Sunday, January 31, 2016

Cats! (And Other Special Creatures)

Welcome!

This blog post is mostly about cats! I love animals in general, (We had cats, dogs and other assorted creatures when I was growing up.) and cats in particular, especially Greg's and my special babies who were litter mates that we got from a local animal shelter.

Most pet owners think their pets are special, and they are. Each one is unique and has its own personality.

For instance, Mitzi, our little tabby cat, is very outgoing and expressive. She's certainly not shy about telling you when she wants something. I'm usually pretty busy with my business, etc. projects, so to get my attention, Mitzi cleverly uses unique body language to let me know what she wants.

I guess you've probably heard the old expression, "He sings for his supper."

Well, Mitzi dances for hers!

I have no clue as to how she came up with this idea since I've never seen anything like it before, but she shakes her tale, and her back feet move up and down usually for ten seconds or more. If she wants a treat, she stands in front of a cabinet, and if she wants her regular food, she stands in front of the refrigerator and does her dance.

If we happen to be in another room when a hunger pang strikes, she dances in front of either a white rectangular piece of furniture or a white door which to her, I suppose, represents the refrigerator.

Check out the video below:

Hungry Dance

We have another adorable furry sweetheart, Kallie, our calico, who is shy, but the motherly type. She often treats Mitzi like she's the baby. Sometimes Kallie acts like she's consoling Mitzi, licking her like she's her kitten.

Kallie is also creative; she has invented a little game. She likes to jump into a small space behind our TV stand which is, like my Daddy used to say, "Not big enough to whip a cat in." (Excuse the expression!) She stays there a little while, and then jumps straight up and out which requires strong little legs and feet. These cats may be eight years old, but they are apparently in pretty good shape!


Kallie, Who Just Finished a Round of Her Jumping Game

They also like to occasionally copy each other. Kallie has learned to do a shorter version of Mitzi's dance, and Mitzi sometimes likes to play Kallie's jump-behind-the-TV game. My brother, Nick, said that one of his cats copies the other one sometimes. I guess we could just call these cats "copy cats!"

We do try to keep our kitties in good health, so as to avoid going to the vet. We do this partly by giving them the healthiest food we can find by researching on the Internet and by reading labels. I've also started preparing some of their food myself, with people food, going by guidelines on what to feed and what not to feed your cat.


The Cornucopia Institute (www.cornucopia.org) has a great report on dangerous/unhealthy pet food. One of the worst ingredients in a lot of pet food is carrageenan, as well as a host of others.

The link for that report is:

http://www.cornucopia.org/2015/11/new-report-exposes-dangerousunhealthy-pet-food/

Another site that discusses cat health including pet food, vaccines, etc. is:

www.catinfo.org

Locally, "Pet Pals of Maury County TN" is a wonderful group that provides for animals. They collect food for animals, as well as doing other things.

Check out their Facebook page: (I love the video about how a "vicious" dog that was chained became normal after he was unchained!)

https://www.facebook.com/PetPalsofMauryCountyTN


Two of Becky's Favorite Photography Subjects

Positive Thought: "A cat's eyes are windows enabling us to see into another world."-Irish Legend
Thanks for visiting! Until Sunday, February 7 (sooner or later!), Becky,  www.beckyarnottartist.com

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