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Gifts From the Cat-Sitter and a Forgotten Bad cat


While we were on vacation we had two cat-sitters watching our boys. Lynn did a great job keeping us updated with texts and photos (see here) and Nancy was nice enough to bring gifts for the cats. Unfortunately, one of Nancy’s cats recently passed away and the other is not very healthy and does not use the items she brought over.

One of the items was a nice cat perch that I see the cats lying on now more than our other two small perches.

Bad Cat Chris on cat perch

Next is a cat tunnel that everyone loves.

cat tunnel cat tunnel cat tunnel

Finally she brought a nice scratching post. I will let Chris describe his feelings about that.

cat scratching post

Our patio suddenly became too crowded so we decided to give Rose’s sister, Felice, the scratching post, one of our perches and a couple of other items. She said she could use them at the vet’s office where she works.

I started to bring the items outside on Saturday so I could put them in the car but the first time I opened the door, Chris came out of nowhere and zoomed out the door. I put down what I had and decided to leave Chris outside until I finished. He usually stays close and eats grass. I thought leaving him alone for two minutes would be easier that fighting with him every time I wanted to go out or come in.

Chris eating grass

Sorry about the quality

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After I finished bringing the cat stuff outside as well as the garbage, I went back in and waited for Rose. She was involved in something, I don’t remember what, but it was probably another half-hour before we were ready to leave. When I walked outside I saw Chris lying there outside the door. I had completely forgotten he was outside. If he had wandered off, there was a chance we would not have known he was gone for several hours. I feel like such a bad parent.

We often do a cat count before we leave, mostly because they get into closets, so Rose probably would have discovered him missing but it is still a scary thought.

There’s a New Feral in Town


I have been feeding the feral cats near my work for a few months now and I thought I had the social structure figured out until this week. I’m starting to think that the inner workings of a feral community is as complicated as a human community.

Here is what I thought I knew: Cat number one, who I will just refer to as my little buddy, has been the reason I continue to put food out. He (or she) is the only one that comes around consistently. Almost every morning I can expect to see my little buddy waiting for me to bring out food. I have recently learned he hangs out near the tire store about 100 yards to the south. Sometimes when I pull into the parking lot, I will see the outline of a cat’s face and ears in the distance. I then go inside, grab some food and come back out.

Feral cat

By then he has moved closer and he waits for me to put the food down. I usually put it on a Verizon box that makes a good platform. He then waits for me to go back into the building. Once I close the door he moves to the food. Occasionally, one, or both, of the other two feral cats that I know of will be around. One is a gold and white cat and the other is white and black. I determined these cats are friends or mates because when I first saw them, one ran away toward the other and they both disappeared behind the building to the north together. If they are around, my little buddy will submit to the other cats.

20150807_Feral cats_895 Feral Cat

Lately, instead of bringing out a handful of food, I bring the entire bag. If I see another cat I will put an extra handful of food behind the dumpster so both cats can eat.

The other day I did not see another cat so I put out one handful of food and went inside. I watched the cat head toward the food and then suddenly stop when he reached the dumpster. I assumed another one of the two feral cats showed up to eat the food so I grabbed the bag and went out to put some food out behind the dumpster. To my surprise, I saw a cat that I had not seen before. That means my little buddy is shy and submissive to all cats.

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Thursday, when I brought out food I saw my little buddy to my right and the new fellow to my left, near the Verizon box. I first put a handful of food behind the dumpster and when I did the gold cat ran out from behind there toward my little buddy. So much for knowing who is friends with whom.

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I made sure there was plenty of food for everyone and went inside.20151014_Ferals_011

Yesterday I saw the new cat to the north and my buddy to the south but when I came out there was the gold cat waiting for me, who turned out to be far less timid than I originally thought. I put out three piles of food and the gold cat ate all of it. The other two cats never showed up. I put more food out but it didn’t get eaten before I left.

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I guess I will never understand what is going on in the mind of my feral cats but at least I know what is going in their stomachs.

Chris’s Stolen Routine


Chris is now back to bothering Rose while she gets ready every morning. I guess some things never grow old.

Charles Huss's avatarBad Cat Chris

I mentioned this briefly in my post, Jealousy but I wanted to expand on this issue. Chris used to have a routine in the morning of hanging out with Rose in the bathroom while she got ready to start her day. He would lie on the counter in front of her, occasionally grabbing her makeup or whatever else she happened to be using and pulling it up against his chest. Sometimes he would collect three or four things before Rose would be forced to retrieve them. This would go on until she turned on the hair dryer, which was Chris’s cue to make a quick exit.

20121027_Puck_507When we got our kitten Puck, everything changed. Suddenly Puck would be the first one up on the counter and when Chris came up for his routine, he would take one look at Puck and go back downstairs. I felt bad for Chris but…

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Texts From the Cat Sitter


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.

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

 

Jealousy


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


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


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.