Cat Forums

I had no idea how many people loved cats!!! There are all kinds of cat forums out there where you can post stories, pictures, videos etc.

It's remarkably pleasing to see that so many people have a genuine interest for their pets and somebody else's.

And of course it's not just about which cat is the cutest or look at my little Tabby! There is health, nutrition, training, behavioral and certainly playfull information.

Just look at the first few that come up when you do a cat forum search on Google:

http://www.catforum.com/ 

http://www.i-love-cats.com/forums/

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/

http://www.cat-world.com.au/forums/

http://www.petforums.co.uk/cat-forums/

Look at that!!! And that's only the first 5!!  As you can see there's an Australian site there and one in the UK also.

Well, I find it a little incredible that so many people want to talk about their cats. I love it though, makes me feel right at home!! I'm going to have to start joining all these forums! Why don't you take a shot and tell me about your experience?

See you in cyber-cat world everyone! Meow!!!

Cat Facts

In the world of cats there's a whole lot of people out there. There's cat lovers, cat haters, cat obsessed, cat biased, cat friendly and many more.

I have noticed that unless you are a true cat lover, you really don't know that much about them. There's myths, superstitions, ploys. I have heard people say that they don't like cats because they're unclean. WHAT???? Unclean??? Cats?? Ridiculous!!!!

I have also heard that cats aren't friendly or as giving as dogs. Absurd! My cats won't let me even pee in peace! One other thing I've heard people say, which is right up there with the unclean comment, is that cats are too high maintenance. Come on!!!!!!!!!! That is absolutely not true. I have 7 cats and a full time job, that would be impossible if they were even a little high maintenance.

In my quest to enlighten the world on anything regarding cats, I feel it is my duty to present some interesting cat facts or facts about cats that I have found:

* Ailurophilia is the "love of cats."

* A cat's heart beats twice as fast as a human heart, at 110 to 140 beats per minute.

* The nose pad of a cat is ridged in a pattern that is unique, just like the fingerprint of a human.

* The largest cat breed is the Ragdoll.   Males weigh twelve to twenty pounds, with females weighing ten to fifteen pounds. 

* If your cat is near you, and her tail is quivering, this is the greatest expression of love your cat can give you.   If her tail starts thrashing, her mood has changed --- Time to distance yourself from her.

* Don't pick a kitten or a cat up by the scruff of its neck;  only mother cats can do this safely, and only with their kittens.

* Cats knead with their paws when they're happy.

* Your cat loves you and can "read" your moods.  If you're sad or under stress, you may also notice a difference in your cat's behavior.

* The domestic cat is the only cat species able to hold its tail vertically while walking.  All wild cats hold their tails horizontally or tucked between their legs while walking.

* A cat will amost never "meow" at another cat.  This sound is reserved for humans.      

* A cat's normal body temperature is 101.5 degrees.  This is slightly warmer than a humans.

*Cats love to chew on grass, catnip, parsley or sage.  Become a green thumb and plant an indoor garden for your cat!   But be careful -- many plants are toxic to your cat!  

* The behaviors shown by most house cats have a parallel in the wild.

* "Sociable" cats will follow you from room to room to monitor your activities throughout the day.

* Give your cat a quality scratching post to deter her from scratching your furniture.  Still scratching?  Try putting lemon scent or orange scent on the area.  Cats hate these smells.

 

 

* Cats get their sense of security from your voice.  Talk to your cats!  And be mindful of your tone of voice.  Cats know when you're yelling at them (though they may not care).

* The more cats are spoken to, the more they will speak to you.

 

* Cats can see in color!  

* Cats are partially color blind.   They have the equivalency of human red/green color blindness.  (Reds appear green and greens appear red;  or shades thereof.)

* Cats don't see "detail" very well.  To them, their person may appear hazy when standing in front of them.

* Cats can see up to 120 feet away.   Their peripheral vision is about 285 degrees.

* The color of a kitten's eyes will change as it grows older.

* At birth, kittens can't see or hear.   Cats open their eyes after five days and begin to develop their eyesight and hearing at approximately 2 weeks.  They begin to walk at 20 days.

* Kittens begin dreaming at just over one week old.

* Cats rub up against other cats, and people, in an attempt to "mark" them with their scent glands.  They most often use the scent glands between their eye and ear (near the temple area) or their scent glands near the base of their tail.  

* Many experts report that cats will purr when feeling any intense emotion (pleasure or pain).  VERY IMPORTANT

* Cats love to hide!  If yours comes up "missing," be sure to check in the bathtub, in your closet, in the dresser drawers, under a blanket or rug...or anywhere else you can possibly think of!

* Cats are the sleepiest of all mammals.   They spend 16 hours of each day sleeping.  With that in mind, a seven year old cat has only been awake for two years of its life!

* Cats are more active during the evening hours. (Mine love to have parties around 3am!) 

* Cats spend 30% of their waking hours grooming themselves.

* 95% of all cat owners admit they talk to their cats. (I know I do!)  

* Cats are more aggressive when they are not neutered or spayed. 

* A cat that bites you after you have rubbed his stomach, is probably biting out of pleasure, not anger.

* An adult cat has 32 teeth.

* Each year Americans spend four billion dollars on cat food.  That's one billion dollars more than they spend on baby food! (Wow! Interesting)

* Egyptians shaved their eyebrows as a sign of mourning when they lost a beloved cat.

* Never feed your cat dog food.   Cats need five times more protein than dogs do. 

Ok, so maybe some facts aren't usefull but at least they're interesting!

Hope you enjoyed reading these cat facts and looking at the cute pictures!     

Funny Cats or Cute Cats

Do you find this funny or cute?

Let me ask you this, do you prefer funny cat videos/pics or cute cat videos/pics? 

My personal opinion is that all cats are cute, so anything funny they do that gets photographed or videotaped is a plus! 

The thing is, as I was searching for funny videos to post I noticed that most if not all of them involved accidents. Not cruel and unusual accidents, no blood or anything like that but accidents none the less. Cats not making a jump, falling off of tables, desks, chairs, getting trapped somewhere etc. To me, that's not really funny. I always feel terrible when cats fall off something and it's not true that they always land on their feet, I have personally witnessed this. 

My question is why do we find such occurrences funny? How come most people get a kick out of a cat not making a jump or not having enough balance. Jealousy? We must admit, they are way more agile than any of us will ever be. Cruel intentions? I would surely not like to think that. Maybe it's just the fact that we don't think they truly get hurt. That's what I want to think and I'm sticking to it!

Check out this video of cute and at the same time funny cat moments. There is one accident, but nothing big, I'm sure the cat's perfectly fine. 

I enjoyed this video very much but I must say my personal favorites are:

#8 found it adorable!

#6 sooooo cute and funny as well

#5 loved it! Competes with #1

#1 it's number 1 for a reason, too cute!

Let me know which one or ones were your favorite and if you have any funny/cute pictures or videos of cats, or animals in general, feel free to tell me about it, post a link, comment whatever you would like!

To answer my first question, I find that picture incredibly cute, but funny as well. Win win situation there!

Meow for now!!

Geriatric Cats

The title of this post comes from an article I was reading at About.com on exactly that, geriatric cats, or older cats. I'm not sure what I would define as a geriatric cat, but my guess is over 6 years old. As I was going through this article called Reasons to Adopt an Older Cat, filled with these great adoption stories but also very sad backgrounds I did begin to get teary eyed, just because I cannot stand a sad animal story.

Coming from Costa Rica I've always found it impressive how the US kept it's cities and towns free from stray animals. I always thought wow these people really know how to take care of their pets. They know that they must spay and neuter them, therefore eliminating the stray animal factor. How wrong I was! While you may not see stray dogs and cats roaming the streets and garbage cans as you do here in CR, this does not mean that people are as educated and as sensitive to these animals as I thought. Unfortunately the so called shelters available, (we have them here also don't start) tend to "euthanize" (and I use this word in captions because I feel this is totally the wrong word, kill shelters as the article says is more appropriate) the older animals when they start getting young ones. So, geriatric cats who may have been loved for years but suddenly their owner dies  for example now get "euthanized" (there's the quotes again) because it's kitten season as they called it and people only like to adopt cute baby kittens. Excuse me while I go puke. I'm sorry I'm making this post stronger than what I had intended. (And all cats are cute by the way, not just the kittens...)

Anyways, here are some pictures of older cats that have been adopted by loving families. Their stories while being happy do make me very sad due to the circumstances in which these pets found themselves, so if you're like me and can't read them cause you'll start bawling your eyes out, then just take a look at the pictures, they're adorable.

Also, they do have some pointers for people looking to adopt older cats, so think about it, older cats are just as fun as kittens.

An Older Female Cat Comes With Benefits

 

A Cat Like D'Ni is Perfect for a Retired Couple

© Treesh

D'Ni had just given birth when first discovered, and was pregnant three months later when finally trapped. Older female cats often make loving companions for homes without small children. They are ideal for retired couples or singles. The bonus is that most of them are already trained to a litter box, have been spayed, and have had all their shots.

Cons: If you have small children or kittens in the house, a senior cat might not be your best choice.

Consider a Young Adult Cat with Smaller Children

 

A Young Adult Cat is a Good Match for a Home With Small Children

© Ron

Fluffy is an example of last year's kittens who often turn into this year's unwanted adult cat languishing in a shelter. In his case, he was lucky because a caring person rescued him (after months of failed attempts), patched him up and gave him a home. A young adult cat would be perfect for a home with smaller children, or for a younger working single or couple who need to leave a cat unattended during the day. Let's face it: little kids are often much too rough with kittens, and kittens become bored and mischievous when left home alone day after day. There's also too much chance of their harming themselves in even the most kitten-safe home.

Senior Cats Are the Best Choice for Senior Citizens

 

Wouldn't You Love a Cat Like This?

© Bobbi Fein

Miss Snookie is about nine years old now and is a sweet lapcat for Bobbi Fein, who rescued her. A male or female cat Snookie's age would be a good choice for an older couple or single who might pre-decease a younger cat. In fact, you'll often find older cats in shelters for exactly that reason; their human companions died, and no relatives or friends wanted to take them in. What a win-win situation it would be for both parties, to adopt a cat like Snookie!

NoName Found a Home!

 

NoName, aka Grateful

© Shelley MacAulay

One of the reasons I alway encourage the adoption of older cats is that they are so grateful. Shelley MacAulay, who fostered NoName, said if she were to give him a name, it would be Grateful; "grateful to be inside, warm and well fed." Although it might sound facetious, older cats really are grateful to find a new home, especially after spending many months or longer, caged in a shelter.

An Older Declawed Cat is Doubly Grateful

 

 © Anil Tambwekar

Miss Kitty was an older cat, declawed, and abandoned in a back yard by owners who had lost interest in her, before being rescued by Anil and his partner. She lived many happy years with them before succumbing to cancer. Although Anil rescued Miss Kitty with no regard to the state of her paws, some people for one reason or another want a declawed cat. Cat lovers with those requirements would be well served by looking in a shelter for declawed cats. Although Miss Kitty's original owner hadn't surrendered her to a shelter, that might very well have been the next step, had Anil and his partner not interceded. You'll see a number of older declawed cats in shelters who will be doubly grateful to be adopted.

An Older Cat Needs an Older Companion

 

Gemini & Osiris: Two Rescued Older Cats

© HostKel

If you have an older cat who is lonely because of the loss of a feline companion, another older cat would make a perfect adoption choices. Kittens are almost always too stressful for older cats to tolerate, and with careful introduction, you will create a happy new lease on life for both of your senior citizen cats. Pictured are Gemini and Osiris, who were rescued separately, but found comfort together.

Consider an Older "Disabled" Cat

 

© Sharon Dubois

Timmi was in sad shape when first rescued, with an infected eye, which had to be removed. Patched up, he was later adopted by his foster mom, and is now a charming cat living in a loving home. While looking for an older cat, consider one that is "disabled," if you can afford continued veterinary care.

To recap reasons for adopting an older cat:

• Older cats are usually litter box trained
• Adult cats are usually neutered and have had their shots
• A young adult cat is a good choice for homes with small children
• A young adult cat is perfect for a working couple or single
• A senior cat is an excellent choice for a senior human
• An older declawed cat will be a good choice for someone who needs a declawed cat for medical reasons
• An older cat is a natural choice for a senior cat who has lost a companion
• Older cats are ever-so-grateful for a second chance at a loving home!

As Sharon Dubois said when talking about rescue and adoption, "In the long run, we humans are the beneficiaries."

Amen to that!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Talking cat???

I find it very interesting how human beings regard their pets as part of the family or part human. I found this "article" (not really sure if it can be called an article, hence the quotations) about an Australian man claiming his cat can speak 7 different words. Hmmmm ... what to think about that.

I'm pretty sure that cats cannot talk. I mean, yes, they try to communicate with us and all. They're meows have different meanings, their tail, their body language, but to actually speak and be understood? I doubt it. Don't get me wrong, I would love it if that were possible! (Although, who knows how many times my cats may have called me a b**ch and thankfully I didn't understand.) I think I could have incredible conversations with my cats, how cool would that be?!

You can read the full (once again) "article" by clicking on the title below and you be the judge.

Oz man claims his pet moggy can swear, speak in English!

I did find this video on you tube (of course you tube, everything's in there!) about a cat talking with his/her owner, although I can't for the life of me understand what he/she is saying! Can you????




Of course once you're in you tube you can't get out because there are sooooooo many cute videos!

Let me know if your cat can talk, or sing or just meow and purr. I don't care, whatever they do, they're always cute! Most of the time...

Coming back!

It has been a while since I last posted and I've decided to come back! I haven't even uploaded all of my cat pictures yet!

Needless to say, I'm changing the name of the blog due to the fact that I don't have 7 cats and 2 dogs anymore. I have 7 cats and 1 dog now. So, I've decided to make this blog all about my cats, and occasionally my dog, poor girl can't have her feeling like an outcast right.

I'm not sure how well or popular this blog is going to be, but I do think that in the least it will be a good outlet for me and somewhat entertaining for readers because I do have some kinda crazy stories about my cats.

So hopefully I will keep posting periodically and keep you entertained and maybe even enlightened on cat, dog, pet maybe even all animal related issues!

Hope you keep coming!!

The Babies

I am so sorry that I haven't been able to update this blog but I have had so many things on my plate right now that it has been impossible. Anyway, here goes...

Piti: Piti was the cutest thing when she was born, she was just a fur ball. She was the last one to open her eyes so I assumed she was the youngest. She loved the dog, I think she thought the dog was like her mom or something. Piti likes to talk a lot, chase the other cats around the yard and snuggle up to the dog.











Pachanga: As soon as I saw this kitten I knew he was male and I knew he would be called Pachanga. He's named after the character in the movie Carlito's Way, I always said that I would name a pet Pachanga. Pachanga was the sweetest thing ever. I say was because unfortunately he's the one that dissappered... I truly miss him.















Lulu: Lulu has a girls name but he's a boy. He looked so much like Lucas that that's the name I could come up with at the moment and I really thought he was a girl so, Lulu it is. Lulu loves to play, he loves to pounce on the other cats, the problem is he plays to rough so the only one he could play with was Pachanga, the girls don't really like it that much, although they do play with him some.













Greñas: Say it however you want... Greñas is hard to describe. She is going through a phase at the moment (I hope it's a phase) where she hates absolutely everyone except her mom and the dogs. She can't see another cat from across the room because she start hissing and swatting. She sleeps most of the time and just begs to go out at night, just like a teenager!

For now, these are the babies... more to come soon of course. We still have 3 more pets to go!

The Mama

Lucas. Lucas was thrown into a friend's backyard one day, discarded there because someone did not want her. So naturally, me being the animal lover that I am I couldn't say no to this poor lonely kitten. She was about 2 months old.

She was pissy as hell when she first arrived to the house. Hissing at everything in sight, but a dear to us humans. After a few days, Lucas and the dog became really close friends and they were just a sight to behold when they were together, as you can see. They loved each other.

Lucas enjoys rubbing up against you when get out of the shower. She actually enjoys accompaning you in the bathroom and waiting for you to finish your shower so she can come and rub up against your leg and leave it full of cat hairs.

She loves to chew on my hair after I've washed it, sometimes she can get pretty nasty and bite my head too. She also loves to roll around in dirt, not sure why, but suddenly you'll see her running up to you and she's fool of dirt! And of course falling asleep on fresh laundry, she just loves that.

Lucas probably has the youngest spirit besides the kittens in the house and of course the puppy... but he's another story. She's actually kind of crazy, that's why she's called Lucas (hard to explain, don't ask) she once tried to climb up a window and I don't mean climb up on a perch and sit on the window, no. She truly believed she was like spiderman and that her little paws could adhere to the big glass door and she would just climb it without any effort. Needless to say that did not end well.

So here's to Lucas a proud mamma, most of the time, loving cat and great for enteraining!

The Dog

Rita! Named after my mother because she looks just like her and because mom was the one who rescued her and brought her over to my house. Rita is the happiest dog ever, she loves her relatively new home.

Rita was found roaming the streets and abused dog, who knows how long she had been without a home, she was injured and bitten all over her poor little body. As soon as she came home, she made herself fit right in. She jumped on the bed and went straight under the covers with me. Ever since, she can't even let me pee in peace!

She follows me everywhere and loves when you rub her tummy or give her any kind of affection at all. Rita hates The Cat though and vice versa. She does not let him live in peace. Rita watches The Cat like a hawk, every move he makes, it's very annoying sometimes. She's also overprotective of the house and the other cats, so any small sound she hears she starts barking, and doesn't stop!

Something terrible happened to Rita in the first months we had her. I sent her to get groomed, to somebody who was trusted dearly by my family and she came back with a broken leg. The broke her elbow to be more specific. She had to have surgery, a pin was inserted in her elbow and one was left outside her skin. She looked like The Frankendog! Poor Rita *sniff* She had to spend the nex 2 months inside a kennel and couldn't even be let out to pee. Suffice to say that those two months were terrible, for all us of.

After 60 days, she went back to surgery to have the oustide pin removed and it turns out that her leg didn't heal well, so Rita is a 3 legged dog. She has all her four legs, but she only uses three.

Don't feel sorry for Rita though because she is amazing! She is fast as a rabbit and as a agile as a frog on those 3 legs, I swear she should be a circus dog with how high she jumps. And she's as happy as ever. Except when The Cat's around.

Rita is a wonderful mother too, she loves babies or baby animals and she looks after them as if they were her own. When the kittens were just born we had to have a bed or box big enough for Rita to fit because she slept with them and the mamma every night.

I love Rita and she love's everyone. Except for The Cat that is.

And yes! That's exactly who The Cat was looking at in the previous picture. Check it out:



Here is Rita right after her first surgery:










And here's Lady Rita in all her glory:










She looks a little grungy I know, but that's her thing!

The Cat

As promised, I am posting pictures of The Cat. His name is Piju (peejiu, not sure how to spell that out) aka Lord Piju, The Lord, The Cow and some more that I can't remember right now. I decided to introduce the family one day at a time in the order in which they entered my life. That way I have at least 9 days worth of posts that I don't have to think that much about hehe.

I rescued this cat when he was about 2 months old, he was so cute! He looked adorable, I never ever thought he would become the grouch he is! He hates everyone (except me of course hehe), especially the dogs.

He is the king of the house, The Lord yes. He is The Cat basically, whatever he says goes. He owns the entire house and everything or everyone in it.

He likes: waking me up by kissing my nose, when I rub his stomach, to lie out in the sun, and being pissed off all the time. I'm sure there's other stuff he likes, but I'm not sure what at the moment.

Here are a couple more pictures of this gorgeous cat:

Out in the shade

He's huge I know!

He loves being outside

I guess that's enough for today, I'll post one more and then show you tomorrow what he was looking at! Stay tuned...

Why the name?

Ok, so why 7 cats and 2 dogs? Well, I guess cause that's the amount of pets I have... I know!! Crazy huh? Not sure how it happened, I started out with one Cat and then there was one Cat and one dog. Soon after, I had to adopt a kitten that was thrown into someone's backyard because they didn't want it, so that turned into 2 cats and a dog. It was cool, the kitten and the dog loved each other, the Cat hated both of them, you know, normal dysfunctional family stuff. Then, it turns out that our kitten is pregnant!! We realize this when she's huge and can't do much about it because poor little kittens inside the kitten!! So, 4 babies were born and they were so adorable that I couldn't bare to give them up.

So, now it was six cats and a dog. Dog love's the kittens, kittens love the dog, Cat hates everybody! Pretty normal. We move to a bigger place with a bigger yard and the BF decides he wants another dog! WTF??? Turns out he's always wanted a chocolate Lab and saw this puppy blah blah blah, can't say no to a puppy you know.

Now it's six cats a dog and a puppy. Cats hate the puppy, still like the dog, the dog is confused about the puppy. Puppy loves them all. Cat hates everybody.

About a month after that, I was driving home from work and spotted a small black something on the side of the road. Squinted, focused and realized it was a kitten. Oh No!! Poor thing, it was barely a month old, I couldn't leave that kitten there, so I stop to see if this kitten is ok and 2 more kittens show up!!!!!!! Whaaat?? 3 kittens?? Oh no... I asked at the surrounding houses, no no, they're not ours, take them if you want. Sometimes people dump unwanted pets here. Horrible!!!

Well, you know I couldn't leave those kittens there so... that's right... 9 cats and 2 dogs! Oh yeah!! Kitten's hate the cats and the dogs, dog love's the kittens, puppy thinks they're chew toys, cats hate the kittens but are pretty much loving the puppy now. The Cat hates everybody. Holy Shit!! What am I going to do now? Luckily we found a great home for the original black kitten by the side of the road with the BF's sister. Meanwhile we were looking for homes for the other 2, it was just too many cats.

Well, turns out the kittens are adorable and we can't bear to give them up. So now it's 8 cats and 2 dogs. Cats are starting to get along with the kittens, dog love's the kittens, puppy still thinks they're chew toys, cats love the puppy (on and off) and The Cat hates everybody.

Jeez this is a long story!

If you're still here, good for you!! And thank you for reading this far. If you're gone well, you won't see this, I guess I understand although I think it's kind of entertaining how our family got started.

You're probably thinking hey, it sounds like it's done but the name is 7 cats and 2 dogs ... ????

Well, about a month ago or so one of the cats, you know, the kitten's kitten, he ran away and we haven't seen him since. I'm devastated of course, I mean, he was my baby! At least one of them and I truly hope that nothing horrible happened to him *sob* and I guess I can't say much more about that.

Anyhoo... That's how I or we ended up having 7 cats and 2 dogs.

Thank you for reading this post, yes there will be more, I mean imagine what it's like to live with 7 cats and 2 dogs. And yes, of course I will be posting pictures, I have tons... And I will also be telling you their names so as to avoid confusion...sort of.