Quiet Morning in the Qatio

Morning tea in the catio with Earl Grey double bergamot and Georgie Porgie.

Pink Cat at Night

Pinky staring at the leaves scattering in the darkness. 

Or was that a mousy?

House Panther in the Jungle

This is my handsome house panther, Ninja, who has a problem. He is behaving like he's living freely in the jungle.

Every so often he does not use the litter box. He chooses instead any receptacle made of plastic, such as an empty laundry basket, though there are plenty litter boxes about the house.

He has also occasionally peed on the guest bed, and a couple times on the carpet. I had to replace the mattress. It was so unsalvageable. The carpet, I used a product that removes the stain and odor.

I hope this doesn't turn out to be a medical issue. ManCats do have problems that way. It can be quite painful for them, and quite expensive at the vet's to treat it. If it's a behavior problem, I am still trying to figure it out.

Could be because his first two years were spent in a van with a homeless family. As he grew up, he got to have more freedom and often went outdoors to play. Perhaps he finds being confined to the house too stressful. Or maybe I'm not cleaning out the litter box often enough. Or, maybe it's the brand of litter I'm using. Or just plain stress?

I don't know how I can work with this, aside from letting him be an outside cat. My ex-feral, Sunny-boy is very attached to Ninja and would freak out if they had to be separated. I don't dare let Sunny be an outside cat. He is way too skittish. He would be miserable. My plan right now is to get another large litter box and add it to the ones I already have. My litter boxes are actually large plastic file boxes from the business supply store. They are much deeper than a regular litter box and offers a bit more privacy and less tracking of litter outside of the box.

Santa Cruz County Catio Tour 2016

CALLING ALL CAT LOVERS: Learn from experts and be inspired by the ingenuity of ten Santa Cruz County cat owners providing unique CATIOS, outdoor enclosures for their cats!

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Watsonville Catio location
10 Carita Ct
(Near Bronte and Bridge)

10:00 AM to 2:00 PM on Saturday, April 9

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What do bird-lovers and cat-lovers have in common? We all want what’s best for the animals we love. Lucky for us there's a unique solution that keeps cats and birds safe at the same time, and many of our neighbors are using it.

On Saturday, April 9, the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter and Native Animal Rescue of Santa Cruz County are teaming up to produce Santa Cruz County's first annual self-guided Catio Tour. 

You may ask, “What’s a catio?” Good question! Add the word “cat” to the word “patio,” and you get “catio.” A catio is an outdoor enclosure for cats; a place where cats can enjoy the outdoors and still be safe from predators. And just as important, wild birds can be safe from cats.

The purpose of the first Santa Cruz County Catio Tour is to educate the community about this highly successful way of protecting cats from predators and birds from cats. The catios on display run the gamut from small window boxes to large freestanding enclosures where cats and their owners can enjoy each other.

Eleven local catio owners from Boulder Creek to Watsonville have offered to exhibit their catios from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM on Saturday, April 9.

Please join us on these Catio Tour Events, hosted by Native Animal Rescue and Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter!

Something's Fishy

It’s been a busy day watching our dozen or so entertaining friends swimming in the Fish Tank! We were frightened a bit last week when CatMom started emptying out all the water. What was she going to do with our fishies? But, the Monk came to the rescue and brought in another temporary home for them, while the large tank was emptied.

I enjoy counting them, but always get confused! There are more than twelve, I am sure! Maybe less than 20. The new borrowed aquarium is so lovely! We, all three of us, cannot fit together in front of it, like we did on the bench that was in front of the larger aquarium. The Monk and CatMom emptied the big one completely now and we are sad to see it go. They said something about a leak. But the fishies don't seem to mind their new smaller home.

My favorite fish is the Oranda. I named her Splash! She has a huge red hat she wears atop her head. It is difficult to tell how she stays afloat! She seems so top heavy. The Monk says he is going to make fresh sushi, and we all get very interested. But, I know he is just joking around.

HRH Queen Bambi

Bug Eye Ninja Cat

Ninja Boo sees an insect on the wall.

 I no longer wonder 

what the definition of bug-eyed is!

Orange Marmalade Ginger Boy

This is Sunny Boy. His cat mom recently died. He previously was a feral. She tricked him into coming into her house when he was eight months old, and he adjusted. Not entirely tame as he cannot be picked up.

Now he is very traumatized because she is gone, strangers were invading his space, packing up things and moving furniture. 

He has now come to live with me. I've put him in a four-foot cage so he can feel safe. Fortunately, he is responding to my visits, though quite shy. Best part of my day was finally getting some winks and a tiny meow out of him. 

Maybe tomorrow he will venture out of his carrier, where he continues to hide, so that he can watch the birds out the window and see my other cats when they enter their catio. 

I'm hoping his transition into my home and with my other cats will be successful. Isn't he handsome? Sorry, not a good picture.

Eyebrow Cat

My name is Timmy.

I'm so cute my mommy can't help but love me

Ferals are Rescued Treasures

I donated 3 boxes of stuff and a kitten climbing structure to my local feral cat rescue organization: Project Purr's Rescued Treasures Thrift Shop, and came away with five cat books! My video reflects my cats, their catio and my visit to the shop.

New Year not Fun for Cats!

My cat, Buddha, was terrified of the fireworks people were shooting off last night for new year celebrations. 

I wish I would have put all the cats in one room and made it warmed up and sprayed Feliway, the cat relaxing spray and played a cat video for them. By the time, I realized Buddha was upset, he was pretty wild.

Be Careful Christmas

Please be careful of the tree decorations all fellow cat lovers

Healthy Cassie Cat did not eat and Christmas decorations

Last year, a friend's cat chewed on everything. The cat had an expensive surgery and nearly lost her life after she chewed the tree. When they operated they took out lots of tinsel and the small green tree spines. The vet said it happens every year and real tree pine needles are just as dangerous, as they can get caught in the lining of the intestine and create scar tissue. Have a safe and Happy Catmas everyone!

Santa's Little Helper

This is Keli. She lived nearly 20 years with me.

The local shelter in Indianapolis had a fundraiser so we could have pets with Santa pictures taken for the price of a donation to the shelter. This was taken when she was still quite young, about 1990. She wasn't afraid of standing in line with all the dogs and kitties or being handled by the bearded man in red. I wonder now why they didn't have a separate day for cats and a separate day for dogs and other pets. And I think what a great way to raise funds, but I know of no other places that do this

Cat Refuses To Go Outside!

Hi, dis is Timmy writing. When I got out of the house dat time fur nine too many days,  I thot I was gonna be alone furrever! Ya might say it wuz my own fault fur pushin' da door open and gettin' out. But, in my own deefence, I jus gotta say, it weren't all me.

Da door latch thingy-bopper thing was loose. I dint know it wus loose. I wuz just watchin' da birdies outside, cuz dey wuz eatin' da bird seed out there. I stood up so I could see dem better and whoops!!! Da door open like majick!

Well dat scared the heck outta all dem birdies and dey flew every which way. Den dat scared da heck outta me too and I ranned every which way too!

I dint know which way ta run furst. I wanted ta run with da birdies, but dey be flyin' and I don't has no wings ta foller dem up high. But I can leap high. So dat what I did. I leaped high up on da fence. Den I saw birdies over there somewhere, so I went after dem birdies on da udder side of da fence.

I had a really good time at furst. But, I wuz also kinda nervous and scared. I'm dat way naturally ya know. Dat's why my name is Timmy da Timid! Of course.

So, before ya knowed it. I was lost.

Timmy da Timid no go outside! Nope! Never!

Dat's when I went and hid in that old building. It looked a lot just like my own garage, but once I got inside I unnerstood it weren't mine. But, hey. I wuz so tired, I jus' had ta take a nap before I went home. But, somebody come along and shut dat door. I was stuck inside there for too many many furrever days!

Since I been back home, I not feelin very good. CatMom, she taking good care of me. Finally, I can eat now. I getting my handsome figure back in shape. But, sometimes my eye gets all sore. CatMom say I still too nervy. I think I da same old me. But now her getting dat catio built and she wants ta put music out dere for us cats to help us reelax.

I don't think I ever wants to go outside evver again!!! Music or no music! Ain't no music gonna make me reelax if I'm outside da house!!

What to Do After Your Lost Cat Comes Home

Princess Royale
Buffy da Bampire Flayer

This is da Princess Royale... Buffy da Bampire Flayer bloggin' taday. I got some news for ya.

Rember when my brudder, Timmy da Timid, ran away from home last month?(Okay... him say him dint get runned away. Him jus' aksadentally gots out da back door and gots scared. Then he run away!) Rember when dat happen? And rember how hard it was on CatMom. Her has da bad blood cancer, Leukemia. It makes her so tired. She could only lie down on da bed and worry 'bout Timmy.

Oh, yes, we was worried too.  Me and da royal Hi-ness Queen Bambi was lying on the bed with CatMom to comfort her and gives her healin' vibes all da time. That way she could go outside and try ta find dat lost Timmy for short times.

But, it took Timmy 9 days ta come home. And he was so sick.
He gotted all skinny, and him fur weren't shiny no more, and him eyes all sunken in. And he din't have no water in his body and he had to go see da VET! And da VET had ta, put more water into him for two days and it costed a lots of money for CatMom. Then she had ta take me an Queen Bambi ta da VET, too. Make sure we dint get exposed to any dizeases from Timmy and we gots shots and flea baths. Dat was a big waist, cuz we ended up with fleas anyhoo, cuz Timmy brot dem fleas home wif him! Itchy!

So now, CatMom gonna get a Catio built. Our CatDaddy, da Monk was gonna build it for us. Him started it, but him had ta go into da hospital to the purrson VET (they calls 'em doctors) and he had ta have him neck cut into, and we don't see him no more. And he cant come over, and him can't build da Catio.

But, CatMom she cant stand it no more. She so scared one of us gonna get out again, like da original Dowager Queen (Keli) did and got killed by a naughty dawg from before I was bornt.

Example of a Catio
Borrowed from Highland Beach Condos Site.

So, she gonna pay somebody ta build da Catio. That way she don't have so many VET bills. I likes dat, cuz I don't like da VET! Queen Bambi is so happy about this, cuz she LOVES ta go outside. And Timmy is happy cuz he want to be safe to go outside, but not get lost and sick.

Me? I not sure if I wants to be outside in da Catio or not. But, CatMom, she da happiest of all. But, she worry how much moneys it gonna cost her. She say it worth it, because we is her precious furbabies, and she make sacrifices no matter what for us. CatMom LOVES us so much! So, maybe I will like da Catio, after all.

Cat Growls!

Buffy is a cat with extra toes.

Today, Buffy announced to CatMom that someone had driven into the driveway. She had been curled up on the bed, snoozing.

We all have acute hearing. Queen Bambi and I also heard the truck drive up. Bambi went to the window to take a look, and I went underneath the couch to hide. But, it was Buffy who woke right up and growled out loud. In fact she growled twice!

It was enough to make CatMom pay attention. She realized though Buffy appeared to be asleep, she was very alert!

I might point out that Buffy is a smart kitty. She's got more sense than to get up and go running to the door and bark like a dog. She knew CatMom would get up and go take a look. CatMom has us cats all figured out. And there was the new visitor, CatMom's friend, John Pianavilla who came to the house last week and measured up the space in the backyard just off the big sliding glass doors where we like to look out at the birds every day. We wonder what he was doing there.

But, we had a surprise tonight! We were all snuggled down on the bed with CatMom watching the TV.

Can you see how disturbed her royal highness is about the growl!

 All of a sudden we heard a very big and long growling!

Buffy and I looked at each other.

We knew it wasn't us. And we knew it certainly wasn't Bambi who did that deep long growl. Because Bambi jumped up from her spot all upset.

She had been laying on CatMom's belly and she could hear the growling loudest of us all. Pretty scarey for us all!

CatMom laughed at us for being so alarmed. SHE was the one who was growling! Or... actually, I should point out... it was her belly!!!

This is Timmy da Timid reporting.

Flea Bath Horrors

Princess Royale, Buffy da Bampire writes: Because of Timmy comin' home all loaded wif fleas, it wasn't long B4 Queen Bambi and I were itching and scratching too. Den, of corse, CatMom taked us all to the VET and we getted baths. Yes, Baths!!!! It is hew-mew-liating and mortifying! I shudder when I think of it! I've spent all week trying to get my furs all rearranged how they belong.

CatMom and Princess Buffy

Of corse I'm mad at Timmy! I mean, dat's my right as the Princess Royale. Isn't it?

When he was lost I had my ryt to the throne guar-ant-eed. I had best snuggle spot in da left arm-pit of CatMom. And Queen Bambi had da ryte one.

Den da prodigal prince come bak home and I hafta let go of my in-hair-itance? What? I don't think so, bruther!

Okay! Okay! Well, now dat yoo all know and.... I am sure... unnerstand my purrsition, I will tell yoo how mag-nan-i-mouse I am being purr-zently. I even letted Timmy do da nose to nose wif me yestaday. And when him jumpt on da bed, I purr-tended I dint even notice. Behav-yor be-coming dis princess, I assure yoo!

Timmy finallee smells lyke one of our clowder again. So, I can accept dat he belongs here, but I still not so sure I want ta share my CatMom wif him, 'speshally since her is pampurring Timmy so much since he camed home.

Buffy the Pillow Cat Marks Her Spot

So, when him's watching da humming-birds at da feeders, I just moves into da middle of da bed up dere between da pillows where CatMom sleeps, and I stays dere all day, just ta make sure Timmy gets da message about who belongs where!

That guarantees my purrsition, and reminds Timmy that him is not yet off the hook, entirely.

What's fair is fair. Ryte?

When TImmy was Little

Judge Me Not

Buffy da Bampire Flayer
"Princess Royale"

All this fuss about the return of the Prodigal Prince, and no one has bothered to learn how the Princess Royale (moi, Buffy da Bampire Flayer) feels about it. No they haven't!

Of course I was upset! Timmy never said a word to anyone before he left, didn't tell us where he was going, let us worry for days and days without so much as a mew.

Then nine days later he comes home smelling of "stranger danger" and everyone is surprised that I'm not welcoming him with open paws.  Come one peeples! I'm telling you, Timmy stank, stunk, stinked!

Plus, he was acting all weak, and you know what that means! I HAD to growl and hiss at him and give a bit to warn him to stay away from me.

LOVE BITES BETWEEN SIBLINGS

Yeah, yeah, I admit he was skinny and sunken in at the eyes, and had those sores on his paws from trying to escape where he was locked in and CatMom had to take him to the vet to get well.

But, honestly, I sort of didn't recognize him. So, please don't judge me for being a cat! (a royal princess calico polydactal cat!)

Outdoor Cat Enclosure

I've decided I'm getting a "catio" built for my cats. Essentially it is a chicken coop for cats. Okay, let's be nice... a safety enclosure.

My boyfriend, Kats, also known as "the Monk" was going to build it but he had to have surgery on his cervical spine. He had brought over a metal pergola frame and set it up. But that was all he could do before going in the hospital.

With all the distress and anguish I went though while Timmy was missing, I just don't want to ever go through something like that again.

Getting this Catio built is expensive. But vet bills for cats who have been missing and need treatment is expensive, too. I've got to put my money to keeping my cats safe. It will also be an investment in my sanity. Timmy is not my only furbaby. I've already gotten some financial help from three people who wanted to help me. Thank you, dear ones!

I put the rest on my credit card. But. paying it off will be challenging but worth every sacrifice. I found a local contractor who builds "Cat Condos", and he will be doing the work. This is an example of something he built.

His name is John Pianavilla. His company is called Purr 'D' Cat Condos, located in Santa Cruz, California.

No Place Like Home

A note from MomCat: Timmy is so glad to be home. Princess Buffy da Bampire Flayer is finally being more tolerant of her wayward prince, and has stopped growling, hissing and chasing after him (well, not so much as before, that is.) 

Timmy da Timid Scallywag says:
"Dere's no place like home!"

I love cats because I enjoy my home; 

and little by little, 

they become its visible soul.

~Jean Cocteau