For 14 years, my sweet Sassy kept me company. After losing our home and pets to a fire, we responded to an ad and adopted Sassy. This Siamese cat had lived terrorized for some time in a house with big dogs and seemed to literally jump into my arms. It was love at first sight. However, she was scared to trust and spent 3 weeks in our house either on the top shelf of my closet or under my bed.
I became ill suddenly and had to have an emergency surgery. When I came home, and took over the easy chair, she jumped in my lap and we were instant pals. At that moment, she nursed me back to health, purred me to sleep and we had long conversations about life. For the next 14 years, Sassy and I read each other’s mind, as the radar I have always had regarding my pet cats was especially in tune with her. She was funny and loved people, assuming everyone felt the same about her. Oops. She jumped in the lap of all visitors and would touch their nose with hers, whether they liked it or not. We giggled together, me a grown woman, and her a grown cat. People often said she was “addicted” to me. It was mutual.
She died of thyroid cancer this last December, and it pains me still. I will talk of her here, but not now.
I see her face, and clear blue eyes as she looked at me everyday with a look of pure love filling her face. She would blink and paw me, even placing her paw in my hand when she would lie down beside me. If I read a book, she would often look at the pages as if to say “I just don’t understand the fascination mom, but if you like it, I like it. Are you sure you don’t want to talk to me instead?”
She was the sweetest cat, and I miss her.
I will definitely ”meow about my cat” so come back soon!
A cat lover, ailourophile, has good company throughout time. Here’s a list of people who loved cats from “yesterday, and today.” Know any?
- Aesop (fabulist)
- St. Agatha (“Santo Gato” or Saint Cat)
- Loni Anderson (Actress)
- Cleveland Amory (author and animal rights activist)
- Charles Baudelaire (French poet)
- Orson Bean (humorist, actor)
- Jeremy Bentham (British pilosopher)
- Ambrose Bierce (writer)
- Otto von Bismarck (German statesman)
- Amanda Black (actress)
- Ray Bradbury (science fiction author)
- Anne Bronte (British writer)
- Charlotte Bronte British writer)
- Emily Bronte (British writer)
- Samuel Butler (British writer)
- Lord Byron (British poet)
- Karle Capek (Czechoslovakiann playwright)
- Roger Caras (author, brodcaster)
- Claudia Cardinale (Italian film actress)
- Thomas Carlyle (Scottish writer, historian)
- Lewis Carroll (British writer)
- Raymond Chandler (detective novelist)
- Vicomte de Chateaubriand (Grench writer, politican)
- Lord Chesterfield (British statesman)
- Sir Winston Churchill (British prime minister)
- Georges Clemenceau (French prime minister)
- Jean Cocteau (French writer)
- Colette (French writer)
- Confucius (Chinese religious leader)
- Robin Cook (writer)
- Calvin Coolidge (U.S. President)
- Gustave Courbet (French artist)
- William Cowper (British writer, hymnologist)
- Countee Cullen (poet)
- Sandy Dennis (actess)
- Bo Derek (actress)
- Benjamin Disraeli (British politician)
- Alexander Dumas (British politican)
- Albrt Einstein (physicist)
- T.S. Elliot (writer)
- Erte (designer)
- Sophia Loren (Italian actress)
- Ernest Hemingway (writer)
- Me
- You
Obviously, this list was compiled by someone other than me. Must have known a lot of foreign famous people. Just shows you cats are loved worldwide.
-the cat’s meow…”Meow About Your Cat!”
I know my cat makes me feel good, but medical reasearch supports it, so now it’s official. Cats and other pets have warm and positive effects on the elderly, the handicapped, and instutionalized people.
Way back in 1977, Drs Aaron Katcher (“Kat…?”) and Brica Friedmann of the University of Pennsylvania studied the recoveries of heart-attack victims and found that those with pets were more apt to recover and stablize their health in the form of lower heart rate, lower blood pressure, and “better attitude” such as an all over sense of well-being. Medical tests prove that simply petting a cat tends to lower one’s blood pressure. Heart patients without pets showed a tendency for having additional heart attacks, some resulting in death.
Got your cat, yet?
Another study maintained that pets act as a catalyst for feelings which are eventually transferred to other people. Those who study pets and people say that animals can bridge the gap between those people who tended to reject others, aiding them in the gradual acceptance of personal relationships. So, evidently, if you know someone who is a bit unsociable, if they gradually can accept an animal, they’ll be kinder and gentler with people! Be careful, though, as too much pet company could cause one who is not used to it, to mistreat the animal!
It’s safe to assume, that care-giving, begets care-giving.
-Marisue, the Cat’s Meow!…so…Meow About Your Cat!
But, Who’s Counting? Cat’s do seem to have a knack for surviving.
In December of 1964, a Dutch ship named Tjoba sank. The crew was saved, but the ship’s cat, Jacob at first was believed to have not survived.
A week later, the ship was raised with a giant crane and winch, and the crew went aboard to claim their belongings. the captian opened his cabin door, only to find a bedraggled and shivering Jacob, who apparetnly survived in a pocket of trapped air. That makes me want to cry for the poor thing!
Once, another remarkable cat locked in a Cadillac that was being shipped by freight from the US to Autralia survived 52 days with eating food, by licking engine grease and eating the car instruction manual. Yuck!
Along came Chips. This Liverpool feline was accidentally put in a crate and shipped to Mombassa, Africa. It survived the four-week voyage apparently because it licked the condensation and the grease off the machinery packed in the crate.
Then, there was Kelly, who was locked in a cold Brownwood, Texas storeroom for 46 days in 1990 and managed to live to meow about it!
Anotstray cat named Scarlett made New York newsin March of 1996. Scarlett risked its own life 5 times by repeatedly walking into a burning abandoned garage to save its five kittens. Almost singed to death, the cat was given the Scarlett bvy the press because it was so badly burned that its oozing skin was explosed. Although Scarlett’s eyes looked severely damaged, a Long Island veterinarian felt that the cat’s corneas were in sufficient shape to recover sight.
Now that’s love.
-Sassy’s Mom, the cat’s Meow!
Cats have an extraordinary ability to sense imminent earthquakes.
Usually ten to fifteen minutes before they actually occur, cats have an extraordinary ability to sense imminent earthquakes. Do cats give any signs of what they sense is about to occur?
They exhibit nervous behavior such as pawing or scratching at doors and windows, and will demonstrate above-average concern with the safety of their kittens. However, since cats do a lot of this anyway, unless you are paying close attention, as their owner you might miss the signals cats are trying to give you, a mere human.
How Do Cats Sense Earthquakes?
One theory is that cats’ footpads are extremely sensitive to vibrations and sound waves.
Other theories suggest that cats are sensitive to shiftsin static electricity or the earth’s magnetic field, both of which changes durring earthquakes.
That’s about the size of it! Cat breeds vary less in shape and size than dog breed do because cats have a less varied genetic makeup. The cat has only been selectively bred for less than a hundred years.
Dogs have been selectively bred for specific chracteristics such as hunting ability, for centuries. Dogs were domesticated 50,000 years ago versus 4,000 + years ago for cats.
Size Cats Up
The average female domestic cat weighs six to ten pounds and the average male domestic cat weighs ten to fifteen pounds. The weights of dogs vary significantly more. A Saint Bernard, for example, weighs about 300 times what a little Yorkshire terrier weighs.
Heaviest Cat
The heaviest cat on record was Himmy, a neutered male Tabby from Australia. It weighed fort-six pounds, fifteen and one quarter ounces when it died in 1985 at the age of 10 years and 4 months.
The Size of a Few Breeds of Cats
At age 23 months, a male Siamese cat named Ebony, weighed only 1lb and 12 oz, as of Februrary, 1984.
The Main Coon and Ragdoll tend to be the heaviest domestic breeds of cat, averaging between 15 and 20 pounds.
The Singapura is the smallest breed of domestic cat. the average Singapura male weighs 6 pounds and the average female weighs 3 pounds.
No matter the size or breed, they are something to meow about!
-Sassy’s Mom, the cat’s meow!
Ever tried to get your kitty down from the tree? It’s easier for them to go up than down.
Cats are wonderful tree climbers, but are extremely poor at coming down from trees, because unlike squirrels, all of their claws face forward, which makes descending almost impossible. Don’t blame the kitty!
Many suburban firefighters, who are often called to rescue cats from trees, are aware of this fact.
The declawing of a cat is called an “onynectomy.” Declawing is a controversy among cat owners. When a cat rubs against a person with its mouth, it is marking or leaving its scent. Single cats rub against their owners more than cats in homes with more than one cat. Outdoor cats mark their owners more than indoor cats.
When a cat scratches at a tree, or your furniture, it is not only giving its claws some exercise, it is leaving its scent via the sweat on its footpads.
Originally desert animals, cats feel comfortable touching objects that are 112F, which a human being is averse to, and can handle items as hot as 124F without aversion.
Not MY Cat. I keep her very comfortable, and she loves it.
-Sassy’s Mom, the cat’s meow
Did you know Cat’s have “belly buttons?”
Understanding a few facts about your cat’s physical “make up” will help you provide special care to keep your beloved pet in good shape.
Here are a few general bits of information to aide you in being an informed cat owner:
- Bad breath in a cat may be due to dental problems but it also may be an indicator of kidney problems, when the body is not exreting properly.
- The average cat has a heart rate of 110 to 130 beats per minute, compared to 75 beats per minute for a human. A cat’s heart can beat as rapidly as 240 beats per minute when excited.
- Did you know that about 10% of the catsin New England, New brunswick, Canada, and Nova Scotia have an extra toe. Hm, I wonder if that goes for humans, too?
- The average lifespan of a cat is fifteen years, but the oldest cat on record was “Puss,” a tabby from Devon, England. It reached its 36th birthday on Movember 28, 1939, but died the next day. Coincidentally, another Devon tabby lived to the age of 34, when it was put to sleep on Movember 28, 1939. I had a cat, Prissy, who lived to be 27. I miss her so, and my current cat Sassy, reminds me of her a great deal.
- Cats do have “belly buttons,” although they don’t resemble human navels. They appear as an elongated scar, covered by hair.
- As all cat lovers know, the cat is a very intelligent animal. Using one physiological standard of brain weight to spinal cord length, the cat brain has a ratio of four to one, versus 50 to 1 for humans and 18 to 1 for monkeys. Cats have a memory ability superior to monkeys and orangutans.
- While dogs rely heavily on their sense of smell and touch for daily existence, cats rely mostly on sights and sounds.
- Cat naps add up to the “big sleep.” Cats sleep about sixteen hours a day, off and on, twice a human’s requirement and more than any other mammal. I wonder what they think about while sleeping? I guess they don’t worry about paying the bills, but they might be thinking of their next nibble or snack! I have found my cat curled up in the most unexpected places, one of which was a round fruit bowl on a pedestal, centered on the kitchen table.
- Cats lack water-producing (eccrine) sweat lands except on their footpads. Their apocrine sweat glands produce a milky substand that is usedin marking territory and leaving scents. I would almost rather not know that.
- Are you right or left-handed? Well, cats also have a preference. Not only can cats be left-handed, (left-pawed) but they are more apt to be left-handed than humans. A study by Dr. J. Cole at Oxford University, England, showed that 38% of the cats studied were excludively left-handed and an additional 20% had left-handed tendencies, leaving 42 % of them right-handed. By contrast, about 10% of humans are left-handed.
- Cats lack a collarbone,l or clavicle. This enables them to walk through narrow spaces and to take long strides.
- Cats can lose a lot of body weight, 40%, and survive, but they can’t lose more than 14% of water and live. I am realizing the weight loss fact, as my cat recently lost most of her weight due to a thyroid problem. She is just now gaining it back, at the age of 17 and I hope will live several more years. She is bright and alert and very sweet natured.
You have a very unique pet, play with them tonight, and let them know you care. Cats can sense that with their special ESP…sometimes rejecting people for no apparent reason. I trust my cat, when it comes to people, but she seems to love most.
-Sassy’s Mom, the cat’s meow
Cats seldom have our “bad hair” days. Cat hairs bothering you? Combing them gently every few days will help your cat not be bothered with furr balls, and you not to endure so much shedding! Be gentle, so as not to scrap your pet’s skin.
Your Feline’s Fur Coat
Cats have three kinds of hair
- Down hair, which is the undercoat and long hairs
- Guard hair, which the topcoat
- Awn hair, which is the denser but shorter hair
Pointed breeds such as Siamese, Birman, Balinese and Himalayan have darker hair on their points such the nose, ears, paws and tail, thus the name “Pointed” breeds.
When a cat arches its back, bares its teeth, and raises its hair, called piloerection, it is using a defensive thechnique to scare away an opponent. This tactic works well in most cases, causing some dogs to shrink at the mere site of even a small cat.
A cat’s whiskers, vibrissae, are usually as wide as its body and are instrumental in helping them navigate. The average cat has 24 whiskers, 12 on each side.
And that, is probably more than you ever wanted to know, about a cat’s hair.
-Sassy’s Mom, the cat’s meow
Tags: birman, Cat Hair, cat's whiskers, down hair, himalayan, malinese, piloerection, pointed breeds of cats, siamese, undercoat, vigrissae
Cat Hair | MsMeow | 
2:39 pm | 
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What a cat eats is mixed in with their behavior and cravings. Here are some cat facts about food, milk, and some dangerous “nos.”
Cat’s Protein Needs
- A cat needs about twice the percentage of protein, 25 percent, in its diet than a dog, which eats about 13 percent protein.
- Cats require intake of more protein than most animals. Enzymes in their livers absorb much of the protein before it is used by their bodies.
Stalking Prey
- Cats are much better at stalking mice than they are at stalking birds. About 90% of birds escape the lunge of a cat, versus only 20% of “mice escapes.” Before a cat eats a bird, it removes it’s feathers. Feathers look great, but don’t taste great, and are practically unswallowable.
Road Kill
- Even though a cat looks dainty and clean, they can eat some pretty gross things. After a cat kills a small rodent or mammal, it swallows the prey with the grain of the hair, head first. Guess you have to be a cat to understand the attraction and swallowing process.
- Cats by nature, kill deer mice but rarely eat them. Apparently they are not palatable food.
Baby, Baby
- Americans spend almost 4 billion a year on cat food, more than they spend on baby food. Who knew?
The Cat’s Raspy Tongue
- The cat tongue is mostly raspy to enable the cat to remove as much meat as possible from the bones of its prey and to help in grooming.
- The abrasive part, filiform papillae, of the tongue contains no taste buds. The taste buds are at the tip, sides, and base of the tongue.
Mighty Tasty!
- Cat’s tongues react to sourness and bitterness but are not sensitive to sweetness. This may ge a protecive device because ingesting sugar usually causes digestive problems.
Picky Eaters
- Cats prefer to eat their food at 86 degrees F, which is why they don’t immediately gulp down the half-eaten can of food from the refrigerator.
Cat’s and Milk
- Cats cannot digest lactose and are therefore allergic to milk, which will give them diarrhea. However, they can eat yogurt without any problems. Put that saucer of milk away!
- The milk of a mother cat contains three times the protein of cow’s milk and six times the protein of human milk.
Beware, Cats Like to Eat This!
- Cats love to eat liver, which is high in vitamin A, but too much of it is dangerous to the cat’s life and may cause hemorrhaging and bone problems. Variety is the spice of life!
Aspirin – Not for your Cat!
- Aspirin, an all-purpose medicine for humans, is poisonous to cats.
Watch out for AntiFreeze!
- Cats have an unusual preference for antifreeze, ethylene glycol, which, of course, is poisonous. Keep them away from antifreeze!
Cat Laps
- When a cat laps up water, it takes several “practice laps” before it actually swallows the liquid. I guess the tongue has to get in rhythm first.
Other Forbidden Food for Cats
- No Chocolate! As with Dodgs, do not let your cat eat chocolate bars. They contain both theobromine, an alkaloid that is toxic to cats, and oxalic acid, which prevents absorption of calcium, necessary for the cat’s bone growth and maintenance.
Beware of Frogs!
- Toads are not the favorite prey of cats, although cats usually try to play with them because of their “hopping and moving” habits. Cats may even try to take a bite, but don’t let them, as toads exude a poison called bufotalin, also not good for dogs.
Dining Out? Location, Location, Location!
- Just as you wouldn’t like to eat in the bathroom of your home, don’t put a litterbox near where you feed your dat. By nature, cats do not like to perform these two biological functions in the same area, and will be reluctant to eat if the litterbox is too close to their food. Well, would you?
Poisonous Flowers and Plants for Cats
- andromeda
- azalea
- bittersweet
- boxwood
- crown of thorn
- Daphne
- dumb cane (diefenbachia)
- elephant ear (caladium)
- foxglove
- holly
- English ivy
- hydrangea
- Jerusalem cherry
- lantana
- laurel
- lily-of-the-vally
- mistletoe
- monkshood
- oleander
- philodrendron
- pine needles
- poinsettia
- prifet
- rhododendron
- sheep laurel
- snow-on-the-mountain
How Many Cats Is Too Many?
I think two is plenty, but not so for Felinophiles Jack and Donna Wright of Kingston, Ontario. They spend about $250 a day on dat food and kitty litter, and about $300 a day on veterinarian fees. The reason is that they own 600 cats!! The Wrights say “We love each and every one of our 600 cats…our cats are like our children!”
And I thought 250+ foster children was a lot of meowing!
-Sassy’s Mom, the cat’s meow
Tags: Cat Food, cat lovers, cat milk, cat raspy tongue, cat's protein needs, cats, cats and milk, kitty litter, meowing, poisonous plants and flowers for cats
Cat Food | MsMeow | October 16, 2008 8:39 pm | Comments (0)
