Cat Ownership Experiences: Lessons Learned – Part 2
Phaedra was a Tortie kitten that I adopted at the age of two months from someone who put an ad in the newspaper (it was a long time ago). When I went to pick her up, her ears were flat against her head, and she hissed and growled at me. I was tempted to back out but was talked into taking her home because the owner said she was actually a very sweet kitten who was just upset because she was being separated from her mother. After she came into my home s e became the cat from hell: she would hide under furniture and claw and bite my ankles; she would hide on an upper shelf in a closet and jump on my head and sink her claws and teeth into me. I was literally terrified of her! Fortunately, my brother knew of a farmer who was looking for a barn cat, and we brought her to him. Later he told us that she was the best ‘mouser’ he ever had. No surprise there. I knew that she was a natural born assassin.
*Lesson learned: Trust your gut feeling and don’t ever adopt a kitten that literally frightens you; and don’t listen to anyone who tries to convince you that you’re wrong.
Rowan was a grey and white Scottish Fold male cat who was an indoor-only cat for his entire life. Although I kept his claws trimmed, they became more brittle as he grew older. I had placed crocheted covers on my furniture, which turned out to be an unwise decision. One day I discovered drops of blood on the couch and on the floor in front of the couch and I followed the drops of blood to where Rowan was sleeping. A couple of his claws were completely turned backwards, obviously from being snagged in the sofa covers. He had to be taken to the veterinarian.
*Lesson learned: It is mandatory to keep your cat’s claws trimmed, and don’t cover your furniture with loosely woven fabrics that a cat could get its claws stuck in. A friend of mine has a cat whose claws got stuck in an air vent while running and playing! Her cat was injured even more than Rowan was and had a longer recovery period. Since that time, she has covered the vents with magnetic vent covers.
Sharona & Trudy were one year old brown tabby female cats that I had adopted (along with their sister) after I fostered them - in other words they were foster failures. The three of them found a way to crawl inside the arms and back of my sleep sofa. They ruined the sofa by pulling out the stuffing and spreading it around the house. I decided to get rid of the sofa and replace it with a futon. The junk haulers made quick work of removing it, but a few minutes later one of them knocked on the door and told me a cat was in the back of their trunk! After I crawled into the bed of the truck, I discovered that both Sharona and Trudy were in there and they were frantic. I wasn’t able to catch them, so the movers put the sofa into my garage, and we finally managed to get both cats back into the house, but what a frightening experience!
*Lesson learned: If you are having furniture removed, or any work done in your home, round up all your cats and place them in a room with the door closed before the workers arrive. If you do that, you will save yourself from unnecessary stress!
Willoughby was a long-hair orange and white male cat that I adopted from the animal shelter when he was two months old. I soon learned that he was a very high-strung cat who hated to be taken to the vet. One time he was particularly stubborn about being put into a cat carrier: when he saw the carrier he hid, and it took me a long time to find him. By then I was really angry, and I admit that I yelled at him. Well, that made the bad situation much worse because he went into ‘fight or flight’ mode and he gave me a nasty scratch. I had to re-schedule the vet appointment; and from that point forward I always tricked him when he had a vet appointment by preparing the carrier in the garage and then quickly scooping him up and putting him into the carrier before he had time to think.
*Lesson learned: Never yell at a cat! Stay calm, move slowly, and talk softly.
Winthrop was an orange tabby male cat that I adopted when he was between five and eightyears old. He was a normal weight at that time, but I allowed my cats to eat food all day long (in other words, to graze). He quickly gained weight, and my vet recommended that he be put on a diet but that was nearly impossible considering the fact that I had a house full of cats who were all used to eating whenever they wanted! After a few years he developed Diabetes and had to be given insulin twice a day. A friend of mine has a female cat (with the adorable name of Cuppy Cake) who became so obese that the opening to her vagina was closed off by folds of fat which caused her to suffer from ongoing infections.
*Lesson learned: Keep track of your cats’ weight. Feed your cat(s) two meals a day instead of allowing them to graze. While most cats won’t overeat, some will gain weight until you restrict their food intake. In addition to Diabetes, the health problems caused by obesity in cats include heart disease, arthritis, respiratory issues, liver disease, urinary tract diseases, skin conditions and a likely reduction in their lifespan.
