100 Words, Family, holidays, pets, Uncategorized

Cats

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Well, it is Halloween, and it is time to think about cats. We have two.  They are considered mysterious and spooky, but to me they are fun and silly.  Ours are totally indoor cats. I noticed a tuxedo cat in our yard tonight who ran away when I called it. If it keeps showing up I will see what we need to do about it. Every home needs three cats, don’t you think?

Tell about the cats in your life and your past. What is it about cats that has made people assume cat  are associated  with the magical?

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53 thoughts on “Cats”

  1. when i was little we had a pair of siamese named sam and patch
    the names came automatically and the have ever since . lord knows where the names come from. they always appear with the cats. dupree, winston m&m, today ernest and hemingway are our 15 year old brother and sister combo. they are indoor only cats that still have the energy of younger cats. chasing each other at high speed stair launches between naps
    they notice the first movement of the day and come for some serious petting before the loud insisting meow requesting breakfast now… they’d like it now…

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  4. Morning-

    I kinda miss having cats around.
    We were at some friends house recently and they have 4 or 5 rescue cats. One was on the table and walked over to me and rubbed against my hand for a few minutes. It was kinda nice.
    And earlier this summer, at a park, there was a random cat that was very friendly and rubbed against our legs.

    We had some barn cats over the years that were very nice. I know I’ve mentioned the one that would sleep on the backs of the cows.

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  5. No cats for me growing up. Nonny always said she didn’t like cats, although she seems to like every cat I’ve ever seen her with. I’ve only had two cats in my life, Zorro and Nimue, and you guys have heard way too much about them already!!

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  6. Found this nice Halloween poem on Writer’s Almanac this morning. Nothing about cats though…

    Haunted Houses
    by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

    All houses wherein men have lived and died
    Are haunted houses. Through the open doors
    The harmless phantoms on their errands glide,
    With feet that make no sound upon the floors.

    We meet them at the door-way, on the stair,
    Along the passages they come and go,
    Impalpable impressions on the air,
    A sense of something moving to and fro.

    There are more guests at table than the hosts
    Invited; the illuminated hall
    Is thronged with quiet, inoffensive ghosts,
    As silent as the pictures on the wall.

    The stranger at my fireside cannot see
    The forms I see, nor hear the sounds I hear;
    He but perceives what is; while unto me
    All that has been is visible and clear.

    So from the world of spirits there descends
    A bridge of light, connecting it with this,
    O’er whose unsteady floor, that sways and bends,
    Wander our thoughts above the dark abyss.

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  7. I work until 7 tonight and Husband won’t be home from the rez until 10, so our house will be dark for the main times of trick or treating. I will get some candy for the ones who come after I get home. The cats can watch all the proceedings from the bay window seat.

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    1. Like always I bought way more candy than I will need. I haven’t had more than 24 trick-or-treaters any year in the last 10 since I started counting. But I’m prepared for twice that if necessary!

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  8. My cat stories could fill a book. I’ve had four cats in my life. Two were excellent–Midnight and Corfu (Corfu was the Best Lap Cat in the World–total sweetheart, but obese and obsessed with eating ever since having to share her space with a cousin for one summer–ate all the food as soon as it was set down)

    One was a total fraidy cat wimp and too shy and afraid to show affection–Patty. The last was a badass mo-fo–Calvin (after the comic strip Calvin). He could have been great but was just standoffish enough that he never totally relaxed. Plus, he spent a lot of time beating up on his sister, Patty. But when he wanted to cuddle, or play, or hang out with you, he was a gem. Gorgeous too–a brown tabby with a distinctive “M” on his forehead, right between the eyes.

    Chris in Owatonna

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    1. We once adopted two cats that were the only survivors of a terribly cold November outdoor birth. The mother and all other kittens froze, and yet two kittens somehow survived. One of them, Bix, always seemed to be fixated on warmth. When we were roasting something in the oven, Bix would paw the glass as if seeking a way to go in. When we had a fire in the fireplace, we had to restrain Bix from walking in. Poor Bix never thought he was warm enough.

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      1. i forgot about my cat from the cold
        i was 20 or so getting home from christmas at 2 am on a minus 20 evening/ morning . i pulled in the driveway at my house shut off the car opened the car door and started to get out when in jumped an eight week old kitten and crawled up on my lap and started purring
        i took him in the house and we were friends for years

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    2. Since Zorro passed, Nimue has been on a diet. Not a severe diet because I’m too soft of a touch but a little less food nonetheless. Her response to this is to eat all of the food as soon as you put it down. Kind of like a dog.

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  9. My paternal grandmother adored her farm cats. She always spread butter on the sweet corn cobs after we ate the corn off and gave them to the cats to lick and chew on. They loved it.

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  11. My parents didn’t like cats, so I didn’t grow up with them, but I have had at least one, often two or three at a time ever since. Only once did I ever buy a cat, my first one, a Siamese I named Sofie, all the rest have been rescues from somewhere.

    My first cat in the US was a small cat someone had abandoned along a rural roadside near Cheyenne. I was gathering wildflowers in the ditch, and could hear a persistent but weak meow. It turned out to be a little white and black kitten, and we named her Squeaky on the spot. Her poor little face all cut up from the sharp weeds. We managed to sneak her into our basement apartment, but a few days later had to confess to Ann Garvin, the old landlady. She gave us a choice: get rid of the cat or find another place to live. We found another apartment, and so began a fifty-plus year love affair with cats.

    Linus, a gentle little male who liked to suck on the corner of his blankie; Midnight, a gorgeous pure black cat with green eyes. Mr. Stubbs, a beautiful big orange tabby, so dubbed because someone had lopped off most of his tail. We co-owned Mr. Stubbs with out next door neighbors in Carbondale; his previous student owners left town without him. Miss Kitty, a tiny stand-offish pure grey cat who somehow decided to move in with me. Monschka, a spunky calico who managed to present us with a litter of kittens before we could have her spayed. Freuchen was one of her kittens, a handsome orange tabby and a great mouser. Screamer, the “strictly outdoor” cat that came with the house in Inver Grove Heights. She was a long-haired calico with half of an ear missing, it had frozen and broken off one winter when the former owners refused to let her in. Buddy and Doty, nearly identical grey litter mates that lived to be twenty. Boris Good-Enough (to keep), who was a long-haired orange tabby. Finally, our current muted tortie, Martha. Muted refers to Martha’s coloring, there’s nothing muted about her behavior.

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    1. I’ve talked about the stray dogs I’ve had to pick up as part of my township duties, but there was also the kitten I picked up after someone called to report ‘Meowing’ in a ditch.
      Cute little yellow kitty that purred right away. MIG is the owner of that lucky stray.

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        3. You mean to follow your blog? I don’t know. This one has been around for a lot of years. (when did Dale start this?) And when this first started it was based on a radio show so it was easy advertising.
          I don’t know how you do it with out that.

          I’ve looked at your blog. I struggle with poetry so I have a hard time following what you’re written sometimes. I did like the Freddie Mercury reference and even the one Queen song title (Radio Gaga) that I noticed. 🙂

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        4. O, the last one- Chameleon is for Jane Fonda… hameleon
          Phenomenon words are empty like a chameleon
          Elegance
          Over Darkness
          ‘’I enjoy this ‘’
          Hurt another, my imprisoned video, jealous cuz’
          our life grew stronger
          Chameleon
          A gecko
          Thought-ful demons riddle in my head, strategist, activist, writer, holocaust – sly
          with blackmail & a broken heart.
          Don’t just troll us
          we hide thoughts
          Regret soaks in
          Works hard;lack of affection
          ( Perfection )
          Aggravations too eerie
          Chameleon

          the one you refer too is my Scary Halloween writing

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        6. Thankx peace be with you

          A friend maybe;
          Dangling those keys (for my eyes crash & burn)
          Irish Jews must kinder
          Memories, laws pass ‘97
          Noemi Ban #62928
          Language tough, Sayonara MaMa Je’t”aime
          ( Japanese – noun remark adieu, good- bye Acknowledge, arriverderci)…
          Allies walk before voices yonder

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        7. Of course, but I just added for a creepy story – credited more the Holocaust Noemi Ban.. Thankx peace be with you

          A friend maybe;
          Dangling those keys (for my eyes crash & burn)
          Irish Jews must kinder
          Memories, laws pass ‘97
          Noemi Ban #62928
          Language tough, Sayonara MaMa Je’t”aime
          ( Japanese – noun remark adieu, good- bye Acknowledge, arriverderci)…
          Allies walk before voices yonder

          Like

        8. Oct 10-30th-19 Thankx, peace be with you

          A friend maybe;
          Dangling those keys (for my eyes crash & burn)
          Irish Jews must kinder
          Blood-lines
          Memories, laws pass ‘97
          Noemi Ban #62928
          Language tough, Sayonara MaMa Je’t”aime
          ( Japanese – noun remark adieu, good- bye Acknowledge, arriverderci)…
          Smells like rain
          Scales I break
          Rhythm
          Beat
          Slam
          I’ll bite my lips twice
          controversy
          Allies walk before voices yonder
          She turned & said what spoiled little Bitch for when I hear this : show your poker face
          A coded catastrophic letter
          I don’t owe a dime

          Like

        10. Oct 10-30th-19 Thankx, peace be with you

          A friend maybe;
          Dangling those keys (for my eyes crash & burn)
          Irish Jews must kinder
          Blood-lines
          Memories, laws pass ‘97
          Noemi Ban #62928
          Language tough, Sayonara MaMa Je’t”aime
          ( Japanese – noun remark adieu, good- bye Acknowledge, arriverderci)…
          Smells like rain
          Scales I break
          Rhythm
          Beat
          Slam
          I’ll bite my lips twice
          controversy
          Allies walk before voices yonder
          She turned & said what spoiled little Bitch for when I hear this
          A coded catastrophic letter
          I don’t owe a dime.. Sorry hope this helps

          Like

  14. Growing up, I had dogs. I don’t know how my parents felt about cats—I never asked for one and none was ever offered. A funny thing I just realized is that when I was young, I didn’t know anyone who had a cat. I don’t think there was a single cat on my block.

    The first cat in my life was an entirely black one I had in my first apartment. We gave her the somewhat puerile name of Pitch. Pitch bonded to me and used to ride on my shoulders and in that way she clawed up my leather jacket. In that apartment, we had access to the roof and Pitch used to go up there to hang out, sometimes climbing from there up to the top of a nearby telephone pole, from whence she would act like she couldn’t get back down. One day, Pitch just vanished and we never saw her again.

    After Robin and I were married, we got a boy cat that we named Scrappy. Scrappy had the unsettling habit of attacking us from time to time, unprovoked. As we were discussing what to do with Scrappy, he too disappeared. We vowed to be careful with the names we gave our animals after that (although we did ring home a puppy from the Humane Society that we named Buster. We had to take him back after he viciously bit Robin. We had small children at the time.).

    The next cats were sisters the kids named Daphne and Molly, although Daphne quickly became Daffy. Molly was kinetic and Daffy was very laid back. Daffy had digestive problems until I realized she was sensitive to dairy. Once I fed her dairy-free cat food, she was fine. Daffy’s lethargy did her in in the end—she was flattened by a car. Molly went on to have a long healthy life and was with us long after the girls had gone through college.

    We briefly had a cat named Stella. She had been a runaway. After a week or two, she ran away.

    When Stella ran away, we went to the Humane Society and found another cat, one that they had named Bella. Bella was about a year old and had already had a litter of kittens. She had been left behind in an apartment along with a male cat. She was very slight—she never got to be more than about 6 pounds—and had very pretty fur. The vet called it agouti, which meant that each individual strand of fur had three colors. Despite her diminutive size, Bella had no trouble asserting herself. She lived to be about 18 years old.

    When Bella died, we hadn’t planned to get another cat. Obviously we like cats but having animals makes it more difficult to spontaneously go out of town. However, my daughter had a cat that had been in their family since before her daughters were born. When her third child, a son, proved to be allergic to cats among other things, we took ownership of Maia. Maia spent the previous five years or so just trying to stay out of the way. She wasn’t mistreated but she wasn’t getting the attention she craved. Whenever we visited, I used to make a point of giving her some attention. As a result, Maia has claimed me as her special human. When we are sitting, mine is the lap she chooses. As I move around the house, she relocates to be near me.

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  15. Will read later, but just found this article on “Why Do We Think Cats Are Unfriendly? ”
    https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20191024-why-do-we-think-cats-are-unfriendly?utm_source=pocket-newtab

    Our taming of cats has only partly removed them from the wild…
    They come from a solitary ancestor that isn’t a social species…
    ‘Cats are the only asocial animal that’s been domesticated. Every other animal we’ve domesticated has a social bond with other members of its species.’

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    1. Husband was so excited when Snippy came to our house, meowing at our front door as a stray kitten, that he fell down the basement stairs and sprained his ankle. We got cat food and litter after we left the ER.

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  17. I’ve been staff for:
    – Katten, Claude, and Fletcher while still a child;
    – Squeaky and Midnight in Half Moon Bay, CA – gave to friend in Marin County when I moved;
    – Olga, Ollie, and Bambi in Brooklyn, NY (Wasband kept bringing home strays) – after we split, trucked them out to Wasband’s new home in Palo Alto
    – Pluff and Boots, offspring of Momcat who we found on our back porch in S. Mpls
    – Sox, first time we were in Winona, who was appalled when 9-month-old Joel learned to walk
    – different Momcat (that wasn’t very original) and Slushball, joined later by Charlie the Hunter

    I’d like to be staff for another cat.

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  18. From not being a cat person, I’m a full-time cat Mommy now! 2019 has been about rescuing sick kittens, fostering them and finding them happy homes. I currently have 2 rescues and I love just hanging out with them and watching them play with each other. It’s pure joy

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  19. Every home needs a cat, yes. I have three feral cats living in my house, and another one who shows up from time to time to eat, Chocolate Paws.

    Yes, they’re considered spooky and mysterious, but that’s part of their charm! I used to have a huge black cat with slanted greenish-yellowish eyes. He was more like a panther than cat.

    I love seeing their eyes glowing in the dark, two yellow pinpoints piercing the dark. Some people think it’s scary, but I think it’s magical, like something out of a fairy tale.

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  20. I have 3 plus 1 stray. I’m a cat lady now but if you asked me 2 years ago if I liked cats, I would have said no. Clearly, I did not know anything about cats back then!

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  21. I have 1 ragdoll cat (as well as a cat pillow!) and she is adorable. She doesn’t really look magical (just intensely fluffy) but she definitely acts royal. She takes my spot on the couch whenever I get up!!!! But I love her just the same 🙂 LOVE YOU BELLA

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