Author Archives: Charles Huss

Texts From the Cat Sitter

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We had two of Rose’s friends taking care of our cats while we were on our cruise. Lynn would come in the morning and Nancy would come in the afternoon (or vis versa). Lynn took pictures and sent us updates throughout the week and while we were not able to receive texts most days, it was a relief to know our cats were doing well on the days we did see them, which was Saturday while we were waiting to leave, Thursday when we were in Puerto Rico and Sunday when we returned.

I copied some of the texts from Rose’s phone to share with you.

Screenshot_2015-10-10-06-20-13Screenshot_2015-10-10-06-20-23Screenshot_2015-10-10-06-20-40Screenshot_2015-10-10-06-20-53Screenshot_2015-10-10-06-21-02Screenshot_2015-10-10-06-21-15Screenshot_2015-10-10-06-21-34Screenshot_2015-10-10-06-21-38Screenshot_2015-10-10-06-21-52Screenshot_2015-10-10-06-22-07Screenshot_2015-10-10-06-22-16Screenshot_2015-10-10-06-22-35Screenshot_2015-10-10-06-22-49Screenshot_2015-10-10-06-23-16Screenshot_2015-10-10-06-23-30

Thank you Lynn and Nancy for taking such good care of our boys. Does anyone else get updates from pet sitters like this?

 

Jealousy

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Bringing Puck into our home was a bit of an adjustment for Chris but I don’t think he is Jealous of him anymore. Frankie is another story.

Charles Huss's avatarBad Cat Chris

Rose and I discussed getting a playmate for Chris since shortly after we got him. He has so much energy and always wants to play, but until recently our other cats didn’t want to play with him. That changed when we got our new kitten, Puck. He has turned out to be a great playmate for Chris. They spend a good part of the day pouncing on each other or chasing each other. Sometimes I even see them washing each other.

There is, however, a darker side of this relationship: jealousy. Whenever puck comes to Rose or me for attention, Chris is sure to show up seconds later. occasionally the opposite happens. Puck will come to us second and then Chris will leave, presumably in disgust.

Keep in mind that I have a hard enough time trying to figure people out so interpreting the behavior of another species could be beyond my…

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Home Sweet Home

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We returned from our eight-day cruise late Sunday afternoon and the cats were very happy to see… our luggage.

cats and luggage cats and luggage cats and luggage cats and luggage

Of course, when there isn’t enough luggage space, problems are bound to occur. cats and luggage

They were also happy to see us, almost as much as the luggage and we were equally happy to be home with our little boys.

Cat Puck on sholders

Cat Chris on my lap

Vacation Time Again

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Rose and I are away this week on a Caribbean cruise. Since this is a scheduled post, I am actually writing this on Thursday while I am waiting to pick Rose up at the airport. She left for a business trip to San Diego (where her company is headquartered) on Monday morning and will return at 11:00 tonight. We then have to drive four hours or more across the state to Ft. Lauderdale. It will be our longest time away from the cats ever.

cats on luggage

Packing for a trip is like a party for cats.

We have two people coming in to take care of them, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. We actually had an offer for someone to stay in our place while we were gone but I had two problems with that. First, we never met this person and only knew about her from a friend. How do you trust someone you never met? Second, I wanted two people in case something happens to one of them. I don’t want to risk my cats starving to death, even if the risk is low.

I alway put out a gravity feeder and waterer just in case. I may worry too much but it is better than not worrying enough.

Feral Waits for Me

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When I first started feeding the feral cats at work, I never saw them, I just saw they ate the food. There are three cats that I know of but one in particular shows up regularly after I get to work.

I always look for him when I get there but usually I don’t see him until I go inside, put my lunch in the fridge and then come back out with a handful of food. That is when I see his head poking out from a mound of grass or somewhere else not too far away but far enough to be safe.

Feral cat

 

Lately he has been getting bolder and I have seen him waiting behind our dumpster, which is a lot closer than usual. So far I have seen him that close twice and just a little farther a couple of more times. I can’t help but wonder if he was there waiting when I pulled into the parking lot and I just didn’t see him or did he move in that close during the three minutes it took to go inside and come out again.

Feral cat

September 2

Feral cat

September 23

Wherever he is, he waits for me to go back inside and shut the door. I usually leave it open a crack and watch him walk toward the food as soon as the door is shut. The front door is a fair distance away and it is not in a sight-line to the food but he still waits until I am inside and the door closes.

Thursday the ginger and white cat was there instead of my usual little buddy, but he stayed a bit farther away. It is possible the ginger intimidates the other one but I don’t know that for sure. The funny thing is, he waits for me to go inside and shut the door just like the other one.

20150807_Feral cats_895

This picture is from August. I didn’t have my camera Thursday.

I hope these kitties won’t be upset with me when I return from vacation.

What Goes Around, Comes Around

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It was a little fun to watch our new kitten, Puck, do to Chris what Chris had been doing to the other cats for three years. That didn’t last long though. Now Puck just puts up with what Chris dishes out. Frankie is another story.

Charles Huss's avatarBad Cat Chris

Chris’s three-year reign of terror has ended. Okay, maybe that statement is a bit exaggerated but there has been a turning point in the Bad Cat Chris household.

Previously, Chris was able to dominate the other cats without fear of reprisal. He would often, out of the blue, pounce on Tigger or Abbey, pin them down and bite them on the neck. After a few minutes, he would then cozy up along side one of them like nothing had happened. Now that Abbey is gone and our new Kitten Puck is here, it is not so easy for him anymore. Puck fights back!

The two of them spend much of the evening going at it. Chris will attack Puck and Puck will counter with his own attack. I often see Chris as the submissive one during some of their many battles. It makes me think of Karma and the saying…

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