 |
About Me as a Cat WhispererMy mom used to tell me that I anthroprmorphize cats, or think of them like people. Well, in many ways, I do. I believe that cats have souls, just like dogs and other thinking creatures. I think of cats as little people in cat-suits. They seem to have feelings and thoughts; can reason things out, and often come to independent conclusions. They can forsee outcomes and forecast consequences. Any dedicated cat watcher can see this as it happens and will agree with me.
Each cat has a different personality, individual needs, wants and wishes; just like people. Dogs can be like this too, in a lesser way. Dogs see people as their pack and will do anything to stay in good graces with the pack because their survival depends on it. Cats are solitary by nature so have a much weaker tie to their people. Cats can usually survive independently of a family unit once grown to adulthood. This is NOT to say that a cat can be safely abandoned and survive, because we have bred self-sufficiency out of them over many centuries. But, cats choose their people, so to be truly loved by a cat is to be blessed. Cats and dogs want to communicate with us. They can't make words like we can, so they communicate in other ways. When they are afraid or in pain, it's up to us to make things better. The better we understand their signs and signals, the better we can be as their human caretakers. I feel a real responsibility to my cats. The ones I've chosen didn't ask to come to my home and be cared for by me. I want to make sure they have full, healthy lives. When they come for cuddles and communicate with me, I know that I'm doing this well. Those cats that "show up" in the backyard or at the door are different. They want shelter, love and food. Not necessarily in that order. I feel even more responsible to them because they went through so much before they got to me. I can usually figure out what happened by putting their behaviors to a plausable past. It may be fantasy, which I indulge in frequently, but if it works --. And it does seem to work. The cat will tell me in subtle ways what happened to them and I can fix that with the right treatments, both emotionally and physically, for the cat.
I love cats because they are affectionate, soft, sweet and smart. Beasley is smart enough to jump right over a dog who is harrassing him. Princess is smart enough to know that Beasley will never fight her very hard. She is learning that I walk into a room to do what I need to do, not to harass her or pick her up. She's learning that I may scratch behind her ears, but never force her to do what she doesn't want to do. She's learning to trust. A year ago, I rescued 3 more, Pretty Girl (now Fluffer) 4 years old, Bugs and Queenie 18 and 38 months old. These three girls had never been outside a cage. Pretty Girl could barely stand up and was covered with mats. In the year she's been with me, she has slimmed down and become quite playful. She still has mats, but only because she won't let me groom her regularly. She loves to be held and snuggles whenever she gets a chance. Bugs and Queenie needed to be spayed. Because of the vet shortage, it took a while to get them both done, but that's over now. Bugs was first because she went into heat and never came out. It was horrible! She is still trying to "make up to me" for being such a pain. She's become so cute and round that I forgive her. She has very big feet but is very small, like a kitten. Her growth was stunted with her first litter of kittens at 7 months. She's filling out, but her bones are done growing, so she has a tendency to get a bit round. I can't be angry with her. She cuddles freely and plays vigorously. She likes to help me make the bed.
I found out a couple of years ago that I'm allergic to cats and dogs. I didn't know this. I had a year-round cold and lots of sinus infections. When the Doctor told me I was allergic to cats, he put me on medicine and told me I needed to change some things in the way I deal with my cats. I live in a place with no carpets, take my medicine and groom my cats a lot along with utilizing measures to keep the cat hair down. I still use a fan in my bedroom on hot nights, but I try to keep the cat hair out of the fan so it doesn't clog my breathing. It's a lot of work with these five! I will always have a cat near me. I've been visited by cats, usually black or ginger colored, in every place I've lived. I don't know why. Maybe cats know a cat-person when they see one. Maybe they see the love my cats have for me and want to live with me because of that. Maybe my cats tell the visitors how good they have it and then invite the visitor in. I'm not really sure. They live in their own world, and I can only guess at how it works. And at that, I seem to be pretty good. Hence, For the Love of Cats. CatLover Magazine Subscription Form
|
