Fear of Cats

We had a friend - past on now, dear soul, who was afraid of cats. When she visited us, we had to keep the cats away from her.  The scientific name for this condition is Ailurophobia. She was afraid of the razor blades on the little fur ball's paws. She didn't like the way the cats stared at her. She didn't even want a cat to touch her. It seemed to me to be totally irrational, but for someone with the phobia, it is very real. The best thing to do is to be understanding and compassionate towards these people and don't try to change them or force cats upon them. If they really want to, they can seek help from a therapist. This is an area for the qualified. And, don't forget to pray for the person you know who is afraid of cats: God just may release his healing power.

I Love Cats

I Love Cats. That's why I include them in all of my fictional stories published on Amazon Kindle. I am  a cat person because I like their independence. Our feline masters aren't as demanding as dogs. Cats are more aloof, and self reliant. You don't necessarily have to take them for walks, they don't ruin your lawn, and they are very clean. They don't mind being left alone for most of a day once in a while and all their requirements are: a clean litter box; a well balanced diet, a bowl of water, some exercise, and cuddling.

In my memoir, Two Feral Waifs, cats are rescued by me and my family.
Sandy, in Theory of Sevens, owns cats but they don't play a part in the story.
Jerome in Fire Escape rescues a cat from a rooftop, as a fun little side plot diversion.

When I write another work of fiction, it will include a cat in the story somehow - I promise.
I recently finished Bible Promises - A Compilation, that includes Jesus, The Lion of the Tribe of Judah. My next book is an Inspirational Devotional that may take me a couple of years to complete, with the title to be announced.

So be blessed, keep loving your pets, be a blessing, and love God.

In Rememberence of Simon

Simon fell asleep on Thursday, 1 September 2016. He was the loving feline pet of a family that misses him very much. I remember all the quirky things he used to do. First thing in the morning he would wake me up to feed and water him and let him out in the yard for a little while. I would clean his litter box in the meantime. Then he would sit on the toilet seat while I shaved, brushed my teeth and got a shower. He would then have a drink of water out of my cupped hand. At breakfast time, he would wait for a little taste of milk from the left over granola  cereal, sitting patiently by my side until I was finished. Then he would curl up beside me on the sofa while I did my morning routine on my laptop. So I would sit in the yard for awhile and Simon would curl up beside me on the grass while I enjoyed my garden. After lunch, I would put my glass on the floor and he would drink out of it by using his paw as a ladle.  Then I would let him out the patio door. Next thing I know he's scratching at the front door to come in. I open the front door and he heads straight to the patio door and goes out back again. In the evening I would be sitting in my easy chair reading a book or having some conversation when he would come up in my lap, give me a head bunt for almost a minute then curl up for a little while until got restless. Simon will always be missed and I will remember him fondly as the quirkiest cat I have ever had the privilege to be their staff.

Cats in Songs

We as a human race enjoy music. We have songs going around in our minds a lot. I remember the song "The Cat Came Back" sung and played so eloquently by Fred Penner. What a horrible song that was. Trying to get rid of a cat the ways the song proposes isn't very nice and may have given children the wrong impression. "Pussy Cat, Pussy Cat I Love You" is a memorable song. The ear-worm is beginning as I type this. I won't be able to get that song out of my mind all day. How about "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" - not exactly about house cats unless you have a lion in the house - but another ear-worm that could replace the afore mentioned ear-worm. I like the song made popular by Keltic Thunder, "A Place in the Choir". The line that says, 'the dogs and the cats, they take up the middle', I can just picture all of the animals mentioned in the song just belching out their part. This one I have actually played on my guitar. Well, I could use a cup of 'catinated' coffee about now to ward off my computer mouse. Have a good day and God bless.

Dictionaries

Everyone probably has  a dictionary in their house - at least one. I have several - almost a hundred. I have sailor terms, mechanical terms, scientific terms, dictionaries of philosophy, psychology, guitars, origins of words, 50,001 baby names, 2 letter words - the list goes on. I enjoy collecting them as much as I like looking up interesting bits of information that I may be able to use in my writing or conversations.
The name for one of our cats came from the 50,001 Best Baby Names by Dianne Stafford. We called her Nya which means precious one. Turns out;  according to a friend of mine, nya is meow in Japanese. That was a funny coincidence.
One of my favorite dictionaries in my collection is Learn All The 2-Letter Scrabble Words by Tyler Indiana. I thought that giving a cat a name that was only two letters long would be cool. So here are a few examples: Yo, Oy, Lo, Ma, Pa, Ab, Al, Be, Za, Ed, Pi, Ba, Jo, Da....... You get the idea.
Whether you give your cat a two letter name or a 22 letter name, have fun naming your new cat, and a dictionary sometimes helps. Let God bless you.........and your feline friend.

Glorious Cats - Book Review

If you like intricate designs, and beautiful paintings of cats, you will love Glorious Cats The Paintings of Lesley Anne Ivory. The paintings of the cats are set on a lavish patchwork background inspired by her extensive experience in fabric design. On the opposing page of each painting she has compiled selections from various authors of poetry and prose, describing in their words all the wonderful things about our furry friends. Authors such as Paul Gallico, Barbara Eskil, and Martha Ostenso give us glimpses into the feline world, and only glimpses they are, because to write everything about cats would take thousands of pages. I find myself drawn to the illustrations as they mesmerize and fascinate me by their intricate yet simple design.

Lesley Anne Ivory was born in Bedfordshire in Great Britain. She studied textile design and typography in Hertfordshire. She is known for her greeting cards that she produced for Oxfam. She also produced a set of animal cards that for the World Wildlife Fund, among many other accomplishments. Lesley writes that cats are glorious creatures - who must on no account be underestimated ... their eyes are fathomless depths of cat world mysteries. She's right.

Visiting Cats

Sometimes cats who have a home somewhere else like to visit us. There are two of these visitors at the time I'm writing this. The strange thing is: our cats get along with them quite well. They don't seem to pose a threat.

One of them we named Friendly because he was so friendly to us and our cats. He came from our new neighbours across the street. We found out his real name was Dusty; an orange and white domestic short hair. Orange cats are known to be saucy, but not this one, he is something else. Today he came into our house, wondered around for a little while, and went right back out. Our cats didn't pay him any heed.

The other one is a pure black domestic long hair. We call him Black Cat. We don't know where he lives, but we know he has a home. He is well fed and well groomed. His coat has no mats, and is as silky smooth as can possibly be. He wonders through our yard two three times a day, stops to say hello, and continues on his merry way. Our cats are a little nervous of him, but seem to tolerate his frequent forays through their territory.

This seems to be unusual behaviour for our four cats - one female and three male; all fixed. I don't really know what gives here, but if I find out I'll out it in a future article.

Decisions Decisions

Cats seem to find making a decision a difficult thing.
They ask to go out, then stand there 40 seconds.
With the door open while they contemplate.
If that is really what they want.
Then they go out and 4 minutes later
They are asking to come in.
To the water dish they go.
Then back to door for another try outside.
And if you don't let them out
You would think the house was on fire.
So you let them out.
They sniff the air, sit down, and wash a whisker or two.
Then paw at the door for the servant to keep.
Sometimes they want to be out.
Sometimes they want to be in.
And, sometimes they want to be both at the same time.
Peter Fevens

My Staff

My Staff

I chose them, they did not choose me,
But it is hard to get good staff these days.
They could a little faster be.
When I am hungry, or athirst you see.

They seem a little dull or out of sink.
They should know when I want a little drink.
When I want to go out the door,
They should be there in a minute, not a second more.

They should know without a second thought,
That a closed door is a signal to riot.
But given the nature of these giants,
It's real tough to find them compliant.

But my home is warm, and they sort of keep it clean.
They could pay more attention to the litter box routine.
Of more use than that I find I can dream,
In the lap of my staff on a cool rainy evening.

Peter Fevens

Positive Reinforcement

As a parent you may know the value of positive reinforcement, and responsible dog owners can usually be described in this manner too. Our feline house pets also respond well to positive reinforcement.  Cats for some reason liked to be talked to like you would talk to a baby. Giving your pet cat a gentle scratch on the back while saying, "You're so sweet my little baby pussy cat." saying the cat's name a couple of times "My little sweetie; you're my baby." Cats love that stuff even though they know nothing about Valentine's Day. They understand food too. A little tasty cat nibble will go a long ways. Be careful you don't give positive reinforcement for a bad behaviour. Case in point is when one our cats would do anything to get let outside using a bad behaviour such as scratching my leg, or when another one of our cats would knock stuff off of the dresser in order to get us out of bed. Getting out of bed reinforces the bad behaviour. But maybe the cat was trying to correct what it considered a bad behaviour. Have a happy Valentines Day.

Feline Discipline

Now I don't have to tell many of you that the discipline of cats is a touchy subject considering all the abuse that is directed their way, but discipline is a must in certain circumstances and must be exercised swiftly and calmly. A gentle swat is all that is required for the feline pets to get the message and they wont hate you for it. In fact, in a little while they will be cozying right up to you again. Cats understand the gentle swat as discipline because our furry friends have been doing that to each other for thousands of years. Just watch your cat get irritated by another one of your per cats and its the gentle swat. Notice no harm is done and the offender understands the situation very well.

There may be situations when discipline is required such as: urinating or defecating on the floor, scratching furniture, digging in the plant pots, attacking other pets, or other behavioural problems. The message you give through the gentle swat must be loud and clear. The cat in question needs to know why it's being swatted.  Don't wait too long after the incident or they will have no idea. Take the cat to the scene of the crime where you will make the cat understand that this is the problem. This may have to be repeated several times for it to sink in. Then before you know it, the cat has moved he offensive behaviour to another location.

Make sure you have proper scratching pads or posts in the house, enough clean litter boxes, place brightly colored pebbles on top of the soil in your plants, and above all provide lots of affection and patience, and your house will be a happy home for everyone.