Tag Archives: cat enrichment

Walk Through The Web Wednesday 4/01

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siamese cat on a leash walking through a garden

Hello Furiends,
Well, it’s been quite a week here in Northern Idaho! Sick kitties, torrential rain, sunshine, snow and then yesterday we felt the rock and roll of a 6.5 earthquake that happened a little over 400 miles from us. I learned that I do NOT like earthquakes and I’m still a bit freaked out. And then there’s this COVID-19 thingy. To say you humans are on edge would be the understatement of the century! And what’s with the hoarding??!! Sheesh you humans should be more like us felines, eat only what you need, share your toys, get enough rest, find a sun puddle when you can and just relax!


Well enough about us, let’s check in on the latest feline news on the internet.

Social Distancing But Still Making New Feline Friends

Sometimes the old fashioned methods of communication are the best. A lady in

A woman in England had admired her neighbor’s black and white cat for a while but she had never met or spoken to the cat’s humans. As she has been home much  more she saw the cat in the window more often as well.  It’s amazing what you humans will think up when you are forced to be creative. The lady [put a note in her window asking his name.

Much to her delight, the neighbor responded with a sign that said he was called Walter.

And then a “paper in the window” conversation ensued. The woman posted pictures about the cat and poster in the window conversation and then had to put a note in her window for Walter’s humans saying, “Walter is now Twitter famous… sorry.” Little did she know that Walter already had an Instagram account which his humans noted in their return window message.

Ah you humans, you make this feline smile.

Human, I’m Bored – Enrichment Activities for Your Cat

“Human, if you’re going to be home this much, you need to come up with some fun ideas for The Tribe.”
-Oliver

With so much time on your hands and considering the fact that you humans have been invading our space too much lately, it’s time for you to get creative and do some things to enrich our environment.

There are some great ideas in this article. One of the most obvious ways to keep us entertained is to get some good catnip and let us have at it. The Tribe loves it best when The Female Human puts down some newspaper and sprinkles some local grown catnip on it. We roll around, nibble at the catnip and have a great time. This is also an entertaining thing for you humans to watch too.

Sound motivates us and something as simple as a paper bag can bring us hours of enjoyment (well, if not  hours, as long as it takes us to demolish the bag).

We love to watch stuff and, if you don’t have a nice view of the woods and wildlife like we do, there are a number of cat-focused videos you can stream on your TV.

There are other great ideas in this article, so check them out, You can keep your cat in residence from becoming cranky with too much time on his paws and too many humans in the house for too many hours!

Mr. Sherman, Little Tokyo’s 23-year-old feline ‘mayor,’ keeps purring along

Mr. Sherman, an American tabby often called the feline “mayor” of Little Tokyo, spends his day guarding his owner’s boutique.
(Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

Liz Ito, a Los Angeles artist, met this Tabby when she was 11 years old and, as an adult she still sees him regularly. Mr Sherman (the cat)  was  adopted by Kiyoko Kimball, owner of Ashiya, a women’s boutique and he spends his days greeting customers.

 At his advanced age, Sherman suffers from hyperthyroidism and kidney disease but he is well taken care of.  He rises early, takes medication for his condition, which makes him more active around 11:30 a.m., and naps after lunch. He lets it be known that he does not care for leftovers.

“Everything has to be fresh,” says Kiyoko Kimball, the caregiver who adopted him more than 16 years ago and spends $1,000 monthly on his food, prescriptions and fluid therapy. “He’s retired. I give him Social Security money. And you know, he thinks he’s a person. We communicate every day.”

Artist Imagines What Creatures Would Look Like If They Had Cat Faces

This falls under the heading, “what happens when humans have too much time on their hands? The creator of the Koty Vezde (Cats are Everywhere) Instagram page sees cats, well, everywhere. 29-year-old Galina Bugaevskaya from Moscow photoshops cat faces on various animals and since we all need a little entertainment, I recommend you visit this account and enjoy theses photos. .

Real (sort of) Tree Cat Tree

I’ve often wondered why you humans call our cat scratcher thingys “trees” when they look nothing like a tree…until now. Shelley and Joe DelRocco  create custom cat tree houses handcrafted from real trees and embellished with silk leaves. These trees are purrfect for felines who feel the call of the wild. Make sure your humans check out these cool PetTreeHouses on Etsy

How Dare You Call My Cat Geriatric! (The Female Human Opines)

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Although I didn’t say the words out loud that‘s exactly what I thought all those years ago when my beloved Miss P was being examined by the vet. I struggled to paste a smile on my face as I gazed into the blue eyes of my sassy Lynx Point feline. Granted, she was 10 years old but she still looked like the sassy little kitten I’d first met. The kitten who began life as “Puddy” but let me know in no uncertain terms that she required a more dignified moniker and soon became known as Miss P.

My beautiful sassy angel, Miss P.

Miss P was with me for nine more wonderful years and during that time I began to learn to not only accept the geriatric time of her life but to embrace and enjoy it. She’s been gone for five years now and I am happy to say every memory I have of her is a joyful one.

A year and a half ago my world was rocked when 17-year old Jasmine was diagnosed with kidney disease. I immediately went to the worst case scenario, my heart was broken and tears flowed so fast couldn’t concentrate on the lesson the vet tech was attempting to give me in administering subcutaneous fluids. Then, something the vet tech said permeated my fog of sorrow.

“Anita, we’ve had so many kitties live many good years with this diagnosis on sub-Q fluids.”

I grabbed a tissue, blew my nose and said hopefully, “Really?”

Their Senior Years Are Only A New Stage

That was the moment I turned the corner and began to embrace the reality of my cat’s senior days.  I thought through Jasmine’s treatment and felt that no matter how hard it would be for me to give her the fluids, she deserved much better than being terrified by a vet trip every other day.  I screwed up my courage and learned how to administer the fluids myself. We discussed what Jasmine needed and how to monitor her health. I left the vets that day with prescription food, sub-Q fluids and a hopeful heart.

It took a few weeks to get Jasmine stable. We made one more vet trip when she seemed to be in distress but we managed to get her back on track. I monitor her weight, give her fluids religiously (although she has some issues with this as seen in this short video) and make sure she’s hydrated and her diet is low in phosphates.  Instead of bemoaning the fact that she’s a senior I take the time to create new rituals and fun times together. Now, while I give her fluids, she also gets an Inaba Churu Grain-Free Chicken lickable treat and despite her meows to the contrary, she enjoys the new addition to the treatment.

“I do not appreicate being poked with a needle!
Jasmine

It’s natural to want our felines to remain kittens forever but if we don’t embrace all their stages of life we miss so much. Tucker, Jasmines brother, Jasmine and I have developed routines and ways of living together over these 17 years that are a constant blessing to me. Yes, there are adjustments. Tucker can no longer come out on the deck with me and sit on the railing as his poor depth perception has made him more tentative in gauging how much space he has on that ledge. There is a 35 foot drop into the woods from that ledge that he already misjudged a number of years ago so now he and all the cats enjoy the great outdoors in their pop up catio.

Tucker, in his younger days, sunning on the ledge of the upstairs deck.

Jasmine went through a stressful time of bullying and, as a result, she now lives in the bedroom suite. I tried to reintegrate her into the rest of the house for several years but I finally had to respect her wishes to have her own space. Since the arrival of my “foster failures” Alberto and Oliver, she does have periodic visitors and enjoys bossing them around.  I constantly look for other ways to enrich her environment as well.

Tucker’ has always been a rather “laid back” fellow which is only enhanced in his senior years. Still, there are things he does that delight and often amaze me. He likes to jump up on the stools at the kitchen counter and then hop up on the counter to “snoopervise” the goings on in the kitchen (he is a cat that lives to eat and this  proclivity for eating seems to have been enhanced over the years). I would never dream of chasing him off the counter. If the old guy can make it up there, he deserves to stay there. Any visitors to my house have to deal with the fact that the counter is religiously cleaned with cat-friendly disinfectant and is often decorated by a rather large, cross-eyed feline. He has also been known to enjoy box sitting sessions and giving the “young ones” the occasional whacky paw when he deems them to be annoying. Tucker makes sure he never misses an opportunity to roll in some nip as well..

A little “nip” sprinkled on the counter will always get this old guy moving. Look at that happy face.

Granted, life and routines change over time but that doesn’t mean the changes are bad. Many are quite enjoyable. As you navigate the senior years of your cat, consider these five lessons for living with and loving geriatric felines that I’ve learned.

The Five Rules For Your Cats Geriatric Years

  1. Plan financially for your cat’s senior years. As they age, cats will require more veterinary visits than they did as young felines. Think about getting pet insurance when they’re young or, start a savings plan for their medical needs. I have a line item in my budget for “Cat Medical”. Whatever I don’t use in a month, I put in savings as insurance.
  2. Make sure you begin a habit of yearly wellness exams for your cats. Wellness exams help your vet identify and treat potential problems at their earliest stages.
  3. Have a first class pet sitter. If I have to leave home, I need more than someone who will come in and feed twice a day. Both Tucker and Jasmine have medical needs that must be addressed and medications that need to be dispensed. My sitter needs to know what to look for if the cats are not feeling well and when to take them to the vet. I always make arrangements with my vet before I leave in case my cats need medical attention.
  4. Just because they aren’t as active as they used to be doesn’t mean they don’t need environmental enrichment. Tucker enjoys box sitting and catnip is still a favorite.Jasmine has an assortment of toys and enjoys the occasional roll in the nip too.
  5. Love them and enjoy them and be thankful for every day you have with them.

Charles Dickens said, “What greater gift than the love of a cat?” and if we can receive that love for 19, 20 or more years, what a wonderful gift that is.