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When my cat Maya showed up I was not a cat person. This is the story of how I came to be owned. When she showed up I was clueless so I went to another newsgroup I frequent a lot that has a lot of cat people on it and posted a message titled Cat Advice. These are the posts and the responses edited down some.
Need some cat advice. I have a cat on my patio. It showed up last night and settled into my patio furniture. Didn't bother me and I didn't bother it. It is still here and while it has gotten up and left a couple of times for the most part it has slept. I posted a message by the mail boxes and the management saying it is here if anyone misses it. But I do not know anything about cats and don't really want one. It has been so inactive I am afraid it may be sick and am thinking tomorrow I should take it to a shelter or something. I want to give the owner a chance to see the message today or I would be tempted to take it today.
Most major newspapers let you place "found" ads in the "lost and found" section of the classifieds for free. Call all your local papers.An inactive cat does not necessarily mean it is sick. All our cats do is sit around all day and sleep and they are just fine. Besides... maybe when you're away at work it's doing back flips on the patio furniture!
Are you feeding it? If not, chances are some one IS and it probably goes home to eat every day and then comes back out to your place to lay on your patio furniture. Shame on his owners though for not giving him a collar with a tag. That's like a death wish for an animal. Our cat has a micro chip implanted in the back of it's neck. If she got lost and lost her collar too...the animal shelter can scan the back of her neck and all her owner's information will come up on their computer.
I am not feeding it, I do not want it to stay, if I get any animal it will be a dog, if it has an owner near by and wants to hang out that is fine with me. So far it has just been here for about 20 hours and I have been home the whole time. The lack of activity had me worried that did not seem normal, so I will wait. It has a collar but no tag.
Thanks, I was worried.
Did the people who used to live in your place have a cat, by any chance? And if they did have a cat, is it possible that the cat is missing from their new home? Just a thought. Though a neighborhood cat likes to sit in my driveway and run home when I come out. I used to think it was homeless until I noticed it always ran in the same direction and always seemed to end up 3 houses down the street, knocking on their door to be let in.Jerri [neighborhood dog lady, no cats need apply]
These are all brand new condos. I have seen this cat wandering around earlier this week and seems to be cared for. Its owner/slave must be worried. May be it just likes my patio furniture. My real concern was it may be sick. Otherwise it can hang out if wants. They will see the message if it is in the condo or the cat will forgive what ever insult it suffered. I will keep an eye out for where it travels if it ever leaves that cushion again, stirred a few times but has not gotten up in 6 hours.
six hours? Apache has been on the same cushion of my sofa for the last 9 hours and I'm not worried! I assume it is still fairly warm where you are? If the cat was immobile outside in the cold I'd be worried. Otherwise if there is sunlight hitting the spot where the cat is lying, there's your reason.It did spend the night out there I think. It was there when I left and there in the morning although it did change chairs. It was not really cold here last night I had a cigar out there around ten and had a sweat shirt on. When I came out there I chased it off my chair and it left for around 45 minutes and came back. It has pretty much been right here since then aside from maybe 20 minutes. I pretty much live on my patio during the day in a long sleeve T-shirt and am quite comfortable.
Dear John,You might want to put out some water for the cat, though. Just in case it is homeless, this won't make the cat think it's *your* cat, but it will hopefully keep it from getting dehydrated and ill. If it has a collar, it may very well have people somewhere -- check the lost and founds in the paper... and you might try on-line as well. There are a couple of organizations like PetFinders and Sherlock Bones that help people find missing pets -- if you tell them you've found a cat, they may know the people who've *lost* it.
Good luck!
I put out some water earlier, it did not seem to need it. With the lawn sprinklers here it was probably getting water. I talked to some neighbors and they thought it was a stray because it was a little thin and came up to anyone including their dog. So I bit the bullet and opened a can of tuna for the thing and there was nothing finicky in the way it approached the food. It ate about 4 oz of it which seems like a lot considering its size. Then it went back for more an hour later. It seemed to have a lot more energy. I checked the ads in the paper and there was nothing in it. I will check on getting an ad in the lost and found. I will call a shelter and get their advice. I don't mind if it hangs around and will feed it for a couple of weeks if needed. I will give it a blanket for the night. But I have no interest in owning a cat.
> But I have no interest in owning a cat.Famous last words.
People don't pick cats. Cats pick people.TBird (whose mother hated cats....except for mine.....because he grew on her ---- though I still know in my heart John will not have a cat in 6 months because I know John does what he says he will do)
She is gone this morning and I feel strangely disappointed. I was thinking about keeping it. I would have rather got it back to the owner and that may have happened. I said it was on my patio so they may have came back and got it. I can't see a stray leaving if I fed it and there were still some scraps left.
John, it's now Sunday am - did the cat come back?Peggie (curious cat lover who is owned by three - Patch, Penelope and Duncan)
No it did not. I have not seen it. I honestly think the owner came and got it. I have not seen it in the neighborhood nor has my neighbor and I did see it a few days earlier. I just don't see a stray leaving a source of food. But I can see a distraught owner securing a cat that got away from them.
I saw her a few minutes ago. She was out prowling the neighborhood. Seems in good health, jumped up on something about 6 feet high and 6 inches wide from a standing start. She is not acting like a stray, more like she owns the place.
She did not stop by to say hello (sniffle, sniffle) Actually this is a good place for a stray to hang out. New people moving in all the time bound to find a soft hearted moo.. er person to take them in.
Er, John - see definition of 'cat'. They *all* act like they own the place. My Mum's cat is a waif, if not a stray, but whenever I visit I feel like I should be paying *her* rent.
Thanks for the update. I was wondering what had happened to her.Athena
She came back to visit and I fed it then let it in. It walked around looking at things then walked out. I have some food out for it but that is the last time I have seen it for longer than a few minutes. I had decided to keep it but I think now it is just an outside cat. I have dry food out and it has nibbled but I have not seen it much. I think it manages to get itself locked out while wandering. I have decided to get a cat though. Been reading up on them first. I read most of a book on them for new owners today. I will probably get one after the super bowl. I am having guests over from work and my boss is allergic so I will wait and get one the following week from a shelter. I am planning on doing the safe room so this will give me time to get set up for it.
Contemplating a Scratch Tree
One thing you might want to think about is do you want a kitten, about 8 weeks old or one a bit older. A lot of shelters have cats over 6 months old that are harder to find homes for. Kittens are cute but they do take time to train. (Using the litter box should be no problem.) Just teaching them to stay out of things. Let us know when you do get a cat and ask any questions you might have. A lot of us are owned by cats.Ann (who knows a moose will make a good cat parent)
I want a young adult. Kittens and puppies are cute but a lot of work.
Moose Who Can Do Cute But Chooses Not To
She came to visit me last night settling in. It was supposed to be below freezing last night so I let her indoors. I was nervous about it but she was really well behaved. Used the litter box, spent most of the night on my bed. She came up as I got home tonight. Came in and ate some canned food, left after an hour. I am thinking she is a stray now, she seems to have fleas and her collar is gone. I park next to the walled in dumpsters and since it rained I have seen cat like footprints on top of my car like it was being used as a stepping stone into the dumpsters. I am going to stick a flea collar on her, I know it is not the best method but I figure if she has an owner that will let her know that someone else is taking an interest. I am off tomorrow night until Sunday and will be able to spend some time bonding with her. If she comes back tonight I will put her up. It is supposed to warm up again this weekend so I will let her stay out. If no new collar shows up I am going to turn her into an indoor cat after the super bowl. I don't want to catnap anyone else's cat but I don't want to see one suffering either. I will take her to the vet and all that. I am going to get a cat in any event so fortunately I have been getting supplies. She was a purring machine last night and she just came back while I was writing this.
Moose Who Bought a Scratch Tree
...Just your typical Cat and Moose story.Jerri
I would really like to keep this one. She is a nice cat and her finding me is just the way it ought to be. I know there are plenty of nice cats that need homes at shelters but I like this one. She seems to be half Siamese, lightly colored almost sand colored. I read about that stuff, they said it is the best thing for fleas. I just want to make sure it my cat before I take it to the vet.
Aah, yes. And only a month or so ago. Moose who doesn't want to own a cat.
Now it's Moose who bought a scratch tree.
Well, what do you think of your famous last words, John?3D Master
She won me over. I always had a dog when a kid, I like dogs, I understand how they think and why they do things. But I have wanted a pet my whole adult life and being in the Army did not permit that. I never had anything against cats just never had one and did not understand them. I read a pretty good book on them. Life in a condo is better for a cat than a dog. I have definitely been adopted. She is hanging out on my patio all the time now, asked to come in and slept here last night, but she has suddenly gotten shy in the condo like she is nervous about being locked in, when I got up this morning she wanted out. When I came home she was on the patio asleep. I bought the scratch tree planning on doing the safe room in the spare bathroom. Put it in there with the liter box the scratch tree (got it on sale, materials would have cost probably half what I paid for it) and let the cat get in the habit of using it because there were no other options available. But she is so well behaved I have not had to do it. The one thing she has not done is crawl up into my lap, this is really making me think she is a stray.
I have 2 cats and one is not a lap cat. She will not really let you pick her up but, you can pet her all you want. I also know people who have had cats from the time they were kittens and didn't like be on your lap. Every cat is different.She has been outside so this is what she wants. Over time she will be okay about staying in all the time. Have you tried playing with her?
Ann
I have played with her a little. Sometimes she will invite petting and purr but mainly she will leave. She doesn't go far, maybe 5 feet or so. Not like she is afraid, more like she just wanted to be left alone. But mainly she sleeps. I came home early today because of a sore throat and I talk all day at work. She has basically been asleep except for 30 minutes out of the last 10 hours. I have not tried to pick her up yet. I am planning on spending some time with her over the next few days.
I have often said that I want to reincarnate as a domestic house cat. Not a bad life, eh?Seriously, she'll come to your lap if and when she wants to. Some cats are lap cats, some aren't. Of our two cats, the older one sits in my lap, but not Spousal's. She is most definitely my cat.
However, Spousal is working from home now, so the new kitty--who sees him a lot more than he sees me--has bonded with him. He'll sit sometimes on his lap, often on the back of the chair behind his head.
On the third hand, our previous cat was a sit-next-to cat.
Have you named her yet???
GinjerB
I have not named her, I am not in a hurry to. Right now the only one that seems to fit is sleepy head. She slept until midnight aside from getting up to eat a couple of times and moving from my patio furniture to my bed and sure enough at midnight when I was going to bed she woke up and wanted to play since she was all rested. So we played for a few minutes, she did the head bump thing a few times. Then curled up next to me by the pillow and slept some more. This morning of course she wanted out when I got up. When I opened the patio door she realized it was still cold out and came back in after sticking her nose out. So we played with this feather thing on a stick. She is fast as greased lightning. I think she is bonding to me pretty well. She seems to accept being scratched more easily today. A few minutes ago we were out on the patio and another cat a pretty black and white cat about 20 % bigger than her came up to my patio wall and she ran it off I had to go over the wall to break it up she had chased it up some steps to a neighbor's apartment that I know don't have a cat. She is a tough little thing.
Sounds like she's decided that your patio is HER patio. And all cats KNOW that they are the biggest toughest cats in town and can take on any other cats.Jette
Well cats are very territorial, she loves the patio, safe and secure and able to keep an eye on the whole of her domain with soft cushions on all the chairs where she can catch the morning sun. She really ambushed that cat waited for it to turn its back came down off the chair and under the wall like a ghost, must have scared the beejesus out of the other cat. I don't know if it would have come to claws and teeth but it was looking like it.
I am not sure it is a female, I thought it was and a neighbor said it was female. Amanda does not fit her somehow, too well behaved maybe. Hmmm, I have not really gave it much thought. I am in no hurry, it isn't as though she is going to come over if I call her.
Probably my last post on this since I think I have a handle on this now (I started this just because I was afraid it was sick) I put her on my lap because I was going to go to a vet and I wanted her used to me. After that she now climbs up into my lap.
I took it to the vet this morning. I was a sneaky Moose and put her in the carrier while she was asleep, Took it to the vet (it was meowing pitifully and I felt really bad) She is a she, in fact she is a fertile she, so we are going back tomorrow to take care of this they will give it all its shots while she is under. They tested her for the two big cat diseases and she came out negative. She is 7.6 pounds and 8-10 months old by her teeth. He said she is some kind of Himalayan mix, but I don't see that at all. She has short hair, most of her is sand colored, she has black stripes on her legs, tail and face and dark blue eyes. She is some kind of oriental though, looks like a mix of a Tonkinese and an American short hair to me. But I don't have much experience or an eye, but it is a short hair. She was well cared for because someone was trimming her claws. But I don't think she had been to a vet. This is a vet in my neighborhood and he was unfamiliar with her, he checked for a microchip which I did not think of. (I have to admit I was afraid one would be there while he was checking) I told him she adopted me and was a first time owner. I told him I had gotten pretty attached to her and he said he could tell. He said he was impressed I had read up on cats and had brought her in to a vet. She was probably abandoned, Vegas is a transitory place and people come and go all the time. He gave me that stuff for fleas as well.
After she chased that cat away she went out in the common area and marked every tree in sight. The cat lives in my building so we will have to work this out.
I am thinking of naming it Maya, I don't know why, but it seems to fit.
Just a Big Softy Moose
She sounds beautiful! Does she have the Asian cat "voice"? And Maya is an excellent name choice!Uhm, what is an Asian cat voice? I think she is very pretty, but I could be biased. The torso is about the same color as a mountain lion then put typical cat black stripes on her face, legs and tail, very pretty. She really fought going into the carrier to go to the vet this morning, if I did not out weigh her by about 25 times her weight I never would have got her in there. She did not use her claws and teeth though. I think she knew something was up as well, she did not nap after we got up. She sat in a wicker chair and watched me take a bath, never done that before, then kept an eye on me all morning. I was hoping I could catch her asleep again. She is at the vet now, no kittens for Maya.
"yowling". An *asian* voiced cat is somewhat shrill.Well, I don't think she is shrill, it maybe Asian though I don't know I don't thinks so. Sounds like a normal cat to me.
Moose Who Never Really Considered Naming Her Rocky
Oh yea! (living vicariously through your adoption)Is she inside now? I had a friend who's collared cat was nearly killed by the collar (a long story I'll tell if you need to hear it) and so Mimi and I are both worried about the collar and the jumping in and out of dumpsters.
There are easy cat flea shampoos you just towel on them, or the vet can dip her and all will be well.
She is primarily indoors, she sits on my patio which she can get off of by going under or over the waist high wall. I try to supervise her out there. She has not really ran off. She thinks it great fun to have me chase her. She lays on her back tempting me then rolls over and takes off just as I get up to her. I bought a collar today so I can put my address and phone # on it. It has an elastic tie holding the two halves together that is supposed to break away. It should stretch out so far the collar will come off anyway it if it came to that. The vet gave me some stuff to apply for the fleas and it seems to have worked. I just picked her up from being spayed and she is hiding under the bed again.
Moose In the Doghouse
"TBird" wrote:
Oh god - this is the worst kind of collar....and let me tell you what happened if I can stop shaking long enough to do so....Sounds good, eh? WRONG!
Little Zooey cat got her collar caught....then she stuck her paw up to unhook herself...got scared....paw went all the way through the collar and she ran off into the night for 6 weeks. When she returned, the elastic had been sawing away at her kitty underarm, and she had a deep wound, centimeters from her heart. Many days and dollars later, she was saved, but the collar that was supposed to save her nearly killed her.
Now THIS is quite the visual image.....
TBird (giggling at the thought of a dog house with big antlers sticking out the door....)
First of all I felt terrible about doing it, but I know it needed to be done and this little cat really can push my buttons, with little soft meows (I knew how far gone I was when the vet said Friday they could keep her overnight and I said can't I just bring her in tomorrow) She seems vulnerable, I don't know why because she managed to take care of herself for at least a few weeks. The collar seemed like a good idea at the time. I think I will take a thread and replace the elastic keeping it breakaway but making it not stretchable. A collar is necessary, as an animal control guy once said I never found a cat dead from a snagged collar, but I have to kill plenty of collarless cats everyday that I know belong to someone that cares for them. She seems sore today and is moving very stiffly. She also got shots. I am wondering if this is normal, I am inclined to think so. She did forgive me when we went to bed last night she came up to be petted and curled up next to me and spent almost the whole night there. She has figured out what side I sleep on and is sure to secure enough of an area so I am facing her all night.
Note: I replaced the collar the next day with a breakaway.
I think she has a normal non Asian voice, she does not seem shrill to me. But I have never heard her being loud. She is very quiet for the most part and meows softly.
The first time she jumped up on the counter I decided to let her do it. My normal food preparation involves tearing the top off something and throwing it in the microwave. I have gas burners and she does not like the grills on top of them, she tried to step across them and she got disgusted and quit, besides if I use them once a week it is a lot, I am always there when they are on and they cool really quickly.
Today is the first day she was confined in the condo all day while I worked and everything was fine.
Moose Out of the Doghouse
Maya is scratching now. I am lucky in that she is scratching an old wicker chair. I have to say I understand why. The thing is very scratchable for a cat, she can really dig in and stretch. I am going to pickup a sisal scratching post tomorrow and try to redirect her. The truth is the chair cost around $25 several years ago and I would be willing to buy one every once in awhile instead of a scratching post and is located in the master bath since I didn't have a better place for it. I have been fighting a cold so am going to bed earlier and letting my body get rest and regulate itself. Some days I get up real early and rarely sleep to my alarm. On mornings I get up real early I spend time playing with her until it is time to leave and she has decided that this is now the best time to get up for anyone sensible, since playing with her is obviously superior to me sleeping in. I am very pleased with her. She is well behaved and much more affectionate than I expected her to be. I expected her to be standoffish but she is not like that at all.
This morning I got up and I got the feathers on a thin flexible plastic wand that she loves fighting with. Then I went to pet her and she pounced on my hand and arm. She was rougher but did not hurt me. I put that down to experience and considered it my fault not hers. If I am playing rough with her I should not expect her to know we stopped just because I thought we were done. My neighbors all seem to really like her. Several knew I decided to adopt her and commented on how attractive and healthy she seems to be. She of course accepts it as her due. She is right now sitting up on my coffee table eyes scrunched shut basking in the morning sun. Another thing I noticed about her is she would rather jump up on the furniture and leap from couch to chair to chair then just walk across the floor to a chair. If she is indoors or on the patio she never just sits on the floor. She has to be up on something.
Maya has an owner. One of my neighbors said that someone in another nearby building said she owned her back when she was wandering around and I was trying to find the owner. She said she told them that she was hanging around on my patio. I am ethically troubled. First I did not want to steal someone's cat. On the other hand they have made no effort to find her and I did have a sign up at the mail boxes, they could have got her easily. Also she is not restrained, she could be there in less than a minute if she wanted to go there, instead she has been napping on a chair on my patio for the last 4 hours. Also, they were not taking the best care of her. Everyone who has seen her before she moved in and knows her now can see a huge difference. They remarked to my neighbor that they had not seen her in a couple of days and did not come over to get her even though she told them where Maya was. I have come to love the little cat and I really do not want to send her back to a bad home. There is a reason she showed up on my patio besides my taste in patio furniture. They had an unspayed cat running the neighborhood and not taking care of her.
I am going to keep doing what I have been doing. She is outside when I am and if they see her they can come and get her or not. The longer she is gone the less likely they are to want her back. I don't see how they could not have seen her already, their building is part of her territory, she patrols it at least once a day, wearing a new collar with my address and phone number on it. To keep her they would have to turn her into an indoor cat otherwise she will be back to me. I have no doubt she would rather be with me. If she had a great home I would be knocking on their door. I want the best for her. I could go get another cat and not feel too bad knowing she was being cared for. But I don't want her to suffer.
Two ways to take this, morally and legally.Morally has already been pretty well covered. You've given Maya a home, medical care, and love. She's chosen you.
Legally, I think you've got a good case. I left my Jurisprudence notes in the office, and the rules probably vary from state to state and county to county anyway, but I think the three states I've studied it in have pretty much agreed.
A cat wandering around outside, unspayed, with no tags or collar, crossing property lines in its travels, is assumed to be a stray. You have made a reasonable effort to contact the original owner, and you now have evidence that they knew you had the cat and have not acted on that knowledge. I think you're in better shape now, knowing that, than you were when you didn't know about them. There's usually a specific waiting period, during which you have to make a reasonable effort to contact the owners, and if they don't contact you back within that time, you can assume legal possession.
I have heard of 'custody' cases where the person who provided medical care and got the pet spayed was the one who got to keep the pet. I have also heard of cases where a microchip was what made the difference, so if you haven't gotten her one yet, you might want to think about it again. Unless the supposed owners have some sort of evidence that this is their cat, I don't think they have a leg to stand on, and with no collar and no chip, and presumably no tattoo, they have no evidence. (Just make sure you're not in that position yourself some day.)
Good luck! I'm betting this will never be a problem, that the supposed owners don't really care or know that she's gone to a good home and are glad. If it's not the case, I think you owe it to yourself and Maya to keep her anyway, for all the reasons already covered in other posts. If you need us, we'll all come testify on your behalf! (grinning)
-Janet
Thanks for all the helpful posts from everyone. The more I have thought on this the more I think everyone is right. I think that if they have not came and got her by now then they are not going to, if they do I have some rights in this and probably would prevail. I would be willing to buy her if it came to that and they would have to confine her to keep her and they were not willing to do that. On top of everything else she kneaded me for the first time tonight.
Maya climbed a tree this morning she is just full of energy and climbed this small tree, my neighbor was outside with me talking when she did it. She was impressed and commented on how improved and active she was. She got scared and got back to around 5 feet off the ground where she ran out of branches and would not jump down and I rescued her.
Heroic Moose
She was just outside and a neighbor with a German Shepherd on a leash surprised her. She was under the wall, under my chair, bounded off the coffee table, the counter, the top off the refrigerator and was up on top of the kitchen cabinets in that many leaps in about a second, about 6 feet distance and 3 feet of elevation each leap. Did I mention how active and energetic she has become?
Let me tell you what the little darling did today. I went to the store earlier and had a bunch of stuff for the super bowl party and a lit cigar, I opened the patio door and put my cigar out there (don't smoke in the house) she sneaked out while I was putting stuff away for about ten minutes. Looked for her and she is gone, checked her territory no sign of her. Now I am worried. I walk the whole community no sign of her. Hours go by no word. I check the whole neighborhood again, nothing. My big concern is she managed to get locked in an unfinished but doored condo where she would be locked in over the weekend. It started to rain, which is an event in Vegas, after it stopped I walk the whole complex again, nothing. While talking to my neighbor about my cat another neighbor comes home and finds Maya asleep on their bed. He had been cleaning and had the door open, she wandered in unknown to him then he left right away locking her in. So I was worrying about her for seven hours and she is napping. They come home and she hides behind their couch and I go in and get her.
Relieved Moose
I am really glad Sara Bella is doing better and making a come back. Maya has been attacking my feet under the covers the last couple of nights. I don't think she has made the connection that they are my feet under the comforter. If I keep them still she ignores them when they move it is just too much for her too resist. She curls up beside me just below the pillow about a foot away from me. This is now her spot. We spend about 15 minutes every night scratching and petting before going to bed. I know she really enjoys it as soon as she jumps up on the bed she starts purring and I have to admit I enjoy it as well. I moved her cat tree closer to the patio door so she can see out over the wall and now she is going up higher in it so I am guessing she liked the view while I was at work. Where it was, was not as high and had no better view than the top of the refrigerator. Now she can sun, see her territory and nap from it. I did it on a whim this morning as I was leaving. I am going to position it better tomorrow. I can tell she was happy with the change. I want to get her a perch on the patio where she can see. A bar stool would work fine.
Moose Who May Be Over the Edge
Ah, blue eyes--definitely some kind of Asian cat!GinjerB
Oh she is mostly Asian. Tonkinese is what she seems like. I found a picture of one that looks like her except for the black stripes on her face, legs and tail. Has every one of the characteristics listed now that she has settled in, particularly the part about following you around. watching everything you do and telling you how to do it better.
Figured I would give a Maya update. She seems to be training me more than I am training her. She has developed the cute habit of coming up to where I am sitting rolling on her back and meowing what can only be "chin" then she thrusts the chin out for scratching. I had to give her the second half of the deworming treatment yesterday. I got the syringe of stuff down pretty clean, after several attempts at the pill all I got was my first cat bite. Don't blame her you put your fingers in a predators mouth you are taking your chances. Cleaned it with some clinidine and seems fine today. I'll make another attempt tonight, failing that it will be back to the vet, I want to get her microchipped anyway. She is becoming more and more talkative the longer we are together. Moving the cat tree was an inspiration, she loves it by the patio door and will sit in it a lot of times even if the door to the patio is open. She almost went on a trip the other day. The neighbor was getting furniture delivered and they parked the truck in her territory prompting an investigation. I was watching her (I don't let her out if I am not out there) and she went out and jumped into the back of the truck and I had to get her out of there. She was so interested in checking out a truck full of furniture I have no doubt they would have closed the door with her in there.
She has discovered mirrors. My bathrooms have a big wall mirror and medicine cabinet mirrors set pretty close to each other and she moves around seeing different angles of herself between the two.
She does it in my bedroom as well and in the bathroom while I take a bath. It started in the bedroom when she was fascinated with the way her tail was moving in the mirror. Now she gets multiple views of herself and can't get over that when she moves to the center of the two mirrors she disappears. She is a very curious cat and has to know everything around her, sometimes now she will just sit and look at herself flicking her tail, other times she will go up to the mirror and put her paws on it standing up stretching. I think she has figured out that it is her.
Maya is fine and living a life of misadventure. I am coming to the conclusion that the fact cats live so long is a tribute to their reflexes and flexibility. Monday she did her usual leaps to a chair then the counter, she always does them very fast and this time she landed on a clip board I had on the counter. She went sliding across the counter riding on the clipboard and flew off the other side into the refrigerator door. She was fine but the look on her face was so funny I could not stop laughing, I laughed so hard it hurt. Today she climbed into a chest of drawers while I was putting clothes away then climbed over the back of the drawer behind it and got stuck. I am proud to say I have got her using the sisal scratch board I got for her. It took two weeks of me scratching at it but hey it worked. Her main recreation of hunting birds continues.
Copyright © John Biltz
June 14, 2001
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