Search the Community

So this is our brand new Cat Club and we can get the ball rolling! I love cats but don't own one. I'd love to learn more about your felines and see pictures though. Please go ahead, and start the discussion. We can add topics as necessary. So what kinds of cat do you have, how many, how old are they, and what are their names (if you want to share that.)

It was an absolutely gorgeous afternoon - temperatures in the upper 70s, a breeze, clouds in the sky but not too many. So I spent some time under the crabapple tree. It was just lovely. The doves sat on the wire and cooed for me. And one by one, the overlords came to visit. (Sometimes in groups, sometimes for a minute, sometimes longer.) And so I got a glamour shot of the Hunting Overlord. And a few not as glamorous. I got a truly lovely shot of the Long-Haired Overlord. Demon is feeling better and consented to a number of shots. And the elusive Fourth? She doesn't believe in photographs!

I adore my cats. (I know this is news.) All four of the current overlords were adopted as adults from shelters, which means they each came with foibles. When I lost my Lacey (who predated Mr. Spoon and was 17) in 2013, we *immediately* set about adopting a new princess. (At the time, we also had the long-haired overlord and Prince Canine.) I was looking on petfinder (dot com) and I found a most striking calico about four hours away. Distance being no object, I insisted I wanted *that* cat. We went to the shelter. She was actually bonded with another kitty. No problem. I wanted them both - I would never separate a bonded pair, and my heart was set. So we came home with the two girls, Savannah (the calico) and Darryl (who looks tabby mostly but is a dilute calico.) I knew that the shelter had described them as shyhearts, but I didn't realize they were essentially feral. They had never lived in a home - they had lived their entire lives in the shelter - and they were not really socialized to humans. For about the first month, they stayed in only one room, and I would go and sit with them and just let them get accustomed to us. One of the funniest things that happened is the closet in that room had sliding doors. I would close them. Then I would go back in and find the door ajar and the cats in the closet. DH and I peeked in and found the two of them tag-teaming to get the door open just enough to sneak in. Mister Spoon correctly observed that they had a future as cat burglars! A closed door is definitely just a challenge to be overcome for Darryl. The first veterinary visit was traumatic for all of us. Just getting them into the carrier was an absolute circus. Then, the vet said he thought they were both older than we had been told. (We thought they were four - he estimated maybe double that.) They needed dental care. A few weeks later when we took Savannah back for her dental procedure - we got the worst news of all. Her blood levels were seriously elevated and she had kidney disease. Nine months after we adopted her, we lost Savannah. I was heartbroken - not just for myself, but for Darryl. They were so closely bonded - they slept together, snuggled together . . . I was afraid Darryl would die of a broken heart. We adopted two more kitties (the Hunter and the elusive Fourth.) Part of my reasoning was that other cats acclimated to each other might be more accepting of a cat accustomed to cat life, not family life. And we loved on Darryl (on her terms, of course.) I'm pretty good at kitty headbutts - her favorite greeting. She is pretty tolerant of pets now, and likes to sit and snuggle alongside, but she is still relatively unwilling to be held. In fact, we have used heavy duty gloves (like the gloves for raptor handling) to catch her several times. Orally medicating her is pretty much out of the question. She hasn't really bonded with any of the other kitties the way she did Savannah. But a couple times I've seen her backing into a spot so that she is near or against a sister. And I think she's decided I am a big, hopeless, hairless cat. She's been losing weight this year. She's seen the vet a number of times. She *does* have trouble getting food into her mouth, but I'm not sure that's the only problem. So in the morning, she will go have dental work done. And, even though we did labs on her a couple months ago, my anxiety is sky high. This is the second time she's had teeth removed - most of them came out last time - but I want a good outcome for her. So here I sit - worrying and fretting - wanting her to be healthy and content, but recognizing I don't get to control that. *sighs* Sometimes, things are hard.

Last week, the overlords spent some time working on their skills in hiding and camouflaging their activities. Some of them are better than others. Demon overlord demonstrates the general concept: Hunting overlord shows it can be done with panache even when hooman requires odd garb: Long-haired overlord, while it must be acknowledged that she faces some unique challenges, also seems to have missed the brief: But to be honest, she doesn't really seem to care very much. And the fourth overlord? She wins. I couldn't find her to get a photograph at all . . . .

I went out at mid-day today to check on the felines I serve. I thought maybe I could get new cute pictures for @Grimalkin and others to admire! At first, I didn't have much luck: So I went and sat and looked at the garden. I like my garden. Yes, @OnceUponATime, the bottles are doing quite well, thank you! Apparently, the hunting overlord likes the freshly mown grass, because she showed up to enjoy it. Shortly afterwards, the senior overlord emerged to investigate the situation. Mr. Spoon did some brush removal yesterday - the hunting overlord inspected and tested it out for camouflage. And then - I caught a glimpse of the elusive white supervisor. She's not looking too pristine these days: (She got some substance on her back - no clue how - but she has a black spot that I can't get out. I also don't know what she rolled in to get all that stuff on her shoulder.) So then, it was the Demon's task to patrol the perimeter: After all that busy-ness, I was exhausted! I retreated to the shade of the house and fans, and found Tortie cat had claimed her back of the chair for a nap. Tough days at Chez Spoon. Tough days indeed.

I saw some bright yellow goldfinches earlier, so I stepped out to see if I could get a few photos. They flew away, but I saw a squirrel at the bottom of the feeder. Then I changed the focus. Oh my! That squirrel is mighty foolish. What is it thinking?! (Why didn't I notice it before?!) So I moved a bit and got a couple more similar shots, but without the obstructions. What I didn't expect was what happened next. Oh no! Run, squirrel! Apparently the squirrel has more guts than I do. Demon overlord is disgruntled by the lack of respect. Squirrel was unfazed, so Demon slunk off to investigate something smaller and more easily intimidated.

Ah, the clarion call of Demon overlord, who at 6:20 interrupted my slumber with demands to be released, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW." So I struggled up and trudged to the door, allowing the exit of my overlords. Then I escorted the Hound to "his" yard to take care of "his business." While all I really wanted to do was go back to sleep . . . I proceeded out front to see what was what. We got (quite a bit of) rain overnight: So after deciding I didn't need to water, I pulled out a chair and sat to enjoy the breeze. And the garden inspection began. The first overlord walked through the garden and decided she was not pleased. She rushed to inform me of her concerns. She didn't even want to be still for a picture. After expressing her dismay to me, she called for reinforcements. I'm not entirely sure what the dialogue was, but the second inspector took a similar path. Meanwhile, overlord three maintained a watch from her favorite spot on the driveway: But after watching the first inspectors, she decided she needed to investigate: She then called for reinforcements: I am not *entirely* sure what the dialogue was, but I am pretty sure she asked that he distract me: And meanwhile, the elusive fourth overlord continued her practice of perimeter control and overwatch: Yes, just another day in the service of the kingdom . . . . .

It's always an adventure! I looked across the yard this morning: Knowing that this is NOT a good thing, I went, got the camera, took a picture, and then went to break up the confab. I didn't know *WHO* was in the crab apple tree, but I was sure something had been treed. So I went and spoke to the cats. I told them to move along. It made a big difference: That's correct - all I managed to do was get them to change sides. I was not pleased, but I wasn't totally concerned, because Hunter cat was not with them: Neither was the last feline overlord, who was stalking independently: So I kept one eye on the cats in the distance: Looked at the Hunter cat: And continued to weed. At some point, cat four disappeared . . . . totally. But the stalkers were still in position. Cat four came out of the culvert (what *was* she doing in there?) and I reached the end of my patience. So I walked to the house - went to the front door - and through the screen (different angle, same critters): I tried the "noms" call (shaking the treats while enthusiastically talking about breakfast) and the Demon finally broke her concentration, but white cat was undeterred. Ultimately I had to go out to get her, which lead to a thrilling chase of gray squirrel by white cat, and ended with white cat being taken into custody for violating boundaries. And all this before breakfast.