I love cats.... If you didn't know!
Ok that was a little bit of an understatement to be honest.
You've likely seen my little (giant) fur babies here many, many times, and you either love it, or you hate it - hopefully the former.
If you haven't met my fur babies before - here's a little introduction.
Archimedes - he's the jet black, Bengal-cross. He's nearly four and is a mummas-boy completely. He is faster than sound (mild exaggeration) and the dominant cat of the house. He can usually be found on our bed, in the conservatory or on my pillow.
Dante - he's the gigantic fluff ball who is two. He's a Persian-Bengal - Bengal face, Persian fur. He's is daddy's little menace. He can usually be found at the top of the stairs, on the bathroom matt or inside a draw, usually with Dann's socks.
I thought I'd share with you some of the things to keep in mind if you want your own kitten or cat, because they aren't always advertised, but kind of come in the feline bundle.
Claws
Those little needles are the absolute worst. And they need
blunting, and your cat will know this. And the absolute best place to do that
is on your sofa! It doesn’t really matter that you put the scratching post
right next to the sofa, and it’s a really tall one with jingly mice, the sofa
is WAY better. Accept it. That nice sofa is probably going to be shredded - thank you Archimedes.
Fur, fur, fur
The hallmark of the cat owner. You can ID a cat owner, and
the type of cat from the appearance of said owner and the level of fur coverage
they have on their clothes. Invest in lint rollers if you wish to de-fur, but
be warned this should only be done just before you leave as it has an innate ability
to cling to you within 30 seconds.
This leads to HAIRBALLS… for those wishing to own a fluffy
kitty, be warned, they DO NOT look like the balls of fluff vomited up in
cartoons. And cat sick smells FYI, and stains! Invest in laminate flooring…
better to clean and no fur can stick to it like it does to carpets. This is a particular problem for Dante who has long hair and barely chews his food. Malt extract really helps enable the hair to go through his system and not get stuck, but always seek advice from a vet about fur and long-haired cats.
Night time races and
ninjas
Those eerie hours between 12am and 4am are the cat witching
hour. You’ve seen your cat or kitten nap ALL day. Well that is all in
preparation for the sprinting around your home, and leaping from high places at
2am. Double the destruction with two or more cats. Never leave anything up high
that can fall. On a side note, black cats are particularly good at hide and
seek, especially at night. You think you’re safe popping to the loo in the
middle of the night…. You’re not. Take a torch, or you will be feeling the
carpet quicker than you would like when you trip over the black ninja that hid
in the corner awaiting his prey – you!
Cuddles.. at your peril
I know you want to smush you face in your kitties fur and squish him cos you love him so much.... well he will more than likely hate it. Unless you're really lucky (we have one of each) and he loves cuddles, most cats will squirm and claw their way out of your grasp (see point one). Our two agree to cuddles on their terms, and their terms only. Usually when you need to pee or grab the remote. Dante has also developed a new habit of curling up on our backs as both Dann and I sleep on our fronts fairly regularly. He's also heavy so it is virtually impossible to move.
Sleep
Cat's love to sleep. You'll find this out very quickly. In fact cats sleep for about 2/3 of their lives. And not always in the places you might expect. We usually find our two either asleep on our bed together, or inside drawers, specifically sock drawers. And we wonder why our clothes are covered in fur.
Boxes vs. Toys
Over the years we've spent a fortune on toys for our cats, including climbing frames and various scratching posts (the sofa is better apparently). We've learnt the favourites for ours. Boxes are always, and I mean always a hit, no matter the size. Did you see Dante in my
Degustabox? He is also a huge fan of hair ties, and more recently rubber charity wristbands. We now collect them and he plays fetch. Much safer than the hair ties he had a habit of eating.
Other favourites include anything with feathers, and of course the trusty laser pen!
But you've got to love them. For all their odd little quirks it makes them who they are. And I honestly wouldn't have them any other way.
You can read more about our cats
here,
here and
here
What's your favourite thing about your cat?
