Gabi's Cat Page

Cats...Cats...Cats...and more Cats!

Well, I love cats. So much so, that I brought 2 of them with me from Germany. It cost me a few bucks, but they were worth every penny of it. People around me thought that I'm crazy for spending that kind of money on 2 cats, but then again I don't care anymore what people think of me.
I got Mucky in August 1981. She was about 6 to 8 weeks old. She loved to fetch like a dog when she was little. I always thought she was a he, until the day I took "him" to have "him" spayed. The nurse came running out of the office and said, "It's a female cat, we have to neuter her, that's going to take a little while." At home I wrapped Mucky with some gauze bandages, so she wouldn't pull her stitches out. When the bandage came loose, she brought it back to me, so I could wrap her up again. Everytime I would go to work, she would stand at the door and cry all day long, at least that is what I was told by my neighbors. So I decided to get her a playmate.
I picked up Major as he was barely 6 weeks old. He was a mean little kitten, loved to climb the curtains and fight like crazy with Mucky, but she treated him, as if he was her own. She even let him pretend to nurse. They became best friends. When the time came, to move to the US, there was no question, that Major and Mucky were going also. They had to have some shots and got to fly in an airplane. Once we got here a couple of days later, they had no problems adjusting to their new environment.
Then one day in January 1988, my husband found a little kitten behind the house and felt sorry for it. So there was cat #3, Tiger. At 9 month old we had him spayed also. He got to be a pretty good sized cat after that. In November 1988 we picked up cat #4. Tony. He and Tiger became best friends. In June of 1991 Tiger got really sick and died a few days later. The other cats looked for him for a few days, and then life went back to the usual.
May 1993 a very loving, but also wild, cat arrived at my front door. He was starving, and I made the "mistake" of feeding him. Well needless to say, I had cat #5, Jinxy, who lived outside. 4 cats in the house was enough for me. One day he came home and had a big sore on his leg, couldn't hardly walk, so we took him to the Veterinerian, who fixed him right up. He had to stay in our Outbuilding for a week or so, till he could run again. In July 1994 he wouldn't come for his food. I finally found him laying beside the road. I thought he had gotten run over, so we took him to the Vet again. Come to find out, he had gotten Cat Leukemia. The Vet gave us some medicine for him, but it was too late and on 26. July 1994 Jinxy died.
In March of 1995 Tony got sick and spent a few days at the Veterinarian. On 13 March 1995 he died of a blockage in his bladder, which is very common in spayed cats. Well, I was left with the two cats I had started out with.
Major would sleep a lot, and Mucky wanted to be petted a lot or watched TV. Then right before christmas of 1995 she got really sick too. We took her to the Vet, who diagnosed her with kidney failure. He didn't give us much hope. I bought her some Vitamin paste and would force her to eat it. I just didn't want to give up. After seven days of no food and water, she started eating again. That was the best christmas present I could have ever asked for. One year later, she got the same thing, this time I started the Vitamin paste immediately, and got her some medicine from the vet. She would get better for a couple of weeks and get sick again, till 22.February 1997 at 10:57 am, when we had her put to sleep. That was one of the hardest decisions I ever had to make, but she had a good and long life. She had been with us for almost 16 years and is now burried in the back yard under a pine tree.
The first week or so, Major would look for her all the time, but then he changed from the shy, stay by himself cat, to a loving family pet. He couldn't get enough of the petting. The last few years he got really picky with his food though. He just wanted the best from the best, no more off-brands of cat food. And that's ok. He celebrated his 17th birthday a few month ago. This last year Major had been getting thinner and thinner even knowing he ate like a horse. I took him to the veterinarian who diagnosed him with probable kidney failure. We couldn't afford the high cost of further tests and treatment and the vet said at his age it wouldn't really be the humane thing to do anyways to put him through all those treatments. I noticed the day before Thanksgiving that he wouldn't eat or drink. He just laid around the house. By that evening he couldn't stand up anymore. I knew it was time to say "Good Bye". Probably one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life. Then Thanksgiving morning 2000 we all sat around and petted him a few more times which was received by heavy purring. At 8:30 am Major drew his last breath. We buried my friend Major beside Mucky in a quiet spot in the yard under a pine tree.
May all my cats rest in peace and have a wonderful time in heaven where I hope to join them one day.

Well it is 2006 and I had sworn I would never get another cat.....Wrong....A few days before Christmas my husband was walking in the park and somebody had set out 2 kittens. It was cold and he was afraid they would get hurt over night, so he brought them into the house and we gave them some food with the understanding they would be taken to the animal shelter the next day....Wrong again....

Did you know...
...that the cat is called "Mao" in chinese?
...that a cat has 240 bones, 500 muscles and 30 teeth?
...that a female cat can have up to 200 kittens during her life?
...that cats have baby teeth too, which they use during their 3rd and 20th week of life?
...the favorite color of a cat is red?
...that the cats eye sight is 6 times as strong as that of a person?
...that ferns are very poisonous to cats?
...that in the old Egypt, if you killed a cat, you got the death penalty?

How much does a cat cost per month?
* A normal house cat doesn't cost much at all, around $20-$25 per month. A cat toilet can be aquired for around $10, the cat litter costs around $5, 2 small bowls for around $5.
* A cat doesn't need much room, even is comfortable in an Apartment.
* A cat can be a childs best friend, but doesn't like the rough handling by very small children. It will try to avoid them.
* Cats are very clean and will take care of their own fur. Only long-haired cats need to be brushed every now and then.

Bringing a kitten to a new home (out of a kittens point of view)
In the first few hours I am very scared and confused. I might even hide under the bed. Don't take it personal, but us cats are fixated on our surroundings, and we don't know what to think of a strange new place. Just talk to me in a very soft voice, and very soon I will come out and purr.
The sound "Y" is very unresistable to us kittens. It reminds us to the time we were still with our mothers, when she was talking to us. So a name with a lot of "Y's" will definately get my attention.
I don't ask for much room. Of course a garden would be nice, but I'll be happy with a window also. It's very important that I get to use the whole house or appartment with all its nucks and crannies, that way you won't block my urges for adventures. Also I would like to have a few simple toys, like a small yarn or paper ball, maybe even a scratch post, so I can keep my claws nice and neat. And of course a nice person, who will pay plenty of attention to me, and who will give me all the petting I can stand. A loving hand , which pets me all over, will make any cat feel like its living in heaven.

WHAT MAKES A CAT NEUROTIC?

A recent census taken among cats shows that approximately 100 percent are neurotic. That estimate is probably on the low side. The reason for their neurosis is simple enough. It's you.
Consider this. Your cat loves everything about you: your living room couch, the food you eat, the bed you sleep on, your television set. He enjoys sharing these things with you. Yet, many cat owners take up more space on the bed at night than their cat; and change television channels indiscriminately; and refuse to offer a seat to their cat at the dining table.
Modern life makes demands on the cat. Only the fittest survive today. Here is a typical schedule of a cat, trying to cope.

4:30am - Owner turns around in bed, waking up cat.
5:05am - Owner, still asleep, pulls the blanket over his head---and the cat's next to him on the pillow. Disturbed by all this activity so early in the morning, cat seeks refuge deep under the blanket.
6:00am - Owner turns around, flattening cat under his belly. Cat lets out a piercing cry and scratches him.
6:01am - Cat retracts his claws.
6:02am - Owner shoves the cat off the bed. Cat bounces back like a rubber ball, landing smack on owner's face.
6:30-6:45am - Owner wipes blood off his face and tries to go back to sleep.
7:00am - Cat moves to far side of the bed, taking most of the blanket with him.
7:30am - Alarm clock goes off. Cat knocks clock off the night table to stop the noise. Clock keeps ringing. Cat pounces on it. Clock stops ringing. Forever.
7:31am - Owner staggers to bathroom. Cat jumps on sink to watch him shave and then on the side of the bathtub to see him take a shower. When owner begins to sing, cat promptly leaves in disgust. He returns to bed to catch up on lost sleep.
7:40am - Owner puts on his shoes and accidentally sits on cat.
7:41am - Cat goes back to sleep on the floor. Owner trips over him and falls on his face. Cat follows owner to living room and goes to sleep in the living room couch.
8:15am - Owner leaves for work.
9:30am - Cat wakes up and goes to the kitchen to have breakfast.
9:35am - Passing his dish, cat jumps up on the kitchen counter, reaches into cookie jar. Eats one cookie, returns to living room and goes back to sleep.
12:30pm - Cat pays another visit to the kitchen, to help himself to another cookie.
1:30pm - Cat moves to the windowsill to check out the birds. Satisfied, he returns to the couch.
1:45-2:30pm - Cat sharpens his claws, tearing off what is left of the upholstery. He then digs a hole in the carpet.
2:35pm - Cat goes back to the kitchen for one more cookie.
2:45pm - Cat climbs up the living room curtains for exercise. Exhausted, he goes back to sleep.
6:15pm - Owner returns.
6:20pm - Owner mixes beef and gravy for cat, who will have no part of it.
6:25pm - Owner offers cat fresh Beluga caviar. Cat accepts.
6:40pm - Owner sits down in his easy chair to read the evening paper. Cat parks himself across the center spread.
6:41pm - Owner pushes cat off.
6:42pm - Cat jumps back.
6:43pm - Owner pushes cat off.
6:44pm - Cat jumps back.
6:45pm - Owner pushes cat off and moves to couch hoping for a chance to read his paper.
6:46pm - Cat follows him and jumps in his lap.
6:47pm - Owner pushes cat off.
6:48pm - Cat jumps back, tearing paper in half.
6:49pm - Owner hurls cat against the wall across the room. Cat lands on feet and grins.
6:50pm - Cat return's to owners lap.
6:51pm - Owner gets up and walks to the kitchen to make a sandwich.
6:52pm - Cat clings to his trousers. Owner tries to shake him off.
7:15pm - Owner succeeds in separating cat from his trousers. He sits down to watch football on television. Cat jumps on his shoulders, gazing fixedly at owner's pastrami sandwich.
7:16pm - Owner asks: "Want half of my sandwich?"
7:17pm - Cat nods.
7:30pm - Cat watches television for a while, but loses interest in the outcome of the game. He leaves for the bedroom.
10:30pm - Owner joins him.
10:45pm - Cat wakes up and takes position. 11:30pm - Both owner and cat go to sleep, though not necessarily in that order.

Amazing Stories!

The cat hid the braclet (by E. Ullmann)

Our cat Murri loved parties. The preparations for them meant a real feast for the little cat. The little pieces of fish and lunchmeat, that "accidently" fell on the floor, kept Murri in the kitchen the whole time. As soon as the guest would arrive Murri would position herself in the entrance and receive her presents like cat snacks and toys. One day a party had a strange ending. Suddenly a young woman was missing her very expensive braclet. We looked all over the house. Then came the blaming of each other. Suddenly in this strange environment we could hear scatching and the sound of metal. Murri, who nobody had paid attention to in quite a while was playing with a shoe, which had been left in a corner. The little cat paws reached into the shoe and lookie there: There was the missing bracelet. The cat thought it was another one of its new toys. Everybody started laughing and was ashamed for the advanced accusations they had made. Only Murri, the party cat, was disappointed, when she lost her "toy". It was too shiny and made the best noise.

Our Muschi opens the doors by herself (by E. Rau)

Our cat has been with us for 10 birthdays now, and she is still as active as a kitten. Her urge for playing has always given us great pleasure. Our Muschi learned how to beg, opens the doors by herself, and even intervenes, when my children fight in "her" apartment. If she wants to be petted, it's not easy to resist.

How I befriended a cat in my ripe age of 80 years (by J. Beck)

At 80 years old I practicly changed into a cat lover over night. A few month ago, one of my tenants had brought a beautiful black cat into his apartment, without my knowledge. He said he was only keeping it for a few days, which turned into one month. After which he gave the cat away. A week later one evening, I opened my door to my apartment, the black cat jumped into my arms, meowing and purring. First I thought my tenant had went back to get the cat, to surprise me, but then I found out, that the cat had come back on its own, and had been sadly sitting in front of my door. And one of the tenants had let him into my apartment. The cat had found its way back to me through busy streets and cars. I admire what the cat did. Its new owner said I could keep him and I named the cat "Vierfu�" (means foor legs).

Our small friend had followed us home (by I. Kubler)

During summer break my brother and I had went to our grandmother. She had a big garden. We played all day in it. One day a little cat came into the garden. The poor animal was very skinny. So we gave her some milk. The cat was very afraid and bit my hand, when I tried to pet her. After awhile it finally drank the milk. Then my brother tied a small piece of paper on a string and drug it behind him. The cat followed and tried to catch the paper. We played with the cat the whole day, until we had to go inside. When we told grandma about the cat, we heard a scratching noise at the window. Grandma felt sorry for the cat and let her in the house. Before we went to bed, we fed the cat again. We played with her every day, and she would follow us everywhere. When our parents came to pick us up, we were very sad, because we couldn't take the cat with us. Our grandma later told us, that the cat had come back the next day, but when it realized, that we weren't there no more, it disappeared and was never seen again.

Top 14 Signs that Kitty plans to kill you . . .

14. Seems mighty chummy with the dog all of a sudden.
13. Unexplained calls to F. Lee Bailey's 900 number on your bill.
12. You find a stash of "Feline of Fortune" magazines behind the couch.
11. Cyanide pawprints all over the house.
10. You wake up to find a bird's head in your bed.
9. As the wind blows over the grassy knoll in downtown Dallas, you get a faint whiff of catnip.
8. Droppings in litter box spell out "REDRUM."
7. Takes attentive notes every time "Itchy and Scratchy" are on.
6. You find blueprints for a Rube Goldberg device that starts with a mouse chased into a hole and ends with flaming oil dumped on your bed.
5. Has taken a sudden interest in the wood chipper.
4. Instead of dead birds, leaves cartons of Marlboros on your doorstep.
3. Ball of yarn playfully tied into a hangman's noose.
2. You find a piece of paper labeled "MY WIL" that reads "LEEV AWL 2 KAT."
1. Now sharpens claws on your car's brake lines.

Links to other related sites on the Web

All about cats on About.com Die Katzenseite (german) How to Toilet-Train your cat Basic Rules for cats Cat Gif Animations Cat Horoscope Find a veterinarian in your neighborhood Problem Behaviors in Cats Feline Information Page Cat Lovers

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