Cats Herd You

Checking in With the Cousins

We haven’t heard from Cousins Earl and Shep in a while, so we thought we would check in on how they’re doing.

Cousin Shep: Hi, everyone! Good to see you! Sorry I’m a little distracted today. It’s laundry day, and that means everyone’s favorite activity: making the bed.

Cousin Earl: Holy cats! This isn’t a fitted sheet, it’s shark-infested territory, and they look hungry! I’m trapped by sharks. HELP!

Cousin Shep: Did I hear you crying for help?

Cousin Earl: Umm… no. That must have been the photographer in a panic. You can see that everything is under control.

Cousin Shep: Good, because you were interrupting my power nap hour.

The Arrival of Not-Summer

Ashton: One of the things that humans who live in Florida often say is, “I miss the seasons!”

That’s silly. We have seasons. Summer, and not summer. The best part of not summer is that’s when the air conditioner turns off and the windows open, including the door to our little screened porch. It’s our own little taste of The Wild.

The Wild has a great smell, and it lets me feel the wind in my whiskers.

I can watch the birds flying past, and… hey, what’s that?

I can’t quite reach it.

Pierre: What’s going on out there, Ashton?

Ashton: Nothing. I was just enjoying The Wild.

Ashton: And check this thing out. I can’t quite reach it, but what do you think it is?

Pierre: I think if you pull that, you’ll end up outside. You know, the place where there’s no canned food at dinnertime.

Ashton: No canned food?! Maybe I’ll just leave it alone after all.

Light as a Feather

Newton: What is this? It smells pawesome!

Newton: And WHOA, it blows away in the ceiling fan if you let go to fast. I’ve got to hang onto it more carefully.

Newton: You can’t escape me, feather!

Newton: *SIWSH*

Pierre: Oh, hey, Newt. What’s that? It looks kind of fun!

Newton: Oh, no, you don’t. This is my feather. Go find your own bird and knock it down to get your own.

Pierre: You knocked down a bird?

Newton: There’s a feather here, isn’t there?

Newton: Mine, all mine! Safe from my thieving brother, too. I’ll be able to play with it for hours while he’s off looking for a bird to knock down.

Safety note: feathers are strictly supervised toys in our house.

Houseguests and Not-So-Scaredy Cats

Last week, we talked about what you can do to make the houseguest visit a little easier for your timid cat. What about the cat who is the opposite? We have one of those. Newton is endlessly fascinated with visitors and wishes we had more of them more often. Especially if they have easily-opened luggage.

With a timid cat, you make sure the cat has a comfort zone while guests are in the house. With a brave cat, your role is more to make sure that your visitors don’t do anything that will accidentally cause a problem with your cat. For instance, does your cat get treats? If not, be sure the houseguests know. Your brave cat may be putting on a fetching enough face that houseguests will fall for it, and kitty can end up eating things that aren’t on his diet.

It’s probably best if houseguests zip or latch their luggage shut when it’s unattended. Some kitties like to steal objects from the luggage of unsuspecting visitors. Or even unzipped purses. Newton has been caught with his head and shoulders stuffed in a visitor’s purse as he explored its contents.

depositphotos/Okssi68

If your houseguests aren’t cat people, be aware of what they might leave out in the bathroom to be sure that none of it is hazardous to your kitty. Human medications are number one on the ASPCA’s list of common hazards to cats, and they are most likely to be left out or dropped in the bathroom. Hair rubber bands are also nearly irresistible to kitties, but can be life-threatening if eaten.

If you keep the lid of the toilet closed to prevent your cat from drinking treated toilet water, be sure your guest knows… or just keep the door shut to the bathroom altogether.

Speaking of closing doors, the one thing that may be a problem with visitor-loving cats that isn’t with timid cats is that they might follow a houseguest right out the door. Houseguests who aren’t used to watching for cats at exterior doors may leave doors ajar without realizing it is a hazard. For safety, consider closing your brave cat in a room at times when houseguests are most likely to leave the door ajar, such as when luggage is being brought in and out the door.

It’s fun to have a cat who enjoys visitors. A few precautions are all it takes to make the visit a rewarding one for your cat and eliminate worry for you.

Checking in With the Cousins

The Arrival of Not-Summer

Light as a Feather

Houseguests and Not-So-Scaredy Cats

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