I’M JUST CURIOUS: And now, equal time for cat information

by Debbie Walker

I promised information about Cats this week. The article I read in Reader’s Digest was just a reminder that I had never done a column on our pets. Okay, I did Dogs last week, cats this week and I’m done. There are so many pets to have in your home now I would never get all the pets included. I am sorry if you feel slighted, that is truly not intended.

I never realized that cats treat humans about the same way they do each other. If you have had cats you may have noticed it, I never noticed. Dogs do treat us differently than each other. One thing I noticed over the years was dogs seem to want to entertain you whereas cats seem like they ignore us much of the time.

The article titled What Pets Want You to Know… by Krista Carothers and Jen McCaffery, tells me Cats like spending time with us. It is said cats would rather spend time with us than other cats or with their toys. I have had one or two over the years that would make you question that comment.

My granddaughter’s cat is letting her know these days that he does not want to be ignored; he wants attention and has developed a special cry to let her know this. I can’t help but wonder if he knows something about her pregnancy that we don’t know. We laughed yesterday and said the cat and baby will know each other by the time ‘Addie’ is born with as much time as Mr. Kitty has been laying on the momma’s belly.

I was interested to read a small paragraph that stated feral cats rarely meow. We had barn cats that pretty much stayed clear of my family. We were just providing their “housing.”

I was interested to know that cats are not always purring to say, “I am happy and contented.” It may mean they are sick or injured. It may be healing for them. It’s no secret that for years we have known their purring can have a healing affect for us.

They say cats can recognize their name. Does she sometimes not come when called. Suck it up, Buttercup, your kitty is probably just ignoring you!

Cats can hold a grudge. They may know you feed them, so be nice to the human. However, they also will remember who sprayed them with the water! Cats can be very unforgiving.

They learn for life. If they have hunted their food as a kitten, they can remember regardless of having spent years inside the home and being supplied with their food.

Kitties can be like humans in the idea of seeking attention. Your kitty can learn “I have been cute and am not getting the attention I seek, here let me do …… I will get her attention one way or another.”

A cat will likely feel less stress if they have their cozy, small places in the home.

It happened again. I ran out of writing space. I hope you are curious enough to pay close attention to your kitty to see what you might learn from them. Enjoy your pets whatever your choice might be. Contact me with questions or comments at DebbieWalker@townline.org. Thanks for reading!