Friday, August 1, 2014

When Cats Meow, I Jump

Thought for the day: Dogs have owners; cats have staff.



At one time, Smarticus didn't think he liked cats. But that was before we had cats. Now he spoils them every bit as much as I do.

Which, of course, is exactly what every cat deserves. Just ask 'em. They'll tell you. They were once worshiped as gods, and as far as they're concerned, they should still be worshiped as gods. Makes sense, right? This explains their uncanny ability to maintain such a haughty regal air about them, even when they're caught doing something stupid or clumsy.

Anyhow, much to my surprise, it looks like we have three cats now. Yeah, three.


Remember Dash?  This is what she looked like when we adopted her from the shelter almost five years ago.
And this is what Dot looked like. We figured two cats would be juuuuuust right. That way, they could entertain each other. Besides, we had no choice. They picked us. (Anyone who has ever adopted an animal understands exactly what that means.)


This is closer to what they look like now. Most of the time, they get along well, except for occasional bouts of sibling rivalry...


... like over who gets to sit on my lap. I was reading the newspaper... Oh well, what can I say? Their royal highnesses decided it was nap time.

If you'd like to see an earlier post about our girls, including some fun little-known secrets about cats, go here.

Cats work out mathematically the exact place to sit that will cause the most inconvenience. [Pam Brown]


Anybody remember Cowboy? I wrote about him a while back. Lots of you urged me to adopt him. He was forever hanging around our house, looking in the windows and waiting on our front porch to greet me every morning, so we thought he was a stray. I mean, he was the epitome of the poor outsider looking in. So you might think HE would be our new resident feline. But nope. It turns out, he has a home. He still spends a fair amount of time in our yard looking for some cuddles and some food, (not necessarily in that order) but since his owner got him fixed, he doesn't spend nearly as much time mooning at us through the windows. (Hmmm, methinks it may be possible he was mooning at our girls.)

This is the new Swiderski feline. We named her Daisy. Her previous owners moved away, and left her behind to fend for herself. Before they dumped her, we saw her in our yard a few times, often being chased away by Cowboy. But she was extremely skittish, and not very friendly.

Then we noticed she was getting thinner and thinner, so natch, we started providing her with food, too. Her own bowls on the front porch... away from where Cowboy had his bowls out back. (His and every stray cat from miles around, that is. I swear, there must be some sort of underground communication that enables critters to let other critters know where the restaurants are. A very very large raccoon especially seems to enjoy the cuisine...)

Anyhow, the more we fed her, the friendlier she became. The more loving she became. The closer she came to making us fall on our arses because she kept doing figure eights around our feet whenever we walked outside. And the more she tried to follow us into the house.

Uh-oh. It was pretty clear. She'd picked us.

So we had no choice. We took her to the vet. Got her tested, de-wormed, and up-to-date with her shots. She's spayed, clear of fleas, and has a clean bill of health. Okeydoke. Time to bring her inside.

FIREWORKS! [Morguefile]


Not so okeydoke.

Dash and Daisy don't get along very well. What an understatement! They chased each other around the house like a couple crazed bats outta hell. (sigh) Talk about noisy fireworks!

Oh well. Our fault. We should have taken more time to introduce Daisy into the herd. Especially to our princess Dash.

Now, the new little kitty is in our Florida room, where our other girls can see her... but can't get at her. Dash and Daisy still try to attack each other through the glass from time to time, but I think they're becoming a little more used to each other. I'm hopeful they'll eventually learn to live together, and soon. Otherwise, we're gonna have to find Daisy a new home.

[Would anyone like to adopt a cat? Daisy's about eighteen months old, less than ten pounds, and extremely sweet and loving. Isn't picky about what she eats, either. She gobbles up whatever kind of cat food, wet or dry, that we give her. I guess being abandoned on the street has a way of instilling appreciation, huh? Seriously, if any of you local folks are interested, just send me an email or give us a call. We'll even throw in a big bag of food! Pssst... hey, Kyle...!]

And so it goes. At least for now, we have three cats.

And I swear, we're stopping at three.

I think.



I had been told that the training procedure with cats was difficult. It's not. Mine had me trained in two days.  [Bill Dana]



Oh yeah, it's been a while since I posted anything new about the things our pets have taught me. Well, I've learned something else new from our cats, especially Dot. She loves to knead my belly. Vigorously. So what have I learned? It's her fault. I'm not really gaining weight. Thanks to her administrations, my belly is simply... rising.

Cats are the ultimate narcissists. You can tell this because of all the time they spend on personal grooming. A dog's idea of personal grooming is to roll on a dead fish. [James Gorman]

As you read this, I'm not anywhere near my computer. (Dontcha love the pre-scheduling feature on Blogger?) I'm actually doing something really really cool. I'll tell ya about it next Friday, but in the meantime, I won't be online to respond to your comments for a while. But I will get back to you. Assuming our four-legged furry kids let me up, that is...

                                     Until next time, take care of yourselves. And each other.

82 comments:

  1. As a former cat owner, I totally agree, felines do want to be worshipped. Those ancient Egyptians knew. An enjoyable post, Susan.

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    1. Yep, those Egyptians definitely knew. (The cats probably informed them!)

      Thanks. It's good to hear from you again.

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  2. Cats don't have staff. Staff get paid and have vacations. Cats (ours anyway) have slaves. Devoted slaves.
    A friend (dog owner) told me that he didn't like cats because they are so dirty. Dirty? I asked. Yes, absolutely filthy. He could tell - because they are always washing.
    Good luck with the cat relationship negotiations. Fraught - but worth it.
    Have a wonderful time doing whatever it is (you woman of mystery). I am looking forward to learning more.

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    1. HA! Good point. Then again, we do get "paid" in cuddles and rubs and purrs. That's definitely worth something.

      Thanks. They seem to be tolerating each other a little better. (Or it could be wishful thinking...)

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  3. Oh yes, cats find owners. We knew one that was, theoretically, owned by a ver's nurse, living two doors away - only a kitten found in a shed, and she'd brought it home, but wanted an outdoor cat so fed it on her back step. So all the neighbourhood cats ate the kitten food, and my daughters (the eldest only 11) fed it in our house when I wasn't looking. So it moved it, became the most affectionate cat, and lived for 17 years!

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    1. Sounds like a smart kitty to me. Then again, I suppose they all are.

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  4. Hi Susan - love the take on your four legged independent critters - hope they all settle down .. sounds as though the training period is well under way.
    And what are you doing? Looking forward to finding out ... and love the photos ... cheers Hilary

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    1. Yeah, the training period is under way. I hope they manage to teach me properly...

      Cheers!

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  5. How wonderful to have such love furry friends and I do hope the new little girl will eventually be welcomed and accepted by the others.
    You may remember we had our Precious put to sleep two weeks ago. Today I was checking the Animal Protection Society website and found a delightful little 7 month old looking for a home. Is it too soon one wonders? We've never really been without a cat in our nearly 50 years together so our house seems empty. We are too old for dogs now as wouldn't be able to do the walking, grooming required but a cat, now that is different isn't it?

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    1. If you're actively looking at kitties, I don't think it's too soon. You're absolutely right. Once we get used to having furry family members, our homes don't feel the same without them. And yes, cats are different. As much as we love dogs, after our last one died, we reluctantly agreed not to get another.

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  6. Oh my gosh Susan... I read this on the bus and I had to control my laughter. I had a cat situation like that once... the fur flew, it was quite the sight. I hope they get used to each other soon... Have fun, I can't wait to hear what you are up to ;-)

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    1. I'm glad you got a kick out of the noisy cat chase. They seem to be tolerating each other a little better, but we'll have to wait and see if they can co-exist in peace.

      I did have fun. Will tell you all about it on Friday.

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  7. Daisy is delightful. I'm sure they will all settle down shortly.

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    1. I sure hope so. It's kinda like a cold war between them now, but they really don't have much choice. I just hope things don't "heat up" when we try to put them back together the next time.

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  8. I'm sure you knew that I'd love this post, since I'm a feline connoisseur. I can identify with every word you've written. Kats kan kompletely drive you krazy, but they're very easy to love. I hope you'll be able to keep Daisy, and that the other two ruffians will finally get used to her.

    I'm still caring for the seven cats that my neighbor abandoned when she moved. They've taken up permanent residence in my yard - and it's not easy to find homes for adult cats (perhaps I'll send them to you). As you said - - put out ONE bowl of food and a hundred cats will show up seemingly out of nowhere.

    I still have my own indoor cat Scratch, who's eight yrs. old - - and I recently adopted one of the stray kittens who I also keep indoors. Scratch hated the kitten at first, but now she shows off for him and enjoys watching him play. I think this will be the beginning of a beautiful friendship........

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    1. You're right. I never expected to be a crazy cat lady any more than you expected to be a crazy cat cowboy, but those critters know just how to worm their way into our hearts.

      I'm glad Scratch is getting along well with the new kitten. Two cats are more than twice as much fun as one. (And hopefully, three will be even more fun...)

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  9. My cat Henry wandered out of the woods to spread her love to my Monster who picked her up and said, "Mommy can we keep it?" I figured a cat was a good idea because we had mice living under the washing machine at the time. Henry took care of that for me. That's the only reason I have a cat.

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    1. Ah, words few parents can ignore: "Mommy, can we keep it?"Hey, at least Henry is earning his keep.

      Good to hear from you!

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  10. Don't you love how people just move and leave their animals behind? I'm glad you were there to help Daisy out and your idea to keep her in another room where the other cats can see her but not get to her is a very good one. It's the sort of thing vets recommend when introducing a new cat into the family because most cats DO NOT want a new sister or brother. After all, that would take away from all the attention and possibly the food they've been getting.

    Hopefully, they will all become friends, or at least civil roommates :)

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    1. I don't know how people can abandon their pets like that, but evidently a lot of people do it. As for our cats, Dot and Dash sometimes show signs of sibling rivalry, so I'm not too surprised they aren't welcoming another cat with open paws. Dot's an easier sell than Dash, though. Dash sincerely believes she's my "baby."

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  11. Oh we are their slaves indeed and some cats never seem to get along. At the other sea there are 10 and some always have a hate for on another,but they co-exist at least.

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    1. We'd like them all to be buddies, but would be happy to settle for peaceful co-existence. Anything but the hissing, growling, and chasing we got the first time around.

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  12. Love all your kitties, you crazy cat lady, you :)

    Enjoy your computerless time!

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  13. Who moves away and just leaves their cat to fend for itself? What is WRONG with people?!?

    I miss having a cat. We keep talking about possibly getting one, but I don't know if I can take the heartbreak of having another one killed on the busy road outside our house. It would have to be an inside cat, I think. And our dog would be jealous. She doesn't even like it when we look at the anole lizards.

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    1. Unfortunately, I think quite a few people leave their pets behind when they move. Terrible, but true.

      Our dog was great when we got a cat. I think, in general, dogs are a lot more tolerant than cats are. (Maybe Sasha just doesn't like lizards...)

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  14. What a great post! I love it when people discuss their animals! Your musings about your cat made me miss our cat, Sam. Unfortunately, due to my husband's allergies, we can't have cats anymore. :( Now we have dogs (and I love them dearly)...but the cat was much easier. :)

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    1. Thanks, Megan. I'm glad you liked it. I miss having a dog, but like you say, cats are a lot easier.

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  15. That is too funny that the girls chased each other like that. Thank goodness you have such a big heart to take care of abandoned Daisy. It's unbeleivable that someone could do that.

    We have a bunny and I've been so surprised by how similar she is to a cat---like constantly grooming herself! Most gorgeous bunny ever.

    Hope you're having fun doing whatever you're doing!

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    1. Yeah, I guess it was kinda funny. It's amazing how much noise a couple of cats can make while tearing around the house. Poor Dot didn't know what to make of it.

      My sister-in-law used to have a lop-eared bunny who was litter trained and like you say, acted remarkably like a cat

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  16. We have so much in common, Susan. I have been taking care of our neighbor farmer's cat for almost three years now and love this very old (22 yrs old) cat. First I felt sorry for her because I would see her in my yard and it was so cold. I fed her, she stayed, we got her an outdoor cat house and she has remained with us since (outside). Unfortunately, like your experience, her relatives and friends wanted to move in also. Then a beautiful white cat arrived, had kittens and abandoned them on my deck. That was three litters ago. We have been able to catch the babies, had them neutered and adopted out, however, the mother is impossible to catch. Right now, we have traps in our yard because she is in heat again but she is too smart. I do not know what to do at this point. All this because I felt sorry for an old cat who passed my way.

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    1. An outdoor cat house?! I never heard of that before. That was sweet of you to set one up for her, though. It gets awfully cold up in your neck of the woods... especially for an old kitty like that. (Twenty-two!)

      I feel for you with all those kittens. That white cat isn't a very good mama, but at least she knows enough to leave her kittens where they'll be well cared for. (I swear, there IS a critter network!)

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  17. My friend Linda loves cats and has cats. The cats go to her husband. And they come to me - the not so keen on any animals person. Oh they are pretty. I just don't need them walking on me. Anyway - it's funny. Cats will run the household. Good luck and I hope a worthy person does get Daisy. (But sorry, it won't be me)

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    1. Well, there goes my theory. I always thought critters could sense which people were critter-friendly, and that's why I've always been a critter magnet. But you're not an animal person, and they're drawn to you, too. Huh. Maybe they're trying to change your mind...?

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  18. If only I lived closer. I would have been there to collect Daisy before you could finish saying 'cat lady starter kit.' which I've ordered by the way.
    My cat used to love licking the top of my boob with it's coarse tongue, whilst I was trying to sleep. Is it wrong that I slightly enjoyed it? Yep, thought so. Just pretend I didn't write that last bit...

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    1. Aw, geez, I can always count on you. You made me laugh out loud, kiddo. Nah,you aren't inappropriate at all. Never ever. Off the wall at times, but never inappropriate.

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  19. We have three cats, and I think that's enough for now. Especially since we have three kids. Hope your cats become friends or you find a nice home for her.

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    1. Three kiddies and three kitties sound about right. (As long as you and your hubby don't mind being out-numbered!)

      Thanks. I still have my fingers crossed that our cats reach an agreement.

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  20. Dear Susan,
    wow - three cats! I love the photo with the two of them in your arm and on your lap.
    Curious as a cat I am concerning the cool thing you do - will be here next Friday :)

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    1. Dear Britta,

      Yeah, I know! Three cats. But unlike in the past, we don't have any dogs, gerbils, hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits, birds, hermit crabs, tortoises, or tropical fish... That kinda makes three cats sound like nothing.

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  21. Spock the Cat is the first feline I have developed an ongoing relationship with. Just as I sit down and start writing on weekend morning he sees the kitchen light from the outside and comes rushing home. It's uncanny, but he wants almost exactly fifteen minutes of attention then he jumps off the table and walks back to the back door demanding to me let back out.

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    1. Hmmm, sounds like Spock is a little spooky. Never mind. He's a cat. They're ALL a bit uncanny.

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  22. World view of a dog:

    These people feed me-they take care of me-they must be gods!

    And of a cat:

    These people feed me...they take care of me.
    I must be a god!


    LC

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  23. Daisy is very pretty. Thank you for taking her in. I read that cats make that kneading motion because they do that on their mama's belly when they are nursing.

    Love,
    Janie

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    1. Well, we didn't exactly "take her in." It was more a matter of her deciding to move in with us.

      Yeah, I read that, too. The kneading action is supposed to be indicative of a contented cat. (Boy, ours must reeeeeally be content!)

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  24. My Smokey has been gone for four years now, but I remember her making that kneading motion. I tried to get her to do it to my shoulders, but you know...cats!

    Can't wait to hear about your cool adventure!

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    1. The cat we had before this current crop was named Smokey, too. He was a gorgeous gray Persian. He actually had papers with a very long sophisticated-sounding name, but tough. We called him Smokey.

      HA! Yeah, it'd been great if we could train cats to knead our shoulders and backs...

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  25. I am one of those rare middle-of-the-roaders who is both a a "cat person" AND a "dog person". I've had both for much of my life. In my apartment years, I had only cats. Now we have a cat and a dog. It is HARD to introduce new cats to each other, especially female cats.

    I'm not sure why, but I've found that female cats tend to be far less social, far less likely to be friendly to strangers, far less likely to tolerate dogs, and far less likely to tolerate other cats. I've had male cats who were total love bugs and who would love everyone, and I've had female cat who are stand-offish and reclusive, and only tolerated me (and barley that at times). You can pet a male cat for days on end and they'll never get enough -- a female cat goes from "please pet me now!" to a swirling mass of teeth and claws that attacks your hand after only a few minutes of petting.

    Of course this is only a generalization -- your mileage may vary, All cats are very unique individuals. They're all the same in that way. :)

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    1. Me, too. I love both dogs and cats, but I don't think we're all that rare. People who like animals... like animals. I miss having a dog, but it's a lot easier for us to go away nowadays than it was when we had to worry about boarding our pooches.

      Our girls are very social, especially when compared to our last cat, who was a male. But in his defense, the family we got him from had him in the basement by himself, so he hadn't gotten much socialization in his first six months of life. He got to be very social with us... when he was in the mood... but if anyone else came into the house, he went into hiding. Our girls are too nosy to hide, no matter who comes into the house.

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  26. Oh such pretty kitties! Yes, so funny, they DO think they should be worshiped don't they?

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    1. Yeah, they really DO. They all know how to pull off that haughty I-am-above-it-all air quite well. Until their curiosity gets aroused. Then all bets are off, and they forget all about being dignified.

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  27. It was so nice of you to take such good care of Daisy. I hope she finds a new family who treats her half as well as you do. Enjoy your blogging break!

    Julie

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    1. Thanks. I'm still hopeful she'll be making her permanent home with us, but only time will tell.

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  28. Did you get the comment? I have problems commenting. Oh,well. I will try again!
    I love this post. Your kittens are adorable!
    Your stories resonate....

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    1. Um, I got THIS comment.

      Thanks. I'm glad you like our kitties. And I'm especially happy to hear my story resonates with you.

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  29. I also have three cats and I think I'll stop, although years ago I thought I'd stop at two. Your cats are precious.

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    1. Ah, another three-catter. They're hard to resist, aren't they?

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  30. I am allergic to cats, but I still like them an awful lot. Can't own one, can't even pet one, but I admire them from a distance. Your Daisy is sooo cute. I am sure you will find a taker if she and Dash don't make nice.

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    1. I'm somewhat allergic to cats, too, but not enough to keep me away from them, thank goodness.

      No takers yet...

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  31. We adopted a kitten from a kill shelter and one of the workers told us she was weened and raised by another cat scheduled for… well, you know. After we brought the kitten home, we went back and rescued the surrogate mother. The two cats hated each other from day one. Sneaky move on the part of the shelter worker. :)

    VR Barkowski

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    1. HA! Shelter workers can be verrrrry sneaky. (But with good reason...)

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  32. Very lovely post.
    My friend had a similar problem with the new arrival. After awhile with the door closed we open the door (had the door jammed so it wouldn't open all the way) just a bit so they could sniff noses. It took forever but a sorta truce was made.

    cheers, parsnip

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    1. We haven't achieved truce status yet, but I'm still hopeful.

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  33. I've always been a dog person but I enjoy other people's cat and yours are adorable. My favorite cat line: "Dogs come when you call. Cats take a message and get back to you."

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    1. Yeah, that's a great line. But cats are in no hurry to get back to you. It's all in their own sweet time... if they don't have something better to do.

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  34. It makes TOTAL SENSE that Dash doesn't like Daisy.
    Until Daisy came along, Dash got to be the "New Kit In Town", the "New Kit On The Block".

    That 'Crazy Cat Lady Starter Kit' really made me laugh out loud... for a minute+.

    ~ D-FensDogg
    'Loyal American Underground'

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    1. Yeah, you're right. All cats like to be top dog. So to speak.

      Cool. A good laugh is good for whatever ails ya.

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  35. LOL! Yeah, you are definitely on your way Crazy Cat Lady status. TG assures me anything over two cats qualifies.

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    1. Oh, dear. Then I might as well embrace my craziness.

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  36. Awww...so cute! I didn't know there was a Crazy Cat Lady Starter Kit. :-) I'd be a crazy dog lady, but it's so hard to find someone to watch them when you go on trips, so I just stick with one for now.

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    1. I wouldn't mind being a crazy dog lady, too, but with cats, we have the freedom to go away for a few days whenever the urge strikes. We could never do that without advance planning when we had dogs.

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  37. Aww, I hope you find a great home for Daisy, or that they all start to get along. It's nice that you took her in.

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    1. Thanks. We haven't yet, but maybe our girls will all learn to tolerate each other. Maybe.

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  38. Aww, Daisy is so pretty. I hope she and Dash can learn to get along a little better. I made the same mistake when I got Nate and still had Thomas - I messed up when introducing them and really learned my lesson! They never really got along but could live together at least. I hope the same thing happens at your place and Daisy will be able to stay.
    Dash and Dot are such beautiful girls and I love the pic of the two of them on your lap!
    Can't wait to read about the fun stuff you're doing. :)

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    1. Thanks, It's heartening to hear your cats learned to live together. Maybe there's hope for ours, too. They're all so darned sweet.

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  39. i love this post. your cats are gorgeous. i read that opening quote a few years ago. it is absolutely true. they are arrogant, too. my cat woulnt even greet me at the door and this would be after i fed her. my daughter sure wasnt doing it. but they were lovey dovey - all day, all night. i was just the one who worked and put food in the dish. but i loved her just the same. cheers!1

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    1. Yeah, we cat lovers can be pathetic. The two we have now are very attentive... even when we don't want them to be... but the cat we used to have ignored us most of the time. Still, I loved him to pieces, and was grateful for whatever scrap of attention he was willing to give.

      Cheers!

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  40. Such a great post. I loved all the pictures. I hope Daisy and Dash can see their way clear to getting along with each other. Cats are so entertaining and loving to have around.

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    1. Thanks. Yeah, cats really are natural-born entertainers, and holding one (or two) of them on your lap, and listening to them purr is good for whatever ails ya.

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  41. LOL! My daughter keeps telling me that when she grows up she wants to be a cat lady. I love cats, but the allergens they introduce kill me. I think we have kids instead of pets, and that's just going to have to suffice for now.

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    1. I'm somewhat allergic to cats, but not enough to be a huge problem. One of our sons and one of his daughters can't be around cats for very long without being miserable, so they can't have any as pets in their house. Hmmm, you could be onto something. Maybe that's why he and his wife have so many kids. HA!

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