I think my last cat update was in October. So I thought I would share what is up with the cats. You may have read about me saying that I was fascinated by Esmeralda’s paws because they were so big. It was guesstimated that the cats were done growing pretty much when we got them so I didn’t understand how such a tiny cat could have such big paws. Well, she doesn’t. She got big. Her and her sister are not big cats but they both grew a lot since we’ve had them. We used to be able to see a cat’s in shadow or silhouette and know who it was, but now we can’t tell because they are the same size. Smokey is heavier . . . she is a solid cat, but they are the same length and height. Esmeralda grew into her paws.
They learned pretty quick that when I come home the first order of business is kisses. They are usually waiting by the door when I open it, but when I get home from teaching Nia, I usually have my arms full of stuff, and I have to run to the turn off the alarm. I drop the stuff as I go, then swoop up the nearest cat and give her a bunch of kisses!
They pretty much rule the house. We are having a few things that have just started happening that we are going to have to work on. Esmeralda has figured out that she can jump from the cat tower onto the wall-mounted speaker and walk across the top of the curtain rod and jump on the entertainment center. Sometimes it takes a bit to figure out these things are happening. I was wondering why our curtains were beginning to come off the rod, then one day I look up and I see Emmy WALKING across the curtain rod. So we are working on altering that behavior.
It is difficult to discipline two cats because you don’t know who did what. With one cat you know if something is amiss it was THE cat, but with two, it is hard to tell. There are habits and behavior patterns so you can guess, but you don’t really know unless you see them do it.
They both love the sun. So they have been enjoying the sun the past few days. They both love to play. And to our delight they actually love to play by themselves. It is super cute. I’ll have to do another post to post the videos. They also love to play together. Sometimes it is a challenge to know if they are playing or fighting, but either way they seem to work it out.
They snuggle together and bathe each other.
Esmeralda isn’t a fan of me being on the computer. I usually have about 20 minutes before she comes in and “murphs” at me.
Esmeralda doesn’t “meow” she makes these little noises that sound like “murph”. Smokey meows and in a big way. She always sounds as if someone is disemboweling her.
Because of Smokey’s meYOOOOWWWLLLING and Esmeralda’s odd and painful kneading, I think they were taken away from their mother too young. Esmeralda doesn’t knead in a milking-mamma-kind-of-way. She stands on us and then marches. Pressing really hard using ALL FOUR paws. She dances around in a circle. It is odd. And Smokey will just knead the air every-once-in-awhile . . . but she YEOOWWLL often.
She will be dead asleep and then wake up meYOOOOWWWLLLING. She will meYOOOOWWWLLLING all the way through the house until she finds us. It is that blood curdling type of meYOOOOWWWLLLING.
Cats are funny. Which is one thing that makes them great. They are a great source of laughter and entertainment.
We love our kitties and consider ourselves very blessed to have gotten such great cats. They are very good and super sweet.
What silly thing does your pet do? (I ask because they ALL do something silly!)
It has been a little over two months since our cats have been out of confinement. You may have read that we adopted cats in July. Within a week of bringing them home I suspected ringworm, so they were locked in a room until the cultures came back. When the culture came back positive nine days later we had 30 days of pills and confinement ahead of us. Near the end of the round of medicine my husband and I were not sure we could make it. Only because by that 38th day the cats seem to be giving up. They were done with being in one room and they were done with having pills jammed down their throats. We all were done. So when they were cleared to come out we were all happy. So it has been three days over two months and they are still getting used to things. They are just beginning to really run the house, as cats do. Smokey, the black one, does not seem to like her picture taken. As soon as I point my phone at her she turns away. She will stay for a couple of shots, but after a minute she will just get up and walk away or move away. Emmy, the tortoiseshell, is a little bit more tolerant, but not much. Smokey is also very difficult to capture because of her coloring. She is pretty dark. I think of her as all black, but in the sun today she seemed to have a lot of red/chocolate in her. The sun was very bright and I could barely see what I was getting as I was just clicking and clicking. I am surprised at these shots. I thought they were nice so I wanted to share.
Of course, I took more than I have posted, but it is kind of a series of photos, so that is why I have posted so many. You can see how they are both looking at the mouse. Then Emmy looks at me. I have several of these. As I mentioned, I couldn’t really see what I was getting, I was just pressing the button. Smokey’s attention never waivers. Then you see she gets low . . .then she gets a little lower, then . . .a little pounce.
When they were brought into the shelter they weighed in at 9.8 pounds and 8.8 pounds. At the last vet check they came in at 7.44 pounds and 5.5 pounds. Using the hold ’em and weight method, Smokey is back up to 9.8. And Emmy is at 7 pounds. They are much happier and eating better. Plus they have a lot more room to run around. And boy, do they run around. They tear through the house at top speeds. I wish we had something to clock them. They get going so fast!
They are very fun. They want to play a lot. So I am constantly being interrupted to play. They are very good mousers. Smokey is very good at knowing where the mouse will be and she can catch it without having to move a lot. She has slowed down a little bit with having gone from 7.4 pounds to 9.8. Esmeralda is a flier. She is always in the air. All four paws either in a long jump or in a really high pounce. It is amazing. They both would be great hunters.
Well, I know this type of post is far and away from health, wellness, and fitness, but our cats do bring a lot of laughter and joy into our lives. I like to share.
After she got it, she had to roll around with it as cats do. Her trophy. Emmy looks unimpressed!
Show me pictures of your pet! Either e-mail them to me so I can post them, or post a link so we can see them. It is fun to share pictures of our furry family members!
Last Friday after teaching my Nia Class I volunteered at The Dancing Cat in San Jose. I hadn’t been back since we got our cats. I tend to want to be home with my own kitties. The plan for The Dancing Cat is to be open only until November 15, 2015. They are open Thursdays through Sundays. Presently they have ten cats that are ready for adoption. The Dancing Cats has had 30 cats adopted from the lounge. Two of them were ours. It is really fun to go sit and be able to play with the cats. I really love the idea of meeting a cat in a relaxed atmosphere before deciding to adopt. I think it is really helpful if you have a cat or cats already and are thinking of getting another one. Being able to see how a cat acts around other cats is a good thing. Of course, all cats act different around different cats, but I think having all the cats together gives you a better idea of how they might get along with cats you already own.
If you want to lounge with some cats in San Jose get it done before November 15th. Keep in mind it is not a high-pressure-adopt-a-cat kind of environment. I’ve had people I tell about the place say they don’t want a cat. Well, that is fine. No one is on commission there. Ha, ha. It is very relaxed. The owner(s) are there to answer your questions, but they don’t hover. They don’t even normally bring up “adoption,” they know you know the cats are available. They let you play with the cats. When I am there I like to talk to the guests about their cats. Because, as I mentioned before when posting about this place, a lot of the people who come to visit have cats of their own. I like to hear about people’s pets. And often I am lucky enough to get to see a picture. The last time I was there I even got to see a video of a guest’s cat.
I am just putting the word out again. They are open and have cats up for adoption. This group of cats is very social, none of them hiding in the back. They were all out in the main area lounging or playing. Be sure to visit www.TheDancingCat.Org for more information and to make reservations. They do allow for walk-ins if they have the space so if you decide you want to go at the last minute don’t think you can’t because you didn’t make reservations give them a call. Go check out the cats. If you don’t want to adopt perhaps you know someone who does. Spread the word. The lounge will only be open for a bit more.
The Tuxedo Cat, is Clyde. He is so sweet and playful. I just loved looking at him. He has a light pink nose. He looks as if his coloring was put on just right. He is so handsome.
I picked up the marmalade, Jasper, because someone was coming in while he was standing by the door. He is just a big ol’ softy. So sweet. His tail has a ring patterns around it. He seems really mellow. Shame on me for not getting a picture of his magnificent tail.
Sarge is so regal. One might be surprised at how sweet and playful he is because he is just a royal presence.
Florance is such a sweetie. She is just lounging on the couch.
I didn’t take pictures of all the cats, so do go to the website to check them out. I hope this type of lounge is something we will see more of. Perhaps we will be lucky – after November – to see a new incarnation of The Dancing Cat.
Oh, man, I was trying not to write about the cats. I am sitting here trying to come up with something to write about, but I am not coming up with anything. Or I have, I’ve thought of a few things, but my notes, information, and research are not here with me, so I don’t want to write a post off of just my memory. I am a bit tired as I am been in training all day. Ya know, just learning stuff all day long. It is really tiring. It doesn’t matter what you are learning, being in a training and getting new information or even being reminded of stuff you already know, but maybe forgot – is tiring. So all I got left at this late hour is the cats. Sometimes when I can’t think of something to write about I look through my photo album on my phone and I find something to write about. I often snap pictures of things to remind me of a post I thought of or I find a pretty picture in there I can comment on. All of my recent photos are of cats. So . . . cats is what you get. An update on the girls.
So, you may have read my past blog posts, you may not have. Here is a summary. We adopted two cats (sisters, what they call a “bonded pair”) on Fourth of July. On the 13th of July we locked them in a room and started treating them with a topical medicine because we suspected ringworm. On the 21st of July it was confirmed and we began giving them pills on that same day. They had to take 30 days worth of pills. On the 20th day (August 10th) of giving the meds (that means they had 10 pills left to take) we took them in to be tested again. The vet said that Smokey (the black one) didn’t have any spots on her that could be tested. And that the tortie, Esmeralda, only had spots on her toes. So he took a sample to culture. That takes 10 days. So while the culture was being done we had the remaining 10 pills to give. Plus we were instructed to put the topical medicine on Esmeralda’s toes.
So our new-to-us cats were brought into our home and enjoyed it for a week before we locked them into a room and put medicine on them for nine days, then gave them pills for 30 days. Then we had to start putting the medicine on one of them again. Well, we were/are really determined to get rid of this fungus so we are doing it. We were putting stuff on Emmy’s toes for 7 days. On the eighth day I couldn’t find which toes I was supposed to be treating so I stopped. On the 30th day of giving pills we talked to the vet and he said that they were since they didn’t have any spots on them that they were no longer contagious and that they could be released. So we released them after being in one room for 38 days. BUT . . . . . . the vet prescribed 14 more days of pills for Emmy. He said her cultures were a little fluoresced, so he wanted to make sure we completely knocked it out. So even though she had ten more days of pills after the sample was taken he felt she needed 14 more days of pills.
Now at the end of the 30 days of pills she was getting more and more withdrawn. And depressed. Both of the cats would hide when evening rolled around because that is when we would pill them. They knew it was coming. And they just seemed to get more sad and more skittish. It was nice to finally be able to let them out, but this additional pilling with Esmeralda is tough.
Today she disappeared. We couldn’t find her. We looked all over. Finally my husband said, “I found her.” I said, “Where?” And where he said she was I would have NEVER thought to look. NEVER. I would have NEVER imagined she could have got under there, but she did. We decided to let her come out on her own, which she did when she heard something in the yard. But she is very pouty.
We are very sad that we are having to continue with her pills. They make her not feel well so we don’t blame her for not wanting to take them. Poor girl. Hopefully she will forgive us down the line. We will see.
It is great that neither my husband nor I got the fungus. We played with the cats and handled them as if they were not infected. But we washed our hands after. Hubby would walk from cat room straight to the sink to wash his hands. I would sometimes use hydrogen peroxide to wipe my hands, legs, and feet. It it really nice to not have to change clothes just to see the cats. It is really nice to have them out in the house with us. We have eleven more days of pilling Emmy. We can do it.
So that is an update on our little situation. I still have to put my office back together, getting all the stuff I took out of it out of the rest of the house. But we are doing ok. Thanks for “listening”.
Well, as you know, we not-too-long-ago adopted two new cats. And with that came ringworm. So we have not been able to start our lives together . . . in a sense . . . because we have been having to keep them locked in one room to reduce the chances of the spread and continuation of this fungus. It is not worms, but a fungus. In addition to the lock-down, we are having to give them both medication in the form of a pill. Anyone that has “pilled” a cat knows that no matter the method it is not pleasant for neither recipient nor giver. It is not something new “parents” want to have to do to their new cats. So, really, all I have thought about is cats, lately. Yes, I realize that I tend toward the obsessive side, but when all my spare time is spent cleaning and a lot of my energy is spent working towards getting my “new” cats healthy, can you blame me? With all the thoughts; “cats”, it made me think of a one thing about cats that I recently learned. Some of you might find it interesting, I know I did. In talking to a friend after Nia class the other day, she asked me if I was going to write a blog post about it and I said no because I feel I have been posting too much about cats. She made me think that it might be ok to do so. So here ya go.
Not all cats like catnip. Well, it is not so much as “like” as it is respond to it. It is a genetic thing. I thought all cats liked catnip. I thought catnip was like cat marijuana and every cat would get “high” off of it, but I recently learned that is not true. Some cats will have a reaction to it and others won’t. Between 70 to 80 percent of cats will react. The reaction cats have is in a general “range”. Most of them will “exhibit several behaviors common to queens in season (females in heat): They may rub their heads and body on the herb or jump, roll around, vocalize and salivate.” (According to ScientificAmerican.com) And even more interesting: “This response lasts for about 10 minutes, after which the cat becomes temporarily immune to catnip’s effects for roughly 30 minutes”. So you can only dose your cats in 30 minute intervals. But some cats also become immune to its effects.
Some cats get more aggressive than just rubbing their heads and rolling around, but it is not dangerous aggressive or violent aggressive. Just maybe a little more aggressive and active than you are used to seeing your cat actually be. But I don’t know exactly first hand because I once read that catnip is a drug for the cat. Some articles say that it is like LSD or marijuana. So my hubby and I decided to keep our cat “drug-free”. And we did. We didn’t give our cat, Spot, catnip. Once I bought a toy that either didn’t disclose on the website that it had catnip or I didn’t read it. So we gave it to her, but then we put it away and it never came out again. But with two cats, who knows what we will do. This is new territory for us. And by now, I had dreamed of being well into our “getting-to-know-you” phase. Anyway . . . we will see. In addition to the “frenzied”, “high”, “tripping” behavior a cat might exhibit there is a calm. It acts like a sedative. I could see that being a good thing. But who knows. When they have reign over the whole house we might never need a sedative. Although from the sound of things it might be entertaining to see them on the stuff . . . .
What about you? Did you think (like I did) that all cats reacted to catnip? Do you allow your cat to indulge?
I admit, I am challenged with living in the NOW. I have posted about it before in my Still Practicing Living in the Moment post. It is a constant practice. The idea of multi-tasking does not help. It takes the focus off of what you are doing because your attention is split, and I talked about that in my post “Multitasking”. There are so many things that remind me to live in the present. There are always memes showing up on my Facebook Newsfeed. There are even Bible verses. Nia used to stand for Now I Am, which I was taught meant to focus on the present, to move and dance in the moment. But still, I often don’t pay attention to the moment. When I am not living in the moment sometimes it causes me to worry or feel anxious. When I have a lot to do, a lot to get done, that is when I am most thinking about doing the next thing. I am especially anxious for the future right now. It is like when you have a vacation planned and you can’t wait for it to get here. I can’t wait for our cats isolation period to be over with.
We brought them home on Saturday, July 4, 2015. For a day or two Smokey was fine but then we noticed her starting to rub her ears a lot. She was rubbing and scratching them bloody. Then I noticed Esmeralda had scabby ears. As I mentioned in my other post it didn’t really hit us that we needed to go to the vet until a Saturday. We couldn’t get in to a vet (I called five) until Monday (July 13th). The culture wasn’t back until Tuesday, the 21st. John was wonderful and picked up the meds that evening on his way home from work. So we could start administering right away.
It was on the 13th that we locked them in one room. Now we have to give them meds until the August 19th. We have an appointment with the vet on August 10th. The vet will take samples at that time. While we are waiting for the culture to come back (10 to 14 days) we will be finishing up the 30 days of medication.
We are excitedly waiting for the 19ths when we will be done with 30 days of medication. But what if the culture doesn’t come back negative? OH MAN! What if we have to go more isolation time and more culture time and expense? AHHHH! What if ONE culture is negative and the other one positive? What if we go bat guano crazy before the 19th?
So I am having a difficult time living in the now. I have a ton of stuff to do and I feel as if I can’t really concentrate or enjoy (whatever should apply) because I am so wanting this whole thing to be over. I want the cats to be able to free, plus I really just want to get back to living our regular lives. This whole process is a pain in the ass.
I know I need to just focus on the moment. It really does make things better. It allows me to get more out of what I am doing. I allows me to enjoy the present. It helps me to not worry and be anxious. But damn it is a challenge!
Can you share a story of a situation when you were looking forward to the end and anxious about it at the same time? Have you ever had this happen where you are not living in the moment?
You may have seen my post about us getting cats. We were thinking about it for a bit. I always thought I wanted a kitten, but then I met these two cats. They are about a year and two months. We were very excited bringing them home. The caretaker thought they might be hiding for weeks, and advised us to keep them in one room. We did the first night, but then the next day we opened the door and they came right out. After that they were in the bow window, that was their spot. One of them is a tiny cat. She is soooooo little. She is so little I was confused as to why her feet were so big. So I started to look at them. One, I want them to get used to me touching their feet so I can clip their claws. And two, I was checking out why her feet were so big when she is so little. Turns out one of her toes is a little deformed making her foot look big and there was dried skin around the toe. Plus she had dried stuff on her ears. Her sister was losing all the hair in front of her ears and itching. The internet, God bless it, led me to believe they had ringworm.
Notice I said ringworm and not ringwormS. Ringworm is not worms at all. It is a fungus akin to athlete’s foot. Often times it presents as raised circles on the skin that look like worms so that is where the name came from. I know animals are not perfect, but when there is something that doesn’t look right to me it indicates something is wrong. I think Esmeralda has had this for a long time and that is why she is so skinny and her toe is deformed. She is so skinny when I scratch her from tail to head my fingers catch on her ribs. She is tiny and skinny.
We had them for a week when I internet-diagnosed them. Of course, this realization came on a Saturday and I will tell you that unless you already have an appointment on Saturday, you are not going to get your cat in for one. I would imagine vets would take an emergency, but contrary to what the internet says ringworm is not that common – so I don’t think the vets we called (all five of them) even believed that the cats had ringworm. Our Dr. said he had only seen it once. But the internet says it is very common. Anyway . . . it took two more days for us to get an appointment. All the while I am reading things on the internet that have me convinced that if it is really ringworm we have to burn the house down.
They have a few ways to diagnose ringworm. One is a Wood’s Lamp, they say the fungus will fluoresce. Our vet used the lamp and it didn’t really fluoresce. They can look at a skin sample under a microscope, but it is really hard to tell if it is or isn’t with this method. Another method is a sample of scabby stuff and they culture it, which takes 7-14 days. Then once they diagnose it, the treatment is for thirty days. Then you have to keep treating until you get a negative culture. They can also biopsy skin.
Meantime you have to keep the animals locked up in order to keep the fungus from spreading everywhere in the house. I think the information on the internet that was sounding so dire was for houses with multiple animals, shelters, or catteries. We were fortunate because we had just got the cats. So they hadn’t really made themselves at home and been ALL over. We had even been shutting some rooms off just so they could get used to the house a little bit at a time. They spent most of their time in a window, as I said.
But still, the spores can be airborne so it is recommended you use a diluted bleach solution to clean everything. Whatever can’t tolerate the bleach solution gets disinfected with white vinegar. Everything that can be laundered gets laundered. Everything that can be moved out into the sun to bake for the day gets put outside. Our backyard constantly looks like a yard sale.
The cats have been confined to a room since July 13th. They have endured twice daily topical medication for 9 days. Then we stopped doing it twice a day when we got the oral medication. The oral med only comes in pill form. Thank God that is only once a day. My hubby has given them both two baths. These poor animals probably think they we are big meanies! Sometimes we feel like it. We have to keep telling each other that is it for the best. We just want to let them out so they can be free and happy. We have few days yet. (Twenty-six days!)
They are very sweet cats. My hubby and I spend as much time as we can in the room with them. It is not a big room and it has a lot of furniture in it, but we manage to get those cat wands flying so the girls can chase the feather back and forth. They are little enough that they can run a bit and jump allowing them some exercise.
So, this is a time-consuming situation . . . but we know that this is just a little speck in time and hope that once we are done with this our babies will forget all about it in the years of fun that we have to come. These cats are so sweet and so special that we are doing what we can to get through this. We feel bad for them, but it will all be ok.
This is me sharing and documenting . . . .you know I like to do that.
I have not decided to turn this blog into a cat blog. But I have been very much preoccupied with the cats. Not that they need a lot of attention. They are very mellow girls. I just LIKE giving them a lot of attention. Plus I spent a lot of time at The Dancing Cat last week so my brain is still on cats. I want to continue to talk about The Dancing Cat because having a place where you can go meet your potential pet is the greatest thing. I went there to meet a particular cat that had been posted on The Dancing Cat’s Facebook page. The second I walked in I wanted to scoop her up and run. She was so tiny and so cute, just a beautiful girl. But after watching her for a while I realized that our home would probably not be the best place for her. She is a very active cat. She is still young and might mellow out a bit, but she is still more active than we were looking for. Her being active is not a bad thing at all. And me recognizing that her level of activity is more than we want is not bad either. It is EXACTLY what a cat cafe is for. Well, one of the things. It is also there to allow people to visit with cats, but its highest purpose it to match people with pets. I didn’t want two cats. And I still don’t. I want the sister we have. They are still adjusting to their new home. It is a learning process for all of us. But so far, my hubby and I are very happy. We are enamoured with the girls. We feel extremely blessed. We are grateful to The Dancing Cat.
Since I have never had two cats, I am learning how to do it. I never know which one to pet first. And I always feel as if I have to give them equal time. Which is probably not true at all because Smokey seems to like her pets in small doses. But, as I said, we are all learning. One thing that comes with two cats is their interaction. I recorded a bit of their little bath session today. I could have stood there all day, but I only got a couple of minutes because I decided I could leave them alone. Smokey first bathed Esmeralda, then they switched.
I know for many this is not a big deal. Happens all the time. I know I will get accustomed to it, too. But for now, this just amazes me. Sister love.
The black cat is Smokey and the tortie is Esmeralda. On the way home with them in the car my husband and I decided to keep their names. She doesn’t really seem like an Esmeralda to me. I looked up the name Esmeralda and it translates to emerald. The tendency with Esmeralda is to call her Ezzy/Essy. Don’t like. She really doesn’t seem like an Ezzy to me. But as the case is with pets there always seems to be a nickname. Going along with the emerald idea, I have been calling her Emmy! When I said that my husband said, “Like the award?” And I said, “No, like short for the precious gem! An Emerald.”Ahh, we will see.
My Facebook friends have been very kind and understanding about all the pictures I have posted. I hope you understand, too.
I hope, for those of you that celebrate, you had a very wonderful and safe Fourth of July. I have been a bit preoccupied with family things. So I forgot about Thursday’s post as well as today’s post. But, it is good stuff, additions not subtractions. Saving lives, not losing lives. Remembering those that we were honored and blessed to have as part of our lives. Sharing the love we are bursting with. Sharing what we work hard for and the blessings we have. Just brace yourself because this might turn into a blog about cats.
There were cats, friends, food, fireworks, and lots of love. I give a shout out to my hubby who helped make it all happen and sacrificed his desires because of my needs. The cats came home to a comfortable and clean space which took me a bit to achieve. But they are home.
You may have heard of cat cafes, that is where someone can go, for a small fee, and visit with cats. According to Wiki, the first Cat Cafe was open in 1998 in Taiwan but they didn’t really become popular until 2004 when one opened in Japan. For those that have room for pets and have pets, a place where you pay to visit with a cat might sound weird. But when you think about it, it is not really any different from a petting zoo. And for some reason people think of petting zoos as completely normal. Again . . . think about it . . .it is much more “normal” to pet a cat than to pet a pig or a goat. So cat cafes make a lot of sense. They can be great for people who enjoy the company of a cat, but don’t have room. Or perhaps their present living situation is temporary and so they are not wanting to get a forever pet. It could be that they love cats, but live with someone who is allergic to them. There are many reasons a place that has cats you can visit is a good idea. There are Cat Cafes in Japan, Canada, Europe, and the United States. So . . . if you are inclined you might be able to find one near you. If you are near me, I can point one out to you. The Dancing Cat is in San Jose and is open for your pleasure.
For those of you that read my blog and/or know me . . . you probably picked up on how the name is very attractive to me. I mean the DANCING Cat.
I don’t know about the OTHER cat cafes, but The Dancing Cat is a temporary home to cats that are up for adoption. Every cat you see can be adopted. It is my thinking that visiting a cat in a nice relaxed atmosphere gives you a better chance to see the cat you are actually getting. I know some kitties might not act different from their true selves in a shelter or store, but I imagine most do. They might be scared or even just a little more cautious or reserved. Whereas in a little shop where they have run of the place you possibly get to see their actual personality.
At this writing the Dancing Cat plans to stay open only until August. I quizzed one of the co-owners on what it would take to keep it open longer and I think they are still working on what exactly they would need. But in the meantime they could use people visiting the cafe and paying the small fee of $10.00 per hour. They could use volunteers to help with the duties that come along with keeping a home for cats. As with most places they also accept flat out donations. So, if you are interested and able to do any of those things, please don’t hesitate. As I said, it it only around for a couple of months. Perhaps with support they will be able to make it a more permanent adventure.
This past Thursday was the year anniversary of our cat’s death. I am sure I am not alone in feeling that it is difficult to get a new pet – a new child. Spot was such a good kitty. Yesterday I went to visit the Dancing Cat and got so much good cat ju-ju. Cats are amazing animals. For over an hour I played with six cats. Not all six for the entire time, but I was able to interact with each one at least once. Cats are so fun to watch. Cats are so amazing with their concentration and their acrobatics. There were more than six at the facility, but four were off sleeping for most of the time. Two of the “sleepers” were actually awake, but in the quiet area of the cafe. When I went to peek in on them they were more than willing to present a belly for rubs.
The facility is so super cute. The two women running the show really did a nice job of making it a comfortable place for the cats and their admirers. They have free coffee and tea available. They even have a few snacks that you can purchase. They have a few items of merchandise you might be interested in. And they have cats. They definitely have cats. As I mentioned, there were 10 cats there, ranging from 10 months to 4 1/2 years (I believe). The cats DO get adopted so that information could change by the time you read this. So far they have adopted out 21 cats. Can you imagine what they could do as word gets out? They could end up pairing off dozens of cats with cat lovers.
Ann, one of the women who opened the shop, excitedly told me that the adoptions that have happened so far were perfect pairings. The cats and the people/families matched up well. This is a very important thing when adopting out or adopting a pet. It needs to work. Personalities need to be mesh-able. So, that is why I think a Cat Cafe is awesome. Cats and people get to meet and get to know each other a bit before committing
I really enjoyed my visit and that is the reason I am posting this. I asked if I could write a post to share what is going on and that is what I am doing. I hope, if cats are something that interest you, that you will go visit and socialize with the wonderful cats and wonderful people who are there!
What do you think of Cat Cafes? Would you visit a cafe if there was one near you?
I think my last cat update was in October. So I thought I would share what is up with the cats. You may have read about me saying that I was fascinated by Esmeralda’s paws because they were so big. It was guesstimated that the cats were done growing pretty much when we got them so I didn’t understand how such a tiny cat could have such big paws. Well, she doesn’t. She got big. Her and her sister are not big cats but they both grew a lot since we’ve had them. We used to be able to see a cat’s in shadow or silhouette and know who it was, but now we can’t tell because they are the same size. Smokey is heavier . . . she is a solid cat, but they are the same length and height. Esmeralda grew into her paws.
They learned pretty quick that when I come home the first order of business is kisses. They are usually waiting by the door when I open it, but when I get home from teaching Nia, I usually have my arms full of stuff, and I have to run to the turn off the alarm. I drop the stuff as I go, then swoop up the nearest cat and give her a bunch of kisses!
It is difficult to discipline two cats because you don’t know who did what. With one cat you know if something is amiss it was THE cat, but with two, it is hard to tell. There are habits and behavior patterns so you can guess, but you don’t really know unless you see them do it.
Esmeralda doesn’t “meow” she makes these little noises that sound like “murph”. Smokey meows and in a big way. She always sounds as if someone is disemboweling her.
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