Meowllo evewypawdy we hope you had a good week cuz da weekend’s finally here. Now as you know weez joined up wiff da Bloggin’ A to Z Challenge fur Apwil and today’s letter is O. As you can see fwum ow title weez chose to talk ‘bout what be Off Limits. Me knows what yous finkin’. Yous didn’t fink anyfin’ wuz off limits wound here since mommy dusn’t tell us NO, wight?. Well even tho’ weez not hear da word no dat offen, there awe a foo places dat be off limits. Weez not allowed on da kitchen counter. Nope, not at all. Sis Lexi sez there wuz a time when she wusn’t allowed on da table. But dat all changed da furst time mommy had surgewy and kuldn’t bend over to feed her. And weez not allowed on any of da shelves dat mommy has her stuff on. But ifin she happens to clear one to say dust…well we declare open season on dat shelf. MOL Well those be a foo of da off limits wound ow house. But not zactly da off limits ow posty be dealin’ wiff today.
Me will take care of you sissy.
As you all know mommy luvs us mowe than anyfin’, and we luv her wight back. And as you all know we purray ovew evewyfin’ and mommy purrays fur us all da time. And as you also know weez be Service cats and dwive mommy to da pawdee box woom evewy meownin’. While we be in there, sis Lexi usually gets up on da vanity beside da sink and hooman pawdee box. Well just yesfurday meownin’ mommy wuz lookin’ at Lexi layin’ there lookin’ all purretty and watchin’ mommy bwush hers teefies and then she looked ovew and saw me sittin’ on da hooman pawdee box lookin’ purretty and watchin’ her and she told us how much she luvved us. Well of course we boff stawted to purr. We do this evewy meownin’ actually. Mommy sez it gets weally loud in da there cuz it just bounces off da walls and ceilin’.
Me luvs you sissy. I’z lubz youz too Dezi.
After we finished up we headed to da kitchen to get ow bwekky. And not 5 minutes after sis Lexi stawted eatin’ she went and fwu evewyfin’ up. And me ain’t talkin’ ‘bout a little puddle of fwo up eevew. Meez talkin’ ‘bout da oceans of fwo up scattered fwum da livin’ room, down da hall, in da bedroom and endin’ in da pawdee box room on da litter mat. Soon as mommy had legs hers wuz cleanin’ it up and cwyin’. Mommys do cwy ovew sum of da stwangest fings. Anyways when she finally got it all cleaned up she wuz sweatin’ (side effect fwum hers medicine) and still cwyin’. Sis Lexi had jumped up on da vanity and me wuz layin’ in da shower chair in fwunt of da tub. Mommy sat down on da hooman pawdee box and stawted pettin’ us and tellin’ us how much she luvs us and needs us.
And then she stawted purrayin’ fur God to make sissy feel all better. And then she told God, “They’re my babies God. I am so grateful you gave them to me to take care of, but I’m not finished. I need my Lexi and so does Dezi and she needs us. So just back off and heal her cuz she’s OFF LIMITS!!! You can’t have her. You gave them to me and I’m not ready to give them back. So just alter Your course and make them both healthy and whole because Lexi and Dezi are OFF LIMITS YOU HEAR ME!!?” Well tween mommys wisin’ voice and ow wumblin’ purrs it wuz almost like da room wuz movin’. Well we continued ow luv fest fur a while longer and then we went back up to da fwunt so mommy kuld fix her anudder cup of coffee and get sissy sumfin’ else to eat. And ya’ know what? Sissy ate and kep it all down, and then she had a yummy nummy big dinner too. Weez bet lots of yous feel dat way ‘bout yous furry babies too.
Weez also joinin’ Rascal and Rocco’s Pet Pawade Blog Hop and da Create Wiff Joy Furiendship Furiday Blog Hop. And me will be goin’ wiff da Cat Scouts and meez Andy on anudder virtual twip to Pawis this weekend. Do yous hoomans purray ovew you a lot? Ifin yous da hooman do yous purray fur yous furries? And have you evew told God dat Hims kuldn’t take one of them?
Meowllo evewypawdy awe you weady fur da weekend? It’s almost here. Anyways today’s anudder day in da Bloggin’ A to Z challenge. And todays letter is N. Hmmmmm We hear da word No stawts wiff an N, but since mommy rarely ifin ever tells us No, then maybe me better not talk ‘bout dat. So me fawt fur a long time and finally ‘cided to talk ‘bout Needs. You know fings peeps and anipals must have to survive. There be da obvious fings like food and water altho’ mommy sez dat hoomans can go wiffout faw longer than is fawt. But we hope nun of ow furiends evew have to find out how long. And then there’s da comfurts of a home wiff heat and air conditionin’. A bed and somewhere to sit. Altho’ mommy has lived in hers caw afur, she sez she be way to old fur dat kind of life anymowe. And then there be LOVE. We wish nopawdy/kitty evew had to go fwu life wiffout luv.
Lexi and me awe so blest to have such a wunnewful mommy and all of you. But there’s lots of animals in da world hoo have never known luv. And sum dat did and lost it, and found themselves in shelters or on da stweets all by themselves. We told you da udder day ‘bout ow towns city council making sum weally stupid statements ‘bout da law and how they like to solve da purrawlem of those unwanted kitty cats dat roam ow stweets, and how mommy wuz on a mission to set fings stwaight. You know those kitties didn’t choose to be outside scwimpin’ fur food and shelter. All they evew wanted wuz a home and luv. To survive tho they must hunt or search fur homes dat will meet their basic needs fur food and water and shelter. And now a community wants to take those fings fwum them as well.
Mommy finally spoke wiff one of da council members and hims admitted they didn’t know da laws and spoke outta turn and wuld be cowwectin’ dat. And then him went on to say dat anudder of da council members stated he had twapped one of sed cats and wuz fined $20,000.00 cuz it wuz feral. Just when mommy fawt she had heard evewyfin’. OMC Hoo comes up wiff this stuff. Anyways, mommy wesponded wiff, “that’s not a penalty nor is there any such law.” To which she got, “well we’ll have to do some research because we’re a small town and can’t afford a $20,000.00 fine.” Mommy proceeded to splain dat they kuld hoomanely twap those kitties and hoomanely twansport them to da nearest local shelter to be held fur adoption or hoomanely eufanized. And then you wanna hear what ‘scuses they made? They told mommy dat da shelter chawges them $25.00 fur each animal they turn in. Yep, dat’s mowe than a bullet, but guess what? Accordin’ to state law a bullet dusn’t qualify as hoomane euffanasia. Oh and dat killin’ must be dun by a twained and qualified purrfessional tech or Vet so as not to cause undue stwess on sed animal. So we conclude ow town NEEDs to gwo up and join this centuwy.
So da last fing weez gunna leave ya’ wiff today is this. Ifin yous feel da need to add a furry to yous household, purrlease ADOPT. Save a life and in turn save yous own. We all have needs and fur us da most purrtant one is luv.
Meowllo evewypawdy hope yous havin’ a gweat week. Well da Bloggin’ A to Z challenge modewators wuz here yesfurday and weez not been kicked out. Whew (runs paw across forehead) So we covewed 2 letters in one day, K fur Kittens and L fur Law. So today’s letter be M. Well lately there seems to be gweat discussion amung ow bloggin’ counterpawts on Facebook ‘bout whedder or not cats have a hierarchy; or as da doggy peeps call it…an alpha. So we fawt dat we wuld tackle dat subject today. Hmmmm this bloggin’ challenge sure has us duin’ a lot educational stuffs, huh?. Anyways, anypawdy hoo has evew owned a doggy knows da hooman needs to assert themselves as da alpha or there’s gunna be lots of purrawllems at their house. So duz da same hold twue wiff cats?
As you know there’s just Lexi and me. But before me mommy had sis Lexi and her 2 bwofurs. And mommy also fostered and always had a house full of kitties, so she can tell ya’ ‘bout whether or not cats have a hierarchy. But first lets take a look at the history of cats, both large and small. Even as late as the 1970’s scientists thought that the only social cat was the lion pride. Held together by it’s close matriarchal leadership where all the females share the duties of raising the young, hunting and feeding the pride and even fighting off intruders when their male is away. The only standard used to determine the results were those of the dog pack. But as anyone who has ever owned both cats and dogs know they are completely different and one can’t study cat behavior based on that of a dog.
I’z da Top Cat heer. I’z took oweber frum minez brofur Lucky when himz went too hebben.
More recent studies have shown that like lion prides the feral cat colony has a similar matriarchal hierarchy. So now we move into the house and look at the altered cats living under your roof. When all cats in the house have been spayed or neutered less attention is placed on the sex of the cats in determining who will be in charge. The humans in the house can also play a role in determining who gets to be Top Cat; we’ll tell ya’ more about that later. More often than not the top cat in the household is the one that’s been there the longest. In our house mommy makes sure that sissy remains in the top spot as she has been here longest. Cats living together will divide up territory within their house. That’s not to say that one cat won’t go into the territory of another such as pawdee boxes, water bowls, cat trees, beds, etc.. However these things are typically surrendered quickly when the top cat wants to claim them.
Typically the top cat is given a wide berth. Play time is a great time for watching the behavior of your cats and observing who is the head cat in your house. The lower cats look to the top cat for approval. The top cat usually is deferred to in every thing. All subordinates recognize the authority and experience of the top cat. Sometimes these behaviors are subtle. So subtle you might not even see them. When the top cat walks by a subordinate might flatten their ears, divert their gaze downward or drop on their side or belly to show submission. Subtle changes in the household can affect the fragile hierarchy of your little pride of house lions such as an illness in the cats (top cat especially) or a family member, a move, a new cat or kitten, or any number of other changes. You humans can help to keep the hierarchy in tact. How you ask? Well let me tell ya’.
It’s something mommy’s been doin’ for years to keep order in our house and make sure we get along. Mommy says it makes for introducing new furries and changes a whole lot easier. First recognize there is a hierarchy in your feline family and determine who is top cat. It’s not always the meanest or biggest. Mommy says she likes it to be the kitty who has been ‘round the longest cause subordinates will learn appropriate behaviors from them. Always refer to the top cat first in everything. Top cat gets fed first, petted first, greeted first, talked to first, and so on. We think you get the idea. And first does not mean that subordinates have to wait till the top cat is finished, it just means their plate is filled first, or set down first, they get the first treats and so on. Mommy says it’s sometimes hard especially if a subordinate is friendlier or more outgoing than the top cat because we’ll be the ones meeting you at the door. But mommy says ignore that and go straight to the top cat to greet and then everybody else. If you have a large feline family it helps to identify the rank of all cats and do the above in that order. It’ll for sure help keep the peace in your house. So we may not be called Alphas but we do have a hierarchy. It’s a fragile one but it exists.
Meowllo evewypawdy, hope all is well wiff ya’. And yes, me will splain da title of meez posty, don’t worry. Altho’ weez hope weez not get kicked outta da Bloggin’ A to Z challenge we can’t pawlogize fur missin’ yesfurday. And once you hear why, weez guessin’ quite a foo of ya’ wulda dun da same fing. Anyways, furst let me say dat da letter fur today be K. Well now ain’t dat special. Sis Lexi and me be grown kittens. And wuldn’t ya’ know it, kittens stawts wiff a K. Yep dat’s wight meez gunna do a little talkin’ today ‘bout kittens. Me wuz born in November but sis Lexi wuz born in Apwil almost 16 years ago. Yep she’ll be havin’ a Meowday (birffday) this mumff on da 29ff. Udder than makin’ an announcement ‘bout hers Meowday what duz dat have to do wiff anyfin’ yous ask? Well a lot ifin yous work in a shelter or kitty wescue. See kittens can be born any time of year these days cuz mowe and mowe of us live inside where wedder is conducive to year wound bweedin’. But ow outside counterpawts swing into high gear duwin’ this time of year and da wesult is sumfin’ wescuers call Kitten season.
Yep a season full of kittens. Shelters and wescues awe gunna be ovewflowin’ fur da next little bit cuz so many cats wemain unaltered (spayed/neutered). A kitten can stawt wepurrducin’ as early as 4 months. And yes me sed kitten, cuz at dat age they still be kittens. And they have no business havin’ babies. A litter can consist of any where tween 3 – 12 kittens. Sissy wuz 1 of 3 and me wuz da last of 11. And even tho’ weez boff pure breeds still we ended up needin’ wescuein’. See it dusn’t matter how purretty we awe, or what twaits and attwibutes we might have, ny of us can end up in a shelter or wescue. And at this time of year, these organizations whose wesources awe alweady stwetched to da limits, must deal wiff a pawpulation explosion evewy year.
Shelters and wescues can use donations of gween papers and supplies year wound, but specially this time of year. They need food and litter, blankets, toys, medicine, cleanin’ supplies, and volunteers just to name a foo. So we encourage you to check wiff yous local shelters or wescues to see how you can help. Maybe yous finkin’ ‘bout fostewin’. Mommy sez it’s vewy wewardin’ to know dat you saved a life and helped it to get a furever home of it’s own. Or maybe yous can help clean cages or purrticipate in spay/neuter clinics. Or maybe yous a fantabulous fotogwafur and can take fotos of da kitties up fur adoption to put up on websites. There’s sumfin’ dat evewypawdy can do. And ifin yous adoptin’ a kitty to shawe yous luv wiff, member to spay and neuter. It not only cuts down on da overpawpulation fing but also helps to keep yous furry furiend healffy.
Now fur da weason we wuz absent yesfurday. As weez told you afur we live in a vewy small town and doon’t have a shelter here. What we have is mowe of an old fashioned dog pound. Da peeps here be so backwards they still fink a bullet is da appwopwiate way to euthanize an animal. Many peeps and gwoups have twied to make changes to these purractices to no avail. Anyways, we do have new weaders, so me had to give yous a little back stowry afur we continued. Ow town has city council meetings evewy couple of weeks to discuss da goin’s on in ow town. Da last meetin’ wuz last week. Well ow neighbor mr. W bwought da newspaper down fur mommy to wead on Caturday cuz hims wanted to see ifin hims kuld get her all wiled up. Fur sum weason peeps like to get meez mommy all outta sorts. Anyways, seems dat duwin’ this meetin’ a discussion awose ‘bout kitty cats and how peeps not be keepin’ ‘em confined to their house. Well da city council sed dat ow towns “shelter” isn’t equipped to house cats, never has been and never will be. And dat accordin’ to State law all cats awe classified as FERAL and must be dealt wiff diffewently than dogs.
What’s dat? Oklahoma state law classifies cats as FERAL? Hmmmmmm Why is it then dat we have to have vaccinations? Or be licensed? And just how come there be shelters fwuout da state that house, and wehome cats evewy day? And why is it a cwime in this state to abuse a kitty cat? Well mommy wuz livid!! Her wuz angwy at da ignowance of city council members and da newspaper. Awen’t newpapers posed to investigate and weport facts? Cuz they didn’t even put quotation mawks wound dat statement. Well altho’ weez lived here in Oklahoma fur quite a foo years now mommy sed she knew she didn’t know all da laws and maybe she missed sumfin’. So she ‘cided to find out da twuff. Awe we of da feline purrsuasion classified as FERAL in this here state?
Mommy spent da entire weekend lookin’ up laws. And da only feral animal evew discussed wuz hogs. Yep we have feral hogs in Oklahoma. But nuffin’ ‘bout cats bein’ feral. So when Monday wolled wound, mommy got on da fone and hers search continued. Mommy is now discussin’ this ignowant statement/belief wiff members of da Oklahoma State Senate; cuz nopawdy else in da state has evew heard such nonsense. And da Senate wuz quite innewested in just why ow town still be usin’ bullets to solve their “stway” purrawllem. We don’t zactly have an answer fur ya’ today, cuz they’ll be getting’ back to us once they wesearch and look into this matter, but weez can purretty safely say dat da species Felidae is NOT classified as FERAL by da state of Oklahoma. Weez’ll keep ya’ updated and mommy’s gunna be writin’ a letter to da editor and contactin’ da city council ‘bout this. Mommy fawt settin’ da wecord stwaight wuz mowe purrtant than visitin’ or a posty. But weez back now and as soon as we get da word weez’ll tell ya’ zactly what da Senate sez.
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