Royal Felines

[NoBill Lurker]

How To Wrap A Cat For Christmas

[Queen Bonnie]

 TOO CUTE! My cats would NEVER stay that still!
No one wrapped Neri the kitten for me for Christmas!

[Tremayne]

My summer has been full of cats and gardening, so my thoughts naturally turn to you on occasion, Queen Bonnie. I've been thinking lately that cats particularly love a gardener--at least outdoor cats do. Either it's because we're outside to socialize with them or it's because we create a jungle for them to stalk through and pounce from. And, ahem, soft spots for them to do their business, which is how I met my first outdoor cat this spring. I was gardening in the evening and turned around to see a black kitten of about 5 mos making a deposit in the middle of my mulch.

Shortly after I began feeding this skinny, feral-but-friendly specimen, two other boney cats came out of the woods: an adult male gray who I thought at one time had belonged to neighbors but clearly wasn't being fed and a dilute tortoiseshell about the same age as the black. The black became "Bibs" shortly after our initial meeting because of a white bib where her through meets her chest. The torti is slowly becoming "Smudge" because her colors are so undefined and the gray I'm still considering. She is scared of people, though she seems to have a gentle nature (as opposed to Bibs who's an affectionate but a terror).

I really didn't need extra cats in my life, with a limited income and 2 cats indoors already, but I wanted to ensure that 3 cats didn't become 9 and then 20, so I've slowly been working on a neutering campaign. I caught the scaredy cat in a live trap and put her on a spare office/bedroom. I then had to recapture her (a harrowing experience for both of us) to take her to the vet for spaying. She is still in the spare room and I'm hoping to introduce her to the rest of the house this weekend. I'm hoping she's tamable and can remain indoors. The gray, who I have yet to name, got an upper respiratory bug and I've only just now gotten him to the vet for some antibiotics. He's a friendly and gentle guy so trauma to him but not to those of us who had to handle him. He's got an appointment to be neutered.

I had almost everyone's sexes mixed up to begin with. I was so hoping that Bibs was a male that I ignored a rather obvious pregnancy until right before she had kittens. I'd thought the gray was a female and these other two were her kittens, until he lifted his tail--and then I knew I was in real trouble, because it meant here were two females and a male ready to impregnate them ad infinitum. Bib's is just now past her kittens, none of which I ever saw and clearly haven't survived, so she's probably next to the vet and I dread seeing her response to being crated.

But through all the trials, it's been nice having the company of cats when I'm out gardening. I prefer not to let my two indoor cats outdoors (except in a fenced area) because of various risks. And since there's no fence, I can't let my dogs out front. The gray cat was, in fact, my neighbors and she came over one day looking for him saying how distressed she was that he'd disappeared. I showed her what I was feeding and suggested she feed him. Cats may like gardens but they like being fed even more. As far as I can tell, she's done nothing for this cat she supposedly loves. He now rarely leaves my yard and oddly seems to have considered the trip to the vet this morning something of a bonding experience. He disappeared for the afternoon but was never far away this eveing when I went out for some planting and mulching. He was in quite high spirits and did some zipping around despite his beleagured lungs.

And there ends my kitty saga for now. I rarely get on here nowadays but had a some time this evening. Eventually I'll hope to pop back in (probably around xmas) to tell you that everything turned out great: Smudge a petable house cat and everyone unbreedable.

[C Dragonworks]

I wish I could have outdoor cats...but for some reason the farm is tough on outdoor cats. I think the neighbors put out poison for the Wildcats and coyotes because my outdoor cats I moved up here all showed up poisoned and died! So I swore off outdoor kitties! And such a lovely cat garden I have!

[Queen Bonnie]

 Lovely to hear you have been adopted Tremayne! HUGS! Those are the best Kitties. Batman is my only indoor/ outdoor kitty and he loves the garden and guards the yard- but a pack of wild dogs scared him so he does not stay out much anymore. The rest are indoor kitties. They do tend to last longer that way.

[Lavender]

Last fall a neighborhood cat had kitties under our porch. We caught one in a live trap and she now resides in our library.  She is a beautiful long haired calico.  Her brother has become our outdoor kitty.  He is part Siamese with the markings and blue eyes, but has rings on his tail.

[Queen Bonnie]

 They both sound pretty! They are lucky cats to have a good home! I am so partial to Siamese.

[DT_Masters]

My coworker who took Nimer home a year and a quarter ago, says she's an outdoor, indoor kitten. He sees her about once a week. I was driving by his place two months ago and saw cattle on it......he told me they belong to a neighbor.

I wonder how an outdoor kitten sees cattle.

[dbaldock]

My coworker who took Nimer home a year and a quarter ago, says she's an outdoor, indoor kitten. He sees her about once a week. I was driving by his place two months ago and saw cattle on it......he told me they belong to a neighbor.

I wonder how an outdoor kitten sees cattle.

Maybe like this?   

[Queen Bonnie]

 Yikes! Funny! Scary too!
How do YOU spoil your Royal Felines?
Tachi insists on drinking ice water- out of a glass and I have to hold it for him. I feed him baby food from a spoon. Also bits of white meat chicken. He is very spoiled rotten! He sleeps next to me with his head on my heart.

[dbaldock]

I don't know if this link will work for you, but "Element of Air" posted a shot she took of 3 kittens she's fostering (who need to go to good homes) sleeping on her Rottweiler.      

Picture link

Take Care,
David Baldock

[Queen Bonnie]

 AWWW! Too cute!
  They are so tiny!
What sweet dog to let those kittens nurse!
I hope they get good homes. I have my hands full with 4 here.

[Mairte]

We have three cats around here, they are my daughters. Moonshadow is an OLD longhaired black tomcat, Eddie is a black and white six toed cat and Gaz is a black domestic shorthair/siamese.
My daughter spoils the heck out of them. When my sister visited she had a good laugh about the "fat, lazy, tomcats."

[Taffy Saltwater]

It is so nice to read the loving people/loving kitties stories here - ya'll make me feel all warm & gooey inside.

It is with a great deal of sadness that I announce that I had to euthanize my Spooky Cat yesterday.  Old age catches up to all of us and it became clear on Sunday that she was not going to "go gentle into that good night."   On Sunday evening her back leg quit without notice and was causing her pain, so that was the deciding vote right there.  She led her life on her own terms.

[Rani Zemirah]

Oh, Taffy... I'm so sorry to hear this.  I know how special she's been to you, and how you have admired her independent spirit. The two of you have been well matched, and I know you will miss her fiercely.  I'll miss the stories of her adventures.  I wish you Peace, my friend...