget to clean the litter box!

She is very small compared to the others… only about 9 pounds.  But stay out of her way, and don’t pick her up.  She loves to have her neck and head scratched, but she likes it a lot longer than you may want to do.  Then she will lie down next to you, and purr very loudly!

She learned how to floor surf when we lived in Yakima, and has taken it up again here.  She goes skidding across the floor, and puts her paws up just in time to stop herself at the frig.

I hate to say this, but she is my favorite kitty, even though she is so aloof.  But she is usually not very far away.

Lori just says Cymbaline is “Crazy”.

The 23 Pound Cat

Titan was a very tiny kitten we got him from the Bonnie Hays Animal Shelter back in 2007.  But he grew.

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Titan is not over weight – according to the vet.  He is just huge.  And he is my friend.  My kitties keep me company during the days I spend at home.  And that is most of the time.

Titan is very friendly, and loves to meet new people.  He loves to cuddle.  At a garage sale once, people kept asking if they could buy him… NO!  He likes the Schwan’s guy a lot.  He is not a lap cat (thank God), but he will lie next to you, and keep you warm.

He eats a lot, but is patient to wait his turn in the morning.  He loves to go out in the sun, and chases birds – he caught one recently.  And when he plays with the other kitties, it gets very noisy!  Especially when he is in Mortal Combat with his brother.

I will have a post about each of out cats over the next few weeks.