Cat\’s Eye View

One of the joys of ruling the house is when you can convince your people to modify things to suit you. Recently Ma began working in her office again. I tried at first to convince her this was a bad idea as it meant she was moving further away from me when I needed my morning rest.

However, since she seemed dead set and determined to use the office, I decided to go along with her plan. However, there were absolutely no good key seats in the office. This needed to be remedied.

I first showed my disdain by playing in the blinds. This got me scolded.

Then I tried walking across my desk back and forth stepping on keys in making sure to interrupt what she was doing. This got me scolded.

Finally, I laid in the floor in a bit of sunshine, rolled on my back, and squeaked incessantly to let Ma know that I needed her attention. It’s funny how easy they are to manipulate when you’d simply act cute.

Shelves were rearranged and blinds pulled up so that now I can sit in the window and watch the birds in the bush outside while Ma taps away at the computer. Once again, I understand how easily the cat rules the house.

As you read this, I will be happily sleeping alongside Ma on her futon,with no visitors in my living room, no one sleeping on the couch, no one moving my bed to someplace other than where it goes.  Last night, I could snuggle with my people with no witnesses, no loud noises and no irritations.

My drum set for Rockband 2 is back in the corner where it belongs, clearly meant as a jungle gym for this kitty and not for some flailing human to hit with sticks. Mr. Nick is moving out of the back bedroom and all is right with the world. Well, mostly. Da is feeling bad today. Something clogged his ear and made it hurt. He called it a ‘fection and said he ahs to go to the vet.

I hope the vet is nicwer to my Da than she is to me. Seems like every time I go she wants to give me a shot, or take my temperature (shudder!). Ma said the vet is closed today so Da will have to wait until Monday. Da seemed disappointed that he can’t go to the vet. Silly Da!

So I figured I’d try that nursing thing Lady Carmel mentioned, but well, it doesn’t seem to be working. I’m watching over my Da and making Ma fetch him medicine and cool water, but he seems so unhappy. I worry for my Da!

Anyway, I’m off to check on him now and then I’ll be running between my perch in there and my perch in here watching my Ma. It’s so good to be alone!

I’m an indoor kitty. I only live inside, but I also like to watch the outside.

Unfortuantely, this morning when I woke up the outside was cold and yucky. It was freezing and there was ice and snow on the ground. I don’t like either  one very much.

I want the warm and I want the sunshine. When the cold comes out like it did today, it hides my birdies and my squirrels. I think they stay in their own houses whwen it gets really cold. I miss them.

Make it warm, please.

I took some time off, but now I’m back to encourage all my loving friends to ask Santa (or their parents) to get some poor homeless pet a present for the holidays.

My Ma tells me that our local humane society has a pet tree at the mall where you can see the pets available at the shelter. Most of them have the first wish of a new home for Christmas and if you are thinking of adding to your family over the holidays, please check there first.

Each of the little cards on the tree also has a wish list for the pet on the front. Ma picked out a grey tabby who looks a bit like me and brought her card home. Sally wants a home for Christmas and while she can’t ahve mine, I am sending her a box of Christmas pressies to help her through until she finds her own people.

First and foremost, I’m cleaning out my toy box. Ma and Da buy me all sorts of toys and some of them suck, I mean, ummm, did not fit my playtime needs. There’s a big bouncy battery-controlled ball that I hate, but Sally might like it….and some cat nip bubbles. Seriously, who thinks I would like these things?  Oh right, Ma…

Then, we’re going shopping to get Sally some other stuff. Ma is gonna get her some cat sip and some treats (She can have mine, I only like fish), some kitty litter and some food. Sally’s wish list also had a cat tree on it, but that’s just not gonna happen, unless I get a new one from Santa. Then, she can have the old one.

Ma wants me to go shopping too, to pick up some of Sally’s pressies and to get my picture taken with Santa. Bah Humbug, I say. I’m staying home.

But I will write Sally a little note and tell her to keep her chin up. She’ll find people who love her, I think. She just can’t have mine.

Yesterday, it got cold here. The weatherman claimed that a cold front moved in. I don’t mind cold. In fact, when you are wearing a permanent fur coat, a little cold is preferable to too hot.

But it means that I have to grow my fur back again. Ma says that when it gets too hot, I shed. She says I leave whole cats under the table and that they make giant attack dust bunnies out of my fur. I think she  ‘xagerates, just a bit.

But the truth is when it gets cold like it did last night, I have to eat more and spend more time in my bed, because we have to give the fur time to come back. Ma says she loves the spring and the fall, but I gotta say, it’s not a kitty’s favorite time of year. It goes back and forth. First I’m too hot and then I’m too cold. it gets to be just about right in the dead of winter and in the air conditioning of summer.

But then both of those times mean I lose my windows…I just need to move someplace where the temperature is a nice constant 65 degrees. Any suggestions?

Love ya, Rainy D. Kitty (the frozen)

Today my Ma said a word I hate: fleas!

No, I don’t have them! How dare you ask!

The problem is that this is the time of year that they try to sneak in. Usually in the early spring and in the mid-fall, someone (usually a friend with cats and fleas) brings one of the little blood suckers into my house. It’s not like I got out and get them, ya know.

Anyway, somehow or other, they sneak into the house and Ma goes to the vet and gets my Revolution. Now, if you have not been treated with Revolution, you might now know that it stings — a lot. I’ve tried to convince Ma that fleas aren’t as irritating as that stinky medicine, but she never listens.

So I make my indignity known and run off to the basement to hide after I get hit with the Revolution. I hate it, but man does that stuff work.

When I was a baby kitty, I had earmites and worms (but no fleas) and one dose cured me. I didn’t have to get it again for 6 months. Then, I had 8 fleas. Yup, Ma counted them when the Revolution made them fall off dead. Since then, every spring and every fall I get one treatment whether I need it or not.

I heard her say today it was time for a Revolution. She did mean my flea medicine, right?

Ma says she likes it when my fur is soft and snuggly and i like it when she pets me a lot.

So, we have an understanding.

At least once a day, and more during heavy shedding season, I agree to let her brush me. Now, you have to understand brushing is good for a kitty. It gets rid of the loose fur that might otherwise be furballs and it helps prevent me from shedding all over the house.

But it can be kind of uncomfortable. At first, the scratchy slicker brush feels pretty good, but then it gets kind of irritating. Imagine having some scratch the same spot over and over again. Yeah, just like that.

So we have an understanding. When I’m ready for the brush, I go and get Ma and yip at her a few times. If she’s not busy and sometiems even if she is, she says “Hit the table” and I jump up for my brushing. While I’m enjoying it, I’ll wallow around or walk back and forth pushing my fae against the brush. But when the tail starts to swing, it’s almost time to stop. Ma has learned to be more gentle then.

Finally, when it’s time to stop, I reach out and grab the brush with my front paw and pull it into my mouth. Then, I chew. Ma sas the hairbrush doesn’t go in the mouth.  Silly Ma. Everything goes in the mouth.

Yes, I know those aren’t real words, but I’m a cat, so sue me, k?

Yesterday my people bought be a new replacement for my tunnel…a cat cube. It’s made of this nylon stuff with round entry holes on three sides and streamers hanging from the roof.

It rocks.

Now, being a cat, I must explain that I generally scorn new toys. When I got my tunnel, I ignored it for weeks and had to be coaxed inside. The star bell thing and I still don’t get along and I only play with my scratching post when someone moves it and I need to put it back where it goes.

There have been exceptions of course. My first door mousy was so much fun I beat the squeak out of it in less than 24 hours. I immediately loved my cat tree. Ping pong balls are fun, but feather flips kinda suck.

So Ma thought i might be reticent to try the new cube, but as soon as Da popped it open, I went in to check it out. It’s a great place to hide. It looks like a big leopard box in the living room. I spent most of last night making it smell like me and sleeping in it.

This is a much better pressie than the last one. Maybe I’ll forgive them now for the vaccines.

Today, I heard the man on the television talking about the bailout and the stock market and the recesssion or maybe its a derpression. And, it made me a little sad.

i don’t know what all those words mean, but Ma tells me it means that some kitties don’t have homes anymore or that their people can’t afford to feed them. Tell me this isn’t happening!

Last week, I broke my tunnel. Ma said she got it for 99 cents at Goodwill, whatever that means and they didn’t have any more. So she searched for a week and found me a replacement. It’s not my tunnel, but it’s a good solid cat hidin’ hole. Ma said it was 10 times as expensive as my tunnel, but they got it for me anyway.

I thought if the ‘conomy was bad, people couldn’t buy nothing.

Ma said that the bailout means that some people can buy some things now, but that there will be hell to pay someday. I don’t think i like that.

I’m pretty sure I could have coem up with a better way to stimulate the ‘conomy. Like give everyone a new kitty and food and toys and vet care for a year. Then, the people will love their kitties so much that they’ll work hard to keep buying them stuff.

That’s how it works, right?

No?

Oh, well, I guess i can’t fix the economy, but guess what? Neither can Washington!

I’ve heard a lot of talk recently about vaccines. In kitties, people want to skip them because there is a tiny little danger of the site of the injection developing skin cancer. In people, mothers want to skip them because they’ve heard that the preservatives in the vaccine might be loosely linked to increasing autism.

Now, don’t get me started on what’s being diagnosed these days as autism. That’s another rant all its own.

This rant is completely focused on vaccines. I just had mine last week. They suck big time. They hurt, they involve going to see Dr. Kim (which means going outside) and they make me feel crummy for a day or two. I imagine it is very similar for babies.

Unlike babies, I am not exposed to a lot fo germs. I live only in my huse. I do not play with other kitties or go outside. No other animals are allowed inside my house. In short, the probability that I will get exposed to rabies or feline leukemia are pretty tiny. But Ma gets me vaccinated anyway based on the concept of herd immunity.

The basic concept is that if 80 or 90 percent of the population is immune to something, then major outbreaks don’t happen. So, even though I am an indoor only kitty, I am even more secure against rabies when everyone gets vaccinated.

The same is true of children. When you don’t vaccinate, you create a weakness in the population. then, the virus can take hold in that portion of the population, grow stronger and possibly spread to the rest of the population. One person chosing to be stubborn for very unscientific reasons can weaken the entire population. So, I get my shots.

I hate them. I hiss. I cry and I out, but I get them.  You should too and so should your people.

Love ya,

Rainy Kitty