Scratchings-and-Sniffings

The Grumpy Old Lady Looks Around

When you're a cat, you don't always get the best view of things. I like looking around at the things Mom keeps hidden way up high. Seriously, they should all be ground level so I can climb on them, sniff at them, and rub them. Gotta get my scent on everything, ya know!

I finally figured out what to do. I just sit by Mom and meow. If I'm patient, and if I meow softly, she'll pick me up and whisper in my ear and take me all around the house. Sometime I give a little purr - just to make her happy.

In this picture I'm pretending to try and get down, but I don't really want to. I like it when Mom carries me all around the new house. She's soft and she lets me cuddle up to her and I get free rides to my food bowl, my bed (which she still thinks is HER bed! oh really?), and to the front window where I can make sure no one is lurking outside.

Ok...sometimes I have to wail really loud...to get her attention. But, once she comes to see what's wrong, I give that pitiful little meow and...scoop...I'm up in her arms in the wave of a whisker.

I know how to get what I want.

Grumpy Old Lady: Wabby Speaks Out on Sleeping Conditions

Wabby here - sharing a bit of news on sleeping conditions in the new place. Seriously, there's a huge bed upstairs and I claimed it the day we moved in. So, why do Mom and Tom think they can just hop in there and take up all the room?

I guess they can't help it. They can't curl up in a ball like I do. And, I've taken care of everything - I situate myself right at the bottom of their feet. A hint of a foot coming my way gets the proper scowl and they are smart to remove it! Instead, they rightly contort themselves into strange positions to avoid disturbing me, and then they whine in the morning when their back or neck hurts.

Oh well! Just so they remember who's in charge here!

Attending the Vet Conference in Florida

Dr. Larry wrote a post this morning about our attending the North American Veterinary Conference in Orlando, this weekend and into next week. Our focus is Feline Health - sort of a Myth of Nine Lives. I've written before about the lack of attention we give our cats. It's not that we don't love our cats - gosh, we love'em to pieces!

But, cat's are stoic. Cats are independent. Cats can be sick and just go off and lie around and we think it's normal. So, it seems that we tend to take our cats for granted. We think they're okay cause they act as if they are. Even when they vomit, we chalk it up to hairballs and clean up after them. Many of us forget to be on the alert for reasons other than hairballs, for upset cat tummies. The folks over at the CATalyst Council talk about that a bit now and then.

Purr-Purr Little Kitty: Why do you purr?

Wabby has become a purring machine! She loves to have me pick her up and carry her around, which I think I've already told you, but she is also high on the purr scale lately.

I've always associated her purring with pleasure. She likes being held and cuddled, and when we do that, she purrs. When she's on our bed resting and we pet her, she purrs. It all makes sense.

But, reality shows that sometimes cats purr out of stress. Who knew? I discovered that cats don't always purr out of pleasure over at Ask.com, and then decided to find out more information.

A Note from the Wabby

It's been awhile since I got a chance to write a note - Mom is always hogging the computer!

I just wanted to let all my fans know that I'm happy in this new home. Mom and Tom are working hard (as they should) to make everything good for me. They made some really great new steps for me so I can climb up on the bed easier. And, Mom is good about making the bed in the morning. Some cats might not care about that, but I prefer to nap on a well-made bed. (unless the 'dog' is here - she's written about the dog, right? Hmph! She is so annoying! Last time I had to crawl under the covers on the bed to get away from her and Mom almost kicked me on the floor when she got in bed!)

Dogs better than cats? I don't think so! (a word from the Wabby)

This will amaze a lot of kitties out there - it sure amazes me, but my Mom has a book on the floor by her desk that says, "Why Dogs are Better than Cats." Huh? I can't get the book open so I don't know why anyone would write a book like that and I can't figger out why my Mom would read it!

Seriously, hasn't this person (unless it's a dog...yeah, maybe a dog wrote it!) is clueless, he must not know that "dogs drool, cats rule." Who doesn't know that? Cats are easy to live with, we keep our space clean, we don't cause a lot of trouble, and you don't have to walk us twice a day!

Really, dogs do drool - tell me they don't!

Wabby Takes Over the Keyboard

Ok, Mom and Tom are busy doing something, I don't know what, so I'm going to share some more strange happenings here at the Wabby Wibby household.

For instance, my litter box has been moved. Now, seriously, that's a big offense and I've spent days trying to convey that to Mom, with loud wails and crying in the middle of the night (they don't like it when I do that, I know from past experience)...but, Mom has not put my box back. Oh, it's still in the closet - that big closet she uses. But, it's hidden behind some robes - as if she doesn't want anyone to know it's there.

Hmph! I won't resort to using something else, I like my litter box. But, I wish she would put it back.

Wabby Wibby Speaks Up

My Mom doesn't let me talk much on this blog - and I don't really care, except that lately I've had a lot to say and she has been ignoring me. So, I'm taking over the keyboard today, and I'm going to vent.

First of all, what's up with that visit to the vet? She knows I don't like traveling in the car! That 'thing' they put me in is so small - I can turn around in it, but that's all. Luckily, Mom sits in the back with me and I can see through the top - good enough to give her a lot of deep, dark stares, and make lots of growling meows.

Cats Chewing on Strange Stuff

I have a friend who has a cat that won't leave her wool sweaters alone. He sucks and chews on them to her distraction and she'd like to know why and what to do about it. 

I can attempt the why part but the what to do part can be more difficult. 

 

Some cats develop a tendency to chew on a variety of things other than their food. These can include clothing items like sweaters, plastic bags, panty hose and even their owner's hair. It seems odd but the Siamese, Siamese crosses and the other oriental breeds are more likely to do this than other breeds, but any mixed breed cat may be affected, too. 

 

Why the Siamese? There are theories around nursing behavior and the typical age that breeders wean most kittens.

Suppose... A Little Thought for Our Move

We've made the decision. We're preparing to move to Colorado. Good-bye, NY State. You won't have Windsor Media to kick around, anymore.

One thing that hindered our decision was how this move would affect our precious Wabby Wibby. She seems more elderly with each passing day. Mind you, she looks lovely, and she is her normal, sometimes affectionate, other times standoffish, self...but, she doesn't get around as well as she used to, and she's so much thinner these days. We feed her Senior diet, and she loves it, along with treats in the morning and evening, but...it's time for a complete blood panel to find out what's up with her weight.

The boxes and rearranging of furniture has her curious. Not confused, which I thought she would be, but, curious. She comes out every day to see what's up, check on what we're doing, and to make sure her favorite spot on the bed is still there.