Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Oh Shut Up FFS!!!


Ugh!
Yesterday morning when I woke up I discovered Taxi had gone walkabout sometime during the night… perhaps when I had gone out at 10PM to make sure my car was locked- I’m not sure when he went. He follows me everywhere- literally- and even more so since we came back from our holiday, so its possible he slipped out the door and I didn't notice, even though I am very careful to check where they all are all the time.
I knew something was up that morning when there was no Taxi on my bed, and Greebo was sitting looking at me with big, worried eyes.
After walking downstairs, I found Taxi was at the front door when I eventually heard him calling over my calling (he doesn’t have much of a voice).
He’s such a narna when he does get out! He doesn’t go anywhere- he just sits at the door he finds first and asks to be let back in. I checked all the windows and doors again, to make sure he doesn’t get out again.
And then when I mentioned it to someone they said perhaps I should let them go outside (and I quote): …well, if he wants to go out he’ll get out, you know…

I nearly lost the plot, and it’s not the first time someone has said this to me.

So let me just quickly make something irrevocably clear, before someone tells me again that I should let them go out and I’m doing them a disservice by keeping them in.
My cats have not, and will not, ever be allowed to go outside unless they’re on a leash with me.
In South Africa especially, keeping a cat indoors is unusual, and I regularly get told that I am being cruel or spiteful by not letting my furbabies roam.
I disagree completely.
And I researched this whole thing years ago when I decided to adopt a cat the first time. There’s huge international debate about which is best for cats- indoor or outdoor- and if you Google it you'll find plenty of arguments for and against. You have to make up your own mind.

For one thing, Taxi has FeLV (feline leukemia virus that attacks the immune system) and this is a problem in that he can infect and be infected by other cats with all sorts of illnesses.
Magic and Greebo are “safe” because they don’t fight, which is how the disease is transmitted if they are not already carriers at birth like Taxi was.
Statistics all over the world also show that cats are healthier and safer if kept indoors. In fact- most of the planet’s pet cats are indoor cats, or “window watchers”.
And anyone who’s met my cats will know that there’s nothing wrong with them at all. They’re happy, healthy, highly intelligent and lovable.
And I have the bonus of never worrying about them being hit by a car, or going into someone else’s house or garden, or being accidentally "adopted" by someone thinking they're strays.

Now keep your fargin opinions to yourself. Just because you allow your cat to roam doesn't make it right.

Here're some links where you can read more on this debate:
1. HARPSIE'S WEBSITE
2. Indoor VS Outdoor
3. If you are thinking of getting a cat, or already have one, there are some things that you should know…
4. THE INDOOR OUTDOOR DEBATE

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

I AM THE CAT AND I HAVE CERTAIN INALIENABLE RIGHTS

I have the right to walk over your face anytime I wish, day or night.
I have the right to observe and comment on any and all bathroom behavior. Further, I have the right to be highly offended by any closed door.
I have the right to smell your shoes to determine if you have been fraternizing or cavorting or frolicking with any highly questionable animals.
I have the right to assist in any food preparation, cooking, cleaning or eating event that may occur in the home.
I have the right to wake you at three in the morning if I find my food dish is not to my satisfaction.
I have the right to tip over any water container I deem unsuitable for consumption.
I have the right to meow at squirrels and birds that may dare to pass my windows.
I have the right to inspect any grocery items that come into the home. Further, I have the right to inhabit any paper bag or cardboard box that you bring home for as long as I wish.
I have the right to nap at any time and place I darn well please, without the distraction of being called or moved just because you want to sit down, wash your hands or use your computer keyboard.
I have the right to assist in the changing of bed linens and to chase the phantom creatures that hide beneath the sheets.
I have the right to look aloof when scolded for mistaking your toes for one of those pesky phantom creatures that hide beneath the sheets.
I have the right to kill paper towel rolls that otherwise might sneak up on you
I have the right to sleep on top of any appliance that is warm.
I have the right to your complete attention anytime you sit down to read or work.
And, finally, I have the right to be loved, petted, pampered, and entertained, for, as you know, the best things in life ... purr.

And, should you err in your ways, I will graciously forgive you. After all, you are only human, but I love you anyway.

Signed,

The CAT

I got this off my Yahoo Indoor Cats Group!

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

The Boys

Before they think I'm neglecting them with all the blogging about Magic!

Taxi's not limping at all anymore (he was still limping a little bit when we left for our holiday) but he's definitely picking up weight when he shouldn't. I'm going to have to watch him. Being an indoor cat he definitely gets less exercise than outdoor cats do, so I'm going to have to make sure he eats only his food and gets a little more mobile. He's never been fat, but he has slightly too round a shape though he doesn't look overweight yet.

Damien put a Christmas hat on Greebo, who was not impressed, but stayed still long enough for a photograph
Greebo is the same weight as he always has been at 5kg (11Lb), but he's a lot more relaxed around "strangers" (which translates to anyone who doesn't live in our house) than he used to be. He didn't like the petsitter much at all and poor Vic hardly saw him, but if my folks visit now he'll actually stay in the lounge with us rather than hide somewhere else in the house like he used to. I think its great as he's far too beautiful to hide away!

Monday, January 12, 2009

What You Wish Your Cat's New Year's Resolutions Were…

My human will never let me eat their pet hamster, and I am at peace with that.
I will not slurp fish food from the surface of the aquarium
I will not eat large numbers of assorted bugs, then come home and throw them up, so my humans can see that I'm getting plenty of roughage.
I will not lean way over to drink out of the tub, fall in, and then bolt right for my litter box. (It took FOREVER to get the stuff out of my fur.)
I will not use the bathtub to store live mice for late-night snacks.
We will not play "herd of thundering wildebeests stampeding across the plains of the Serengeti", over my human's bed while they're trying to sleep.
I cannot leap through closed windows to catch birds outside. If I forget this and bonk my head on the window and fall behind the couch in my attempt, I will not get up and do the same thing again.
I will not assume the patio door is open, when I race outside to chase leaves.
I will not stick my paw into any container to see if there is something in it. If I do, I will not hiss and scratch when my human has to shave me to get the rubber cement out of my fur.
If I bite the cactus, it will bite back.
When it rains, it will be raining on all sides of the house. It is not necessary to check every door.
I will not play "dead cat on the stairs" while people are trying to bring in groceries or laundry, or else one of these days, it will really come true.
When the humans play darts, I will not leap into the air and attempt to catch them.
I will not swat my human's head repeatedly, while they are on the family room floor trying to do sit ups.
When my human is typing at the computer, their forearms are NOT a hammock.
Computer and TV screens do not exist to backlight my lovely tail.
I will not puff my entire body to twice its size for no reason after my human has watched a horror movie.
I will not stand on the bathroom counter; stare down the hall, and growl at nothing, after my human has watched the X-Files.
I will not drag dirty socks onto the bed at night, and then yell at the top of my lungs so that my humans can admire my "kill."
I will not perch on my human's chest in the middle of the night and stare until they wake up.
I will not lie on my human's legs in bed at night, rendering them unable to move or turn over.
I will not walk on the key board when my human is writing important ,.kxnmzyuzxsklxjmcxbhxsaklsa.x

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Look How She's Grown!!

In the two short weeks we were away on holiday I think Magic doubled in size!!!
My sweet Taxi has barely left my side since we got home! I could hardly move in bed last night without him snuggling closer or sticking his head under my hand if I so much as twitched!
Greebo and Magic slept under Damien's duvet with him all night!
They're really glad to have us home, and its really cool to know they actually missed us!
I can also highly recommend "www.occupied.co.za" for future reference, and we'll be using them again for sure. It was such a weight off my mind to know someone was stopping by twice a day every day to feed them and spend a little time with them and clean out their litterbox properly, its always a concern when I ask family or friends to do it for me, because it's a schlep for them.