C is for Cats #AtoZChallenge

On day three of the April 2018 A to Z Challenge, the letter is C.

I wrote about Charlie and Cooper yesterday, and toyed with the idea of just doing that again (C is for Charlie Brown and Cooper), but no.... I'll write about my cats!!

My cats don't really get equal time anymore.

I was a crazy cat lady WAY before I became a crazy dog lady. At one time, we had 28 cats at our farm... 7 were mine, a few belonged at the farm, and about 18 were "rescued" from an old lady who had too many cats. Yes, there really was a woman I knew who had over 60 cats! In a house!!

Out of that batch of cats came our favorite cat: Mister Kitty. Renowned for his acting more like a dog than a cat, and being my dog, Timba's, most faithful companion. How we loved him. I still think about Mr. Kitty every single day. No exaggeration!

These days, we share our lives with Cali, Tux and Newman. Newman is the one who behaves most like Mr. Kitty -- he comes when I whistle, just like he's a dog. He leaps on the window screen in the middle of the night when he wants to come in, just like Mr. Kitty did. I often wonder if he's Mr. Kitty, reincarnated!

I love my cats so much. I don't talk about them as often as my dogs, but I don't know what I would do if I did not have the cats OR the dogs in my life. They are such a comfort. I love seeing my cats every morning as they perform their antics in an attempt to be fed "breakfast". And every night, I do a head count to make sure they're here and safe.

My cats are beautiful! They all have very unique markings, and I think that makes them so special. They are one-of-a-kind cats. All three of them!

The beautiful Cali-co!

Blurry, but cute! Newman.

Talk about whiskers! Tux. 

How to Evaluate Your Senior Pet's Quality of Life

A question I get all the time from friends, family and on social media is "How Will I Know...." (when my senior pet is ready to go). We've all heard those with experience say "You will just know." Well, in my personal experience, I have only had to euthanize one pet -- my beloved Hobie -- and believe me, I did not "just know". I spent at least two years riding the roller coaster of watching my dear dog suffer, then rally. At times, he appeared to be on death's door. The next morning, he would be running and playing with my two younger dogs, me, and the cats, or swimming in the lake. So, will you "just know"? Maybe. Maybe not.

Gee, I'm helpful!

In my journey with all the senior pets I've had the pleasure to know (I am so grateful for those experiences), one thing I learned about is the Quality of Life Scale For Pets. Sometimes this is called The HHHHHMM Scale.  I strongly recommend that you bookmark one of these links, and keep it handy if you have a senior dog or cat that is nearing the end of its life.**

Filkin, lived to be 17

Maggie, the last of the "Connie Cats" lived to be 21

Mr. Kitty, whose life we saved, lived to be 16

Love Kitty, who was hit by a car, and her daughter, Filkin, ca. 1985

The HHHHHMM Scale, or Quality of Life Scale For Pets was created by veterinary oncologist Alice Villalobos, DVM and is designed to give the average pet parent the information they need to continue assessing any dog or cat's general quality of life. The criteria is simple, and you can review each item on the list quickly and easily every day. It basically goes like this:

HURT
HUNGER
HYDRATION
HYGIENE
HAPPINESS
MOBILITY
MORE GOOD DAYS THAN BAD

You rate each item on a scale of Zero to Ten, with zero being "awful" and ten being "ideal".

Here's an example I would have used with Hobie at any point in 2014 (when he was having more and more bad days):  Hurt = 7, Hunger = 10, Hydration = 5, Hygiene= 2, Happiness = 4, Mobility = 4, More Good Days Than Bad = 9 for a total score of 41. Note that a total of more than 35 points means the pet's quality of life is acceptable.  Pretty good, right? Easy for anyone to figure out, and comforting for you and your family when you're feeling stressed out because Fifi is having a bad day.

Timba, in her later years (she was 18!) and the first Charlie (Charlie the cat) 

So, even though Hobie smelled bad (hygiene), seemed somewhat unhappy and was having major mobility issues, he was still having, overall, more good days than bad, and scoring high on each of those days. Even though, WITHIN those days there was bad stuff...mainly, arthritis, difficulty standing and walking, peeing and pooping and then falling down in it (ugh) and trouble staying hydrated.... he was still more happy than not, and having more good days than bad. Eventually, that all flipped, and he began having many bad days. And I guess, you might say, it was then that I "knew".

Good day!!

Good day! Tongue out!

Another method I've heard of is a little easier to remember and much more simplified: Eating, Drinking, Pooping, Peeing.  If your pet is eating, drinking, pooping and peeing normally, on more days than not (maybe with an occasional day that seems "off") then life is still good. I would add to the list: "Moving". If the pet has severe trouble moving, that's a huge indicator of a less than ideal quality of life.  Remember, we all have sick days -- dogs and cats are no exception.

Hobie on a "sick day". He had just gotten home from the hospital
and was confined to the kitchen to keep the other pets form bugging him.

I've borrowed a phrase for the later years of a pet's life (age 12 and higher): "doggie hospice" or "kitty hospice". Some veterinarians are coming around to actually providing hospice for dogs and cats. All this really means is that, with the vet's help, you learn how to assess your dog's or cat's situation on a daily basis, and you make him or her as comfortable as possible during this time. It also means spending as much quality time together as possible -- because an animal's life is short enough already, and I guarantee that you will regret if you don't spend as much fun and loving time as possible with your pet during this phase of his or her life. That doesn't mean that you call in sick to work, shirk your responsibilities to family, or anything drastic like that -- it just means, try to make your time together truly memorable for yourself, and comforting for your pet.  It also doesn't mean playing ball, running, taking long walks, or anything that will cause your pet distress or pain. Gentle, loving time together. Maybe your dog sits beside you, snoozing, while you work in the garden; your cat sleeps on your lap (or keyboard!) while you work at your computer or surf the web -- that sort of activity. (And don't forget to take pictures!! Lots, and lots of pictures).

One thing that I did (and yeah, I'm a crazy pet lady, remember!) is that I moved my bedroom downstairs to our walk-out basement. That meant Hobie did not have to climb stairs during the last seven months of his life. The photo below is him walking on the basement floor, which I covered with doggy-safe non-slip rugs that can easily be thrown in the washing machine if an (oops!) accident occurs (as happened quite frequently).  Yeah, I'd do just about anything for my dogs and cats!

Hobie, on one of his last days. Still plugging along, but with difficulty.

One of my favorite memes circulating on the interwebs is the one that says something about the dog or cat being dependent on you, the human, for everything. You are his everything. Pets, especially dogs, crave your companionship above almost everything else other than eating and sleeping. Dogs are pack animals and need to know their pack is nearby. Whether that's one human, six humans, four other dogs, 19 barn cats, a parrot, a bunny rabbit, or a combination of critters. The pack is the pack. Reassure your dog as much as possible by providing her with human or animal companionship whenever possible. It's great if you have other pets in the household, because then the company is built-in!

Take pictures! Take pictures!

All the pets loved Hobie!

So, go ahead and bookmark, save, or print a copy of the Quality of Life Scale for Pets and keep it handy for your pets senior years. The scale applies to both dogs and cats.

Got a question about your senior pet? Drop me an email at k2k9dogs@gmail.com, or pose your question in the comments below. I'd love to hear from you.

Thanks for reading!

**This is NOT a sponsored or paid post!**

It's #NationalBlackCatDay

In celebration of #NationalBlackCatDay, I'm re-posting the story of my beloved black cat, Mr. Kitty.

Today, I have Tux who is black and white; and Cali who is a Tortie cat, (mostly black with brown and white). So, no black cats with me today, but Mr. Kitty has always been with us in spirit.

Mr. Kitty took a piece of my heart and never let go.  I think of him every single day.  His is the first story I wrote for the k2k9 blog.

Mr. Kitty

Mr. Kitty -- the Reincarnated Dog

In 1991, about 20-some-odd cats came to our care at the farm.   These 20-odd cats were promptly deposited into our barn, having been driven in a VW hatchback several hours from their New Jersey home where three times that many cats had been living in one house.

Of the 20-plus cats, one very young male cat made himself an immediate friend to us.  Much to the chagrin of many of the people living at the farm.  These folks could've been described as "anti-cat people."

At the time, I was a "cat person", having not yet adopted my two dogs Hobie and Hector, who would come to us many years later.  Oh sure, I had my faithful Timba, and we had Annie and a few others, but during the early 1990s, I most assuredly and most definitely loved cats more than dogs.  To have 20 cats deposited on my doorstep was a dream come true.  I was in love with every last one of them.

This one young male cat was very small, very skinny, and rather sickly.  Someone called him "Skinny Bops" -- I mean even people who hated cats couldn't help talk about this cat and give him a nickname!  That's how likable he was.  "Skinny Bops", later to be re-named "Mr. Kitty" by me, was originally mistaken to be a female.  He was so tiny and sprightly, and he just seemed rather feminine.

Many of the anti-cat people were not happy about the cats.  They wanted to have the cats destroyed, despite the well-known fact that their previous owner was promised these cats would be cared for for the rest of their lives, and despite the fact that the cats had been saved from certain destruction -- at great personal expense -- in the form of an old woman's broken heart.  The woman loved those cats as if they were her own flesh and blood.  She felt responsible for them.  She made us promise they would not be destroyed.  We promised.  They would not be.  They would not  be destroyed.

The first cat to be considered for euthanasia was "Skinny Bops".  He (she, at the time) was very sickly and had a giant bald spot on his (her) side which he (she) would lick for hours on end.  He (she) wouldn't eat, and seemed to be wasting away.  People talked about having this particular cat "put to sleep" at length.  We stood in the way.  This was our most favorite of all the cats that had been delivered to us that day.

We started noticing, when cars pulled in the driveway of the farm, the dogs Timba and Annie (and other visiting dogs) would run up and greet the people arriving.  Along with them, every time, was the little black cat.  I started declaring that he (she) was not just a cat.  He (she) was a very special cat who was really a reincarnated dog!  He (she) acted like a dog in many ways.  While many cats run away and hide from people, or at least sit in defiance, aloof off in a corner with one eye open, this cat was different.  He (she) would run up to people, greet them, meow at them, rub against them and hang around with the dogs, not with the other cats!  He (she) was part of the dog's pack!

We started allowing this cat to hang out in our living quarters at the farm.  We had a large painted wooden deck that overlooked the 150 or so acres of rolling farmland right outside our sliding glass door that the dog, Teaneck (also from New Jersey) knew how to open with his paw, even if it was locked!  The little black cat also learned how to open that sliding door, as well as an old-fashioned "half-screen" that held open the window in the summertime.  The cat would open the door, or the screen, and dart off in search of bats that lived in the cupola of the barn in great abundance.  This cat could catch a bat, in his mouth, every time.  He would bring them to our apartment as "gifts", and then we'd have to enlist his help in catching the flying critter again, so we could escort the little Count Draculas out of our apartment.

I started calling the cat "Missy" because she (he) was a bit mischievous.  I would say things like, "Hey, Missy! Don't open that window!"  The name "Missy" eventually evolved into "Miss Kitty" -- in spite of the character from the old Gunsmoke television show.

One day, Miss Kitty walked up to some inanimate object, I don't remember if it was indoors or out, backed into it, and sprayed a big long stream of urine onto the object.  That was the day it occurred to me that Miss Kitty was not a Missy at all.  She was a he!  We immediately renamed the cat Mr. Kitty, and that name stuck.

We never did allow anybody to kill Mr. Kitty.  He ended up living with us for years, and becoming elderly.  When we left the farm, Mr. Kitty was one of only seven cats we were able to rescue from certain death.  Mr. Kitty moved with us to our next house where we lived for about a year.  And then back to my little cottage on the pond where we all lived -- me, Gil, Timba, Mr. Kitty, Love Kitty, Filkin, Maggie, Charlie, Louise and two parakeets.  We picked up another cat, Pointy, at the cottage.  We lived in the little cottage, all eleven of us, for about three years, and then we moved across the street where we still live today, minus all of the cats except Maggie.  Mr. Kitty came along for all those moves.  When we moved across the street, he refused to be brought over in a cage like he had the previous two times.  Instead, he walked across to the new house with me and Timba.

Mr. Kitty remained Timba's companion, going with her on her morning walks every day, and her afternoon walks every day, for the next 5 years or so.  When Timba passed away, Mr. Kitty was as sad as the rest of us.  He became old himself.

In the end, we tried to provide medical cures for Mr. Kitty, but it was hopeless.  His kidneys had failed, and he, the former "Skinny Bops" was losing weight. The vet sent us home and told us he'd euthanize Mr. Kitty if and when we needed it to happen.  Mr. Kitty even lived several more months after that.  In October of 2002, Mr. Kitty hadn't been outside in about a year.  Never being a house cat, it was difficult for us, because he really didn't know how to use a litter box.  

One day in late October, it was one of those Indian-summer days when it's warm during the day, but cold at night.  Mr. Kitty "asked" to go outside.  We let him out.  He walked the neighborhood, on the same route as he had once done with Timba.  He went door-to-door, visiting all of his and Timba's old haunts.  He didn't come back in the house that night.  We left the garage open for him -- all our cats know to go to the garage if they have to stay outdoors overnight.

The next morning, my neighbor hollered over to me, "Are you missing a cat?"  I said yes.  She said she found a dead cat in her yard.  She put the cat in her trash barrel.  She asked me to come over and ID the body.  Sure enough, lying there curled up in a little ball was our beloved Mr. Kitty, dead as a doornail, and flat as a board.  She said, "He's flat as a board. Why is he like that?"  I explained that he had been very sick for many months. Poor lady thought her husband had run over the cat with his car!  No, Mr. Kitty was just that skinny.  Skinny as the day we met him in 1991.  No, skinnier.


We buried Mr. Kitty in the Timba Memorial Park, right beside his beloved canine pal, Timba.

Timba and Charlie the cat.  I don't have a picture of Timba with Mr. Kitty. 

Celebrate National Cat Day on October 29, 2016

*This is not a sponsored post.*


It's National Cat Day!

Do you know where your kitties are?

Well, hopefully, they're right by your side.  I've got one clawing the back of the new living room chair; I've got another eating (and eating, and eating, and eating); and the third one is walking on my keyboard as I type this.

This week, I was thrilled to learn that the k2k9 blog was listed as one of the Top 50 Cat Blogs by Thoroughly Reviewed.   It is such an honor to be among so many of the other cat bloggers that I admire!  Truly an honor.  I am humbled.  

Cali.  Currently my only female pet.  We girls stick together!

This human has had an exhausting week.  Since it's Caturday, and it's raining, we're going to stay home and get some things accomplished indoors today.  Like, maybe a cat nap?

Newman found a new place for his cat nap.

The folks at nationalcatday.com have posted The Top 20 Ways to Celebrate National Cat Day on their website.

How will you and your cat(s) celebrate the day?  Tell me in the comments, or on Twitter or Facebook.

Until next time, keep meowing out loud!

Tux, who just finished eating.  Again. 

Look-alike cats

This is a picture of one of my current feline companions, Cali (with her "brothers", Newman and Tux).

And THIS, is a picture of a cat I gave to my mother when I was in my 20s (yeah, don't give anyone a pet for a present = bad idea!).  Mom didn't keep that cat, she gave it away to a neighbor.  But anyway, isn't the resemblance between these two cats uncanny?

But there's more.... these are my two cats (I miss them so much!) Filkin and (yes) Charlie.  Filkin was older, by a year or two.  Charlie (the cat) was given to me by a friend who could not keep him (gee, that happens a lot!). These two looked exactly alike, and folks always thought they were related, but they weren't.

Have you ever been owned by look-alike cats?  Tell me about it by posting a comment.

Thanks for reading!

Purrfect Together: Celebrate the Bond Between You and Your Kitty This September

September is Happy Healthy Cat Month—and there's never been a better time to show our cats some extra love. Recently, the cat lovers at Meow Mix ran the Purrfect Together Survey, which asked cat parents around the country about their special bond with their four-legged friends. Here are some of the meow-nificent results:

 

83% of cats take naps with their humans

 

This is surprising—and not because 83% of people love napping with kitty. The bigger question is: Who are the 17% of deprived humans who don't get to experience the joy of napping with their cats? 

 

80% of cat parents believe they can interpret their kitty's meows

 

While humans and cats may purr in different languages, that doesn't stop most cat mommies and daddies from understanding what their kitty wants—whether it be some treats, cat nip, or just a snuggle partner.

 

72% of cat parents love to surprise their kitties with treats

 

Speaking of treats, nothing makes a cat happier than some spontaneous, unexpected goodies from the person who cares for them the most.

 

55% of cats love chicken-flavored nibbles

 

Exciting news: Meow Mix has just released a brand new culinary-inspired food made with real chicken or salmon, Bistro Recipes—a classy meal for a classy kitty! Head over Meow Mix's new Purrfect Together web portal [http://bit.ly/meowsterpieces-k2s] right meow, and you can download a coupon for $2.50 off any bag of Meow Mix Bistro Recipes. 

 

And that's not all! You need a classy painting to go with that classy meal. On the Purrfect Together portal, you can enjoy the unique experience of converting a photo of you and your cat into a Meowsterpiece—a digital "oil" painting that helps express and immortalize your cat-love on canvas. I did it, and you should too!

My "Meowsterpiece" !!  

The original photo

 

Now it's time to show me how special your human-cat bond is! Post your Meowsterpiece on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram with the hashtag #PurrfectTogether. Be sure to share your thoughts in the comments below.

 

Wishing a fantastic Happy Healthy Cat Month to you and your feline friend!

Famous Office Cats

Newman likes the "new" office chair that I brought home from work.  Hey, we had extra chairs, and I liked this one.  Looks good in the living room!

Mom's rocking chair and table; G's RPI lamp; and the office chair.
On the G. Myers wall (painting and photos by my friend G. Myers)
Newman on chair.

Want to see more famous office cats?  Click here! 

Selfie:  Cali and me!

Keeping Your Cats Happy Indoors

With this extreme cold weather (40 below zero with the wind-chill today!), there is no way my little kitty devils are going outside.  My cats are indoor/outdoor cats, and they spend most of their time literally going in and out of the door (I figure maybe I burn calories running up and down the stairs all day to cater to them!).  When outside, they are never far away... always lounging with the dogs on the deck, or hanging around the Tiny House that occupies a small corner of my property.  They know their territory, and rarely venture outside of the boundaries of our yard.  Smart little cookies!

Nevertheless, it is much too cold outside this weekend to risk the chance of Tux, Cali or Newman getting stuck outside someplace.  So, inside they stay.  This requires some fancy footwork on my part, and a lot of patience, as they can get into trouble, get bored, or stir up the Pack Leader, Charlie, who can sometimes start herding them around inside the house.  There is never a dull moment around here, that's for sure!

One of my fellow blogging/internet friends sent me this awesome infographic with tips for keeping felines happy indoors.  Check it out, and enjoy.  Feel free to Pin or Tweet!



Keeping Your Cat Happy Iindoors by Terrys Fabrics.

Meow Mix and the 2016 #CatsMeowAwards

2016 Cat Oscars: Meow Mix Announces the Year's Best Internet Cat Moments

Award show season is here and while there are certainly some human actors worthy of purr-aise, I think it's about time we acknowledge those creatures who know the best way to work a red carpet... is to shed on it!

I recently partnered with Meow Mix cat food to recognize the year's top four-legged performances in The 2016 Cat's Meow Awards.    

Meow Mix brand received more than 25,000 video submissions from all over the country for the Cat's Meow Awards  which was established to celebrate the best cat moments of the year and the one-of-a-kind bond that only cats and humans share.  

My personal favorite, before I even knew who won, is "Tissue Box" in the "Best Kitty Hijinks" cat-egory... because, well, obviously, the cat's name is Tux and he looks just like my Tux... but, my Tux also loves to curl up in a 
too-small box.  Here's a picture!

The left paw doesn't quite fit!

Bottomless Pit (er.... I mean Tux... MY Tux, not the one in the video)... also happens to love Meow Mix cat food (all my cats do).  Since I generally only write sponsored posts for products we already use, was I excited to take a break from taking a break (see December's post) in order to work with Meow Mix on this great campaign.

Mom really does feed us Meow Mix!

Did you know Meow Mix brand created a new line of Irresistibles treats so that you can give your cats the award they're really looking for?  With real meat, a wide variety of flavors, and both soft and crunchy textures, your cat will be sure to thank you in his acceptance speech.

Go to https://irresistiblemoments.com/ and share your cat's irresistible moment to get a FREE bag and see tons of other cool cat content.

View clips from The 2016 Cat's Meow Awards show below:

Con-cat-ulations to all of the 2016 Cat's Meow Awards finalists and winners!

BEST CAT-HLETE

BEST CAT NAPPER




BEST CAT CUDDLE




WILD CAT CARD



BEST KITTY HIJINKS

      ^^ Best Kitty Hijinks includes my favorite video "Tissue Box" -- check it out!^^


Which one is YOUR favorite?  Tell me in the comments below, or follow us on social media with a comment there, and be sure to share, Pin or re-Tweet.

52 Snapshots of Life, Week 10: Mischief

MISCHIEF is a topic no pet blogger should have any trouble blogging about!  With six pets, we've got mischief in spades around here!  The clincher is being fast enough on the camera buttons for a photo blog hop like 52 Snapshots of Life, hosted by our pals at The Lazy Pit Bull. When you're trying to catch your critters in the act of mischief, blurry photos and runaway pets are a huge part of the equation.

Newman must have received a message about this through the kitty cosmos, because all week I was trying to catch someone in the act of mischief-making, and kept falling one step short.  Yesterday morning, he practically staged the event for me!  I woke up to the sound of paper ripping.  Sure enough, Newms had gotten ahold of a roll of paper towels, as he often does.

The view from my bed! 

Not having a camera handy, I grabbed the first device I could find -- the iPad that I keep beside my bed so I can play Words With Friends in the middle of the night while Hobie is outside relieving himself at, oh, 3 a.m.!  Unfortunately, the sun was blazing through a nearby window, so the best mischievous moment of the day (Newmie with paper-towel stuck to his lip!) didn't come out great.

 



Nevertheless, I got some great shots with both the iPad, and, eventually, the real camera.  He was nice enough to keep playing while I ran upstairs to get the Canon!  Snap, snap, snap!  Enjoy!

"Cooper can't have any."

"What? I'm not doin' anything."

Really getting into it now.

"Must. Concentrate. Must. Concentrate."

"Nom, nom, nom." 

"Yum!"

"But look how cute I am...."

"...You can't possibly be mad."
   

"I want you to know, I had absolutely NOTHING to do with this.
I'm way over here, across the room! "     

"Heh.  I'm all done, now."

"Ho-hum.  That was boring."

"Where to next?"

"Out there, maybe?"

"Think I'll just leap off this table...."