From The Queen
I am the queen of Sheba.
How I love a lacy bed!
I choose the very best of things
To line my pretty head.
So please do not disturb me.
Just let me sleep instead.
For I will surely tell you
Just when I must be fed.
I have Keeper staring me in the face, demanding that I write something SHE is going to dictate to me. She insists that she is top cat in this house, being the only female. And it's about time I gave credit where credit is due. So, under her supervision, and with her dictation, I am going to give you a few CAT FACTS. I think I can qualify as somewhat of an authority. Cats have been a part of my life for as far back as I can remember.
Keeper wants me to tell you that she is a slick black and white, short-haired beauty.
FACT: Longhaired breeds tend to be vain and are most content when they are the center of attention. That's true! But, they aren't the only ones. Even now, after years of living in our house, and having to share the house with three other cats, one of them being her own son, a look-alike Siamese!--Keeper still would rather be an only cat. She can barely tolerate the other cats, Eezy and Sparky, her own grandson, and even her son, Scooter.
Keeper says that small kittens may be cute. Four years ago Sparky was, but.. FACT: kittens that leave their mothers when they are too young, under twelve weeks of age, will be antisocial and more difficult to litter box train. Keeper remembers that Sparky was only two weeks old when he was found under our house. He trained himself to the litter box. Keeper remembers that she licked him and snuggled with him for a couple of weeks, until she became bored with him.
Another FACT: that Keeper would like to refute! Indoor cats live longer, and are healthier than ones who are allowed to go out. She has heard that the life expectancy of an indoor cat is from 15 to 20 years; whereas that of an outdoor cat is about 8 years. Well! Keeper would have you know that she is MORE than 8 already, and is still in the peak of health. However, I have reminded Keeper that she is not JUST an outdoor cat. She can come in whenever she likes.
Here are a few FACTS on the wisdom of keeping your cat indoors that Keeper would like you to consider; although Keeper and her house-mates don't stay inside:
1. To keep your neighbor happy. Your neighbor may not like cats as much as you do. He may not appreciate a cat digging holes in his garden. Keeper says, "Can you blame him?"
2. To keep your cat from picking up harmful poisons, from weed killers and chemical fertilizers that people spread on their gardens and lawns. Do you want your cat to become ill, or die from these hazards?
3. To keep your cat from straying onto the highway or roadway.
4. To keep your cat from killing birds and local wildlife. Keeper has been guilty that, I am ashamed to say, and so have her other house buddies. But Keeper does think it strange that humans will praise a cat for killing a mouse, but scold or punish the same cat for bringing home a dead bird as a trophy. Keeper thinks that humans are very puzzling creatures.
FACTS about Toys, Scratching Posts, and Litter Boxes:
Keeper knows a lot about these topics. She will let you in on a little secret about cat toys. It is not necessary to buy rubber mice, toy birds, fancy catnip toys. Here are some suggestions from her for cat toys. And she is an expert. She and her housemates not only have a boxful of toys, but there are toys scattered all around the house, as well.
Here are the type of toys that make Keeper and her mates happy. Just roll a piece of tin foil into a ball about the size of a golf ball. Keeper loves that. She loves to hear the tin foil ball scooting across the floor, and loves to chase it.
For catnip toys, which Keeper and her mates all love, just take an old nylon sockette, and stuff it with inexpensive bulk catnip. When it gets old and grubby, replace it with a newly stuffed sockette. But Keeper says that the “old and grubby” ones do not bother her or her other cat-mates one bit! In fact, the older and grubbier the better.
The center of a toilet paper roll makes a wonderful scootable toy for the kitties. Keeper says that she likes to play with one of these at night, when everyone else is in bed, but in the daytime Scooter and the others take turns batting it down the hall.
Wads of paper make good toys, too, Keeper reminded me. She wants me to tell you that her son,loves picking up pieces of notepaper from our desks..
Keeper says to tell you not to bother with elaborate scratching posts. A very simple solution for the scratching habit of cats is to buy a small sisal carpet. I always wondered why cats had this habit, but Keeper informed me that cats love to stretch and exercise their claws. Oh yes, you can build elaborate scratching posts, which kitty can climb, but my experience with those is: don't bother! Very few cats appreciate your love gift.
One last important subject to cover is litter. Where you put the litter box is up to you, as is the kind of litter you use. Many people have litter boxes in several places in the house, depending on how many cats are in residence. However, Keeper tells me that she is very satisfied with our arrangement, and the kind of litter we use. We purchased a plastic baby bath at a garage sale, and have filled it half full with clumping kitty litter. The litter box is situated in the bathroom. All the cats use the same one, and we scoop out the lumps several times a day. We freshen up the litter when necessary, and from the reports of many of our friends who call, there is no cat smell. Keeper approves, and so do Scooter, Eezy and Sparky.
Keeper is tired. She has left my desk. Maybe more later.
Keeper and Helen signing off!
© Helen Dowd
