Feline curiosities

When I was very little, like, toddler age, I thought I was a cat. For about a year my mother tells me, I insisted on acting like a cat. Yes, i was a strange child- but my love of felines has endured. I used to study the feral cats in my neighborhood, trying to figure out their behaviors and social interactions. I was always leading them back to my house and begging mom to let me keep them.

One stray liked me so much it crept into my mother's bedroom window one night, crossed the hall, and climbed under my blankets. my mother came to wake me up the next morning and screamed, seeing 4 black legs sticking out of the side of the bed. Yes, she let me keep him.

As a teen I found an ad in the paper for "Two White House cats". My mom was intrigued, she thought these were special presidential cats. We had to go see them. They were owned by an elderly woman who was moving to a retirement home. They were siblings, the only two born to their mother.

They were pure white, except for black markings on the tops of their heads down to the nape of their necks. Missy and Mister. Gold eyes. Missy was long haired, Mister short. Besides how unusual they looked, their size was impressive. They were 3 feet long, not including their tails. Huge.

So we took them home, and learned their personalities. Missy was a diva. Touch her and you got a look that killed, followed by a good hour of her grooming the affected area. She was first to be fed, first to pick a favorite spot, first to the door, etc. Not affectionate, she was too good for that. Humans were beneath her. But she loved her brother, and would take it upon herself to groom him when he was sleeping. Or eating. Or using the litter box. She would follow him around until he submitted to her ministrations. She was kind of a bitch.

Mister was more of a quiet sort, acted very much like a dog in that he liked to be walked, on a leash. He followed me everywhere I went, and insisted on sleeping with me. He was always on my lap or my shoulder.

Two years after they came home with us, something unexpected happened. I started my morning routine of feeding them ,expecting Missy to come racing towards the food bowl. No Missy. I found her under the table, awake, with her legs at an odd angle. Her legs felt cold, and she couldn't get up. I called my mom, and we went immediately to the vet, bringing Mister with us. Apparently they both had heart murmurs, and Missy formed a clot in her legs. There was a possibility of her being saved, but we would have to take her to the University of Pennsylvania, and there was no guarantee it would help. It would also be extremely expensive.

I held her as they put her down, my mother hysterical at this point. Mister got to say goodbye to her before we went home. After this, Mister stopped eating. He was lethargic, and slept under the table, the place we found Missy. After two weeks, he disappeared--from the apartment, he was an indoor cat.

I always was on the lookout for cats with that distinctive marking, but never found any. I figured it was a fluke genetic thing. Fast forward to 14 years later, 2009. I finally got my husband to cave and let me adopt cats. Plural, I am of a mind that cats need other feline companionship. I also have the opinion that animals should be adopted, not bought, and as kittens and puppies seem to be most popular, I only adopt older animals.

I also have the strange idea (per my husband) that animals choose their owners, so going to a shelter and adopting the one i think is cutest doesn't work out well. It took three trips to the shelter before Westley found me. He was in a top tier of cages, so I could only hear him. He was very vocal, and he bapped my head with his paw whenever I passed him. So of course I asked to see him.

He was very dirty. Apparently he had been left in a sealed box outside the shelter door, in Mid December. In Massachusetts. He was pure white, except for black markings from the top of his head down to the nape of his neck. He had golden eyes. He was short haired. He climbed onto my shoulder and settled down to nap after sniffing my ears and face. He began to purr and I took him home immediately.

He talks alot, I know there is siamese or burmese in him somewhere. he has a wedge shaped face, and is delicate. Small bones, small physique overall. He follows me everywhere. Literally everywhere. He sleeps curled up between my neck and shoulder, much to my husband's irritation. He responds by name, only for me, and is never far from where I am. We can communicate without words, and he responds to my moods.

We have two other rescued cats, each with their own personalities. My husband's cat is as much his as Westley is mine. Funny how that works. Looks aside, Westley is not Mister; but it made me wonder.

Animals are far smarter than we humans give them credit for. Cats are special. They have no need for the overly affectionate nature of some dogs, but their bonds with their people are just as strong, if not stronger. They absolutely see things we cannot, and they sense things science is only just studying.

I have a theory that those who love cats are sometimes seen as equally mysterious, or strange, as the animals they love. If someone hates cats, they most likely don't like me too much. That is just my experience, but it seems spot on so far. It takes a certain type of person to understand and love felines.

[edit on 31-3-2010 by cjcord]

reply to post by thesillygirl


Wouldn't surprise me in the least, really... Cats are amazing people in life, why wouldn't they be in the after...?

Originally posted by InfaRedMan
reply to post by Donny 4 million

 

That isn't what this thread is about. One can't help feel that you are simply trolling for some attention. Why not start a thread on it elsewhere?

IRM

[edit on 31/3/10 by InfaRedMan]

Schhhhatch, bite.
Is it a crime to want to know from those that know cats, why people live with hundreds of cats and the cat poo and stuff??
Do you help the people or the poor cats?
Is it not Cat Curiosity?
You could start a thread on manners.
Oh I guess you don't know about cats enough to discuss them eh!
BTW what is this thread all about IYO?
Curious.

Hello everyone, I'm sorta new to ATS and I'm really happy and excited about this thread. Cats are very special to me, and it's always so awesome to meet others who feel the same way!

Honestly, cats are very spiritual beings, imo. I've had a few pretty incredible experiences with my cats (and a couple of dogs too, but not going into it for this thread). I currently have 13 cats, all either shelter or strays that adopted me, and two that my daughter rescued, one of which is the love of my life who completely owns me!

I would like to share a story about my cat Cuddles (my apologies for its lengthy). Cuddles was adopted from a shelter at 5 weeks old. He is a beautiful copper red tabby, a bit insecure, I believe because of his too early seperation he experienced from his mom. At the time, I had one other cat, Halo, a big loveable teddy bear male brown tabby, and a male maltese (those little white fluffy toy dogs) I adopted named Mystic. When Cuddles arrived home, he immediately adopted Mystic as his surrogate momma. They became best friends. More on this later.

About two and a half years ago, one day in October, Cuddles didn't come home from his morning outing. As was his custom every morning, he loved to go outside and just soak up nature (all of my cats are spayed and neutered, btw). He didn't want to come in that morning, and needing to leave for work, I let him stay on the back porch. When I got home, he wasn't anywhere in our yard. My house backs up to a drainage canal, and often the cats will go explore down there, but they always come home. I called for him all evening and night, but he didn't come back. The next morning, I went to the woods nearby where the canal leads to, but still, he wasn't there.

After 3 days I was starting to panic. Cuddles had never disappeared for more than an hour or so, and I knew something was terribly wrong. Unfortunately, I got a call from my step sister, informing me that my elderly mother, who lives 2 states away, just suffered a stroke and was in critical condition. I had to leave and go to her side, not only since this was my mother, but I was also her legal caretaker and power of attorney. I was heartbroken for my mom and upset to abandon looking for my cat. I was gone for about 5 days, and when the crisis was over with my mom, who had to be put in a nursing home, I returned home determined to find Cuddles. On my drive back, I was crying, so scared he was dead somewhere, or alone, injured and suffering. Moments later, through all this grief I was feeing, I was overcome with a surge of energy and love coming from Cuddles. It was so powerful that it took my breath away. I was still about 140 miles from home, but somehow, he reached out to me, wherever he was, alive or dead, to comfort me. There was so much love in this energy connection from him. I told him how much I loved and missed him. At that moment, I decided to find an animal communicator to help me. I had to know if he was alive or transitioned, and if he was still alive, how to find him.

After arriving home, I started searching on the internet and I decided on an animal communicator that I felt intuitively was the right person to help, and after emailing her, she agreed to help (most animal communicators only help on a case by case basis). She told me that yes, he was still alive, alone, not injured, but very, very scared. He had wandered too far from home and gotten lost. She felt that he was somewhere in my neighborhood and gave me some details about what he was seeing. After speaking with her, and full of hope, I immediately made about 20 posters with a very large picture of him, reward information, etc. I hung these below stop signs, at eye level, making sure anyone who was passing through the neighborhood would notice the poster and be able to recognize him should they come across him. I also went door to door handing out flyers with the same picture and information. (to be continued)

After several days and following leads that led to other cats but not mine, I was again losing hope, and I prayed to the Universe for help, and offered anything in return if ‘they’ could help Cuddles find his way home.

Two days later, early in the morning (two weeks had gone by at this point), some boy scouts and their leader knocked at my door asking for canned good donations for the needy for Thanksgiving. I had nothing to give them, so pre-occupied I had been between juggling my job, checking on my mom, and looking for Cuddles, I completely forgot about the flyer they left with me for the donations, and I felt so bad about it. I hope you guys are seeing the twist in the story here, because it was later that afternoon that I received a call from a woman that said she and her son were looking at a copper red cat at the edge of the woods by her house, if I wanted to come see if it was him. Too afraid to hope, I immediately went to their house, and there he was, hiding behind some bushes, afraid, thinner, dirty, and very much alive! I was so overjoyed to see him. And there standing in their driveway, the family that called me, were the boyscout and the leader, father and son! Through tears I thanked them, and asked them if I could bring Cuddles home first and then come back with their reward money. They didn’t want it, and asked if I could just donate to the canned goods drive for the boyscouts. Anything you want, I said! After bringing Cuddles home, getting him fed, cleaned up and comfortable again, I did go and buy a shopping cart full of food for the homeless.

It took two weeks, a lot of effort, and not giving up, to find Cuddles. And I saw, as I have so many times, how the Universe answers prayers, at the right time, when the right circumstances are present.

Since this experience, I have learned how to communicate with Cuddles on my own, and I am practicing this with my other cats. He was scarred from his experience and I swore to never let him outside again. Which leads me back to Mystic. He died the same morning my mom died, about a year ago, very unexpectantly. It was devestating to lose both my mom and my only dog of 9 years at the same time. Cuddles lost his best friend, and was deeply depressed. Afterwards, he would just stare out the window at the spot in the yard where Mystic was buried. I couldn’t take it anymore and let him out in the yard again. Cuddles has promised he would never ever stray like that again if I let him out, and he hasn’t.

I’m sorry this is so long, I just wanted to relate how attuned Cuddles was to the universal energies, how he reached out to me when he needed me to not lose hope and I needed him to give me hope, and how we have forged a bond of love, trust and communication, and how the Universe loves ALL beings on this planet and love and helping each other are the best ways to survive here.

Some say you don't own a cat, a cat owns you. Or something like that. I have had many cats through my travels during the sometimes arduous journey called life. However, always at my side was cat or multiple cats. In fact, since I was baby until now, I have had probably about 25 cats over the course of my life, and remember all their names and the intricacies of their character quite well. Some of the things I have seen with a cat's character is truly bizarre to say the least.

I have one now, her name is Kittan. I could not ask for a better companion, she sits and watches TV with me and even greets me at the door when I return. She is a gray Russian Blue type cat. Plus, whatever room I am in, all I have to do is look around and the cat is there. Cats are truly a remarkable species, given their independence, intelligence, regality, and other social attributes that sets them a part from other domesticated pets.

Some of the most notable people in history had cats, such as, Winston Churchill, Lenin, the Prophet Muhammed, Ernest Hemingway, Saint Gregory the Great, Albert Einstein, and so many others. Here is a list of historical figures and their feline companions.

en.wikipedia.org...

www.xmission.com...

Some quite remarkable people had such fondness for the mysterious animal, and how could all them be wrong? People like to taut about dogs and how they are far more superior a companion than a cat. I have had dogs too.

Dogs are great, if all you want to do is earn their trust and companionship with a morsel of food. On other hand, it takes a lot more than a piece of food to get a cat to do you what you want. The quickest way to a dog's heart is through it's stomach, whereas, with a cat it is through their mind and beyond. That is how I see it at least.

With some of the cats I have had until now, I have been able to get them to act as if they are dogs. They would follow me on nightly walks, I even had one who would ride in the car with me, and come on command like a dog. Cats just take a lot of patience, but if I had to pick any pet, it would be first and foremost a cat.

I had cats from the cradle, and will most surely have one at the grave. Thanks for the thread OP, and after seeing so many chime in about their love of cats, I thought I would leave my feelings about an animal I have great fondness and respect for. Here is a quote from Albert Einstein you may enjoy and know well about cats.

"A man has to work so hard so that something of his personality stays alive. A tomcat has it so easy, he has only to spray and his presence is there for years on rainy days."

www.xmission.com...

[edit on 1-4-2010 by Jakes51]

Great thread and nice story. Very sorry to hear of your loss. We cat cohabitators seem to go through that ordeal quite regularly as their average lifespans are only 8 years.

About the history of domesticated cats I am sure it was way before 2,000 BC. As soon as man began storing grains rodents came in trying to get at it and naturally the cats came too. That would conservatively put my estimate back to 8-9,000 BC.
Cats are divine and have saved us from certain starvation many times. I always see the face of creation when I look at my feline friends.

reply to post by Full_Vision

Hello again everyone sorry for neglecting replies here, my sons 8th birthday was today so it was all a bit chaotic lol.. but will return to catch up in the morning.. Its really excellent seeing how many people there are who have such a love of the feline species'.. its always seemed everyone has quite strong feelings/thoughts about cats, often a really disliked or really adore kind of topic..i have met a number of men in the past that have a very unwavering dislike and distrust of any/all cats, so much so that a couple male friends wouldnt even talk about them or care to hear anything of mine or others...not a fear really, but perhaps personal superstitions? Will write more in the morning, but, at the moment bed becons... sleeeep...sounds beautiful right about now! lol

reply to post by Full_Vision


Perhaps it has something to do with the "pride" like in lions.
The lionesses always hang together and the males are near and aware but separate except for the mating ritual. I am male and not particularly interested in kitties as I have an allergy to them.
The kitties usually are in my lap pronto when I invade their space. I find them interesting and individual.
A pleasant mutual respect.
I can understand some not wanting to talk about the ramifications of being owned by cats but I find it an interesting phenomena and have never discussed it much before.
I am not seeking attention only knowledge. I take no offence if I receive no reply
I have a dog and pony to keep me busy these days.

I have always loved cats, also I am and have always been fascinated with Egypt as well. I have three cats. One my daughter saved from our old neighborhood, he's a japanese bobtail and is about 5 years old. Then there's Ginger(male) I know crazy for a male, but my daughter thought he was female, and Cookie(male) who was also named by my daughter and they are year old children of my other cat Athena, who was siamese, but sadly she's blind and in special care now. Cookie is also siamese, ginger is tabby grey with some ginger colored markings, hence his name. Well Cookie has this thing where he swats my nose to wake me to feed him(usually) because he got used to being fed early in the morning at 6am usually, when I'd get the kids up, but recently it got earlier and earlier like 3 am and 2 am and even sometimes right after I lay down to go to bed. Even though they are always fed when we eat dinner as well. Well it was happening when I was having extreme pain in my teeth and also when I was having Asthma attacks that he awakened me. I was not going to go to the hospital, but I did, the day after I did my abcesses popped and went straight down my throat. If I wouldn't have gotten the medicine I would have died. Now I realize that he only wakes me when the Asthma hits. Back with my tooth problem it was every night. I think he knew that death was around me and even I felt death around me, I am sensitive to death, but that's another story. Anyway, I am thinking the nights with the Athsma that I was actually stopping breathing in my sleep and he has saved my life, if this is the case, several times. I can't prove it, but I do beleive that he was and is my little guardian.

The neighbor's children in my parent's neighborhood would find stray kittens and find them homes. That is how my mother came to have two feline sons, Buffy (named for his color, I call him Buffer since he is a tom) and Snoopy. When they were about 3 and 2, my stepfather passed away. About a year later my mother developed cancer and I moved into her house, and then she moved in with my sister but I stayed there to take care of the boys. When mom died and we sold the house, I packed up in one night, I had been living in one room, we had gotten rid of all the furniture already in preparation for the move, and the boys got very nervous. They have never before or since been so loving to me. They knew I was leaving and I'm not sure whether they wanted me to stay or they wanted to go with me. There was never a question that they wouldn't go with me, but they didn't know that.
My older cat, Buffy, can literally speak. He says "ello" when he wants in or when he wants me to wake up. He says "out" when he wants me to open the door for him. He can say "mama" too, and does, but I don't know if he knows what it means. I hope he's not calling her wanting her to come home. He purrs all the time. Even when he's angry with me because he wants the canned ham instead of tuna which I give him as a treat. My younger cat Snoopy never purrs, and never eats people food, including tuna, but is the more openly affectionate of the two. I think that when mom told them that I was their big brother, they believed her.

I also feed the four feral cats who live under my house. They won't let me come near them and run when I get close, but they sit on the porch and meow to be fed. I give them the same food as my own kitties. I tried but they won't touch the cheap stuff from Aldi. They want Purina cat chow.

FYI
Cats do not have owners. They have staff. The most you can be is their guardian. Or relative.
The proper term of respect for a tomcat is "Magister". It is latin for "Master" and is used for "teacher". As in Magister Buffer or Magister Snooper. The proper term for a kitty cat is "Magistra".

I find that my 17-1/2 yr old cat is likely to be near death. She's just fur & bones, arthritic and her eyes have gotten more cloudy. However, she's been with me more than half my life and I think she knows how devastated I'll be when she's gone and is holding on for me. My mother says I should take her to the vet & possibly have her "put down" because it's not right to make her suffer (tears already pour out of me as I type this), but I don't think it'd be right to end her life as long as she's willing to stay with me.

Anyone got any advice on how I'd know what her choice is? She still eats & drinks and sleeps with me.

reply to post by thesillygirl

I am really, really sorry, and i for one don't know what the answer is.. if she is still eating and drinking and seems happy to remain with you until its time then i would say let her..i always think its best for beloved companions to leave this existance where they are most comfortable -and as with most i know, the vets isnt the least stressful place or comfortable place, to do so by far..but some feel its best, so it would be nice to hear others thoughts on this situation, and how its best handled..no matter the choice made its always..difficult, and my thoughts are with you.

reply to post by thesillygirl


Give her lots of love and attention for now. When you notice she doesn't want to eat, its because her body can no longer process food, and her time has come. In a similar situation for myself, I had asked my vet to come to my home to administer the injection, where my animal was most comfortable.. Some vets will do this for an additional fee, or in my case, since the vet had been taking care of my animal all his life, he did it for free and wanted to help bury him.

Blessings to you, I know the hearbreak you are facing.

reply to post by Arkady


Now you've gone and done it. Just had to make me cry, didn't you?

This story I have to tell doesn't really involve my cats, but my neighbor's cats. You see, my neighbor is Pagan and she was telling me that her cats, before they eat leave a libation to their goddess Bast's statue which she leaves near their bowls as protection, etc. Honestly I am pagan and I didn't really beleive her, you know beleive half of what you hear and only all of what you see. Well, I was at her house one day talking with her when she drew my attention to the cats' bowl. The cat was pawing out pieces of her food and letting it drop by the statue and did not eat those peices!!! She really did only eat after leaving the libation to Bast!!!! That is some freaky stuff. They are so smart! No wonder they rule us!!!


ERRRRRRR I hate typos :\

[edit on 6-4-2010 by ldyserenity]

[edit on 6-4-2010 by ldyserenity]

[edit on 6-4-2010 by ldyserenity]

reply to post by ldyserenity

Wow! that is a really great story, thank you for sharing that here I also like your neighbors idea of the Bast statue by the food dish.. ours is by the fireplace (our cats favorite place to be) and i feel, does indeed watch over them both now, and our home.. and yup, no wonder they rule! lol..

reply to post by justsaying

It seems that in the craziness of life this past week, i have missed some posts on here... this is truly beautiful, and please, no worries on length from me anyhow, it was very much worth reading.. i am sorry to hear of your recent loss..especially given the timing of both! I cant imagine the strength mustered to get through this point in time for you..but was so glad to hear Cuddles was found safe and sound, though shaken..its truly amazing, this universe in which we all reside..as are the Earths creatures who are so attuned to it..some more than others, but it seems all are to one extent or another..
Thank you for this story filled with love and hope.. at these times in our world, its certainly refreshing indeed..

Originally posted by christianpatrick
FYI
Cats do not have owners. They have staff. The most you can be is their guardian. Or relative.

This is one of the most true statements about felines i have yet to come across! they do indeed have staff! lol... i have always disliked the terms 'owners' or 'keepers' regarding such companions, as it always holds the feel of slavery, and thats never the case..and never should be!.. when Natira moved in she was immediately introduced as the newest family member..
When Zoe passed away, her son Jack (our oldest) was so obviously depressed it was heartbreaking to say the least, laying around, chin flat on the floor, not asleep.. just laying there, eyes open but distant..and for some time after (he is a very vocal cat naturally) he wandered around the house, squalling.. and i have also found him curled up by her grave in the back garden many times since.. the day she was buried there.. i swear to this as i watched it clearly happening, other cats from our neighborhood who knew her, came into our back garden to pay their respects.. thats the only way i can put it.. it was extremely touching to watch..

reply to post by Asktheanimals


Hello You are right, i am certain that the history of the domestication of felines was far, far before the time many sources seem to give as a starting point date of this..i will have to dig deeper and see if i can find any other time lines that seem more accurate...