Spotted Cat Designs

Today is the 9th anniversary of the day Panther came to live with us (nine is a special number for cats, the way ten is special for humans). Since he is First Cat, this is also the anniversary of the beginning of cats being part of our family. Dates before this are considered B.C. (Before Cats) and after this C.E. (Cat Era).

Panther is still sleek, beautiful, black, and very special, as befits a cat who was able to call out to me telepathically as I walked through the county shelter, probably just days before they would have taken him out of this world. That’s pretty special indeed, because as cat listeners go, I’m pretty much deaf.

Panther is by far our oldest cat but still manages to get a twinkle in his eye and chase Jennifur around the living room every two or three weeks

You couldn’t make this stuff up.

Sal Esposito, a small gray and white tabby, was summoned to jury duty in East Boston after correctly being listed on a census form as a cat. The best part: after one of his humans requested disqualification based on his felinity, the jury commissioner refused. So at this juncture, we’ll be looking forward to seeing Sal in court on March 23.

The title pretty much says it all…these will be good from June 4 through 7 only, during PetSmart’s Friends and Family Appreciation Event. Consider yourself a friend, if not family Please read any fine print on the coupons to avoid any possible disappointment. There’s nothing better than saving money on any and all cat food, toys, and necessities!

Oh yes, here’s the direct link (it’s a PDF file).

In their latest (March 2009) issue, Consumer Reports has a very readable article , including quotes from a Cornell University vet, about whether it’s worth spending lots of money on fancy cat food (for those who don’t like clicking on links, here’s the answer: no). Unless your cat(s) have specific health or age issues, any decent generic food should do if their little cat tummies tolerate it.

And since wet food is 75% water, it costs a lot more per ounce of real nutrition, so the same rationale goes here: unless they need wet food for a specific reason, dry will do fine. What with the recession and all, it makes sense to save money on regular purchases (like food) to serve as a cushion in case of unexpected medical bills, or whatever.

Of course, none of this means you shouldn’t buy cans of salmon or fancy treats for your dear cats. Just use them as treats, not everyday meals!

February 15 has been declared “International Dusty Day” to show compassion for cats and commemorate this amazing 24-hour period wherein a teenager posted a video on YouTube showing himself abusing and torturing a cat (Dusty) and the outraged public managed to track him down, resulting in his arrest and Dusty’s rescue.

We will not even mention this person’s name, because he is a minor and the information was not released officially, but Dusty already has his own support group on Facebook as well as a long line of people who want to adopt him. Meanwhile, there is an even longer line of people who want to perform some sort of physical intervention on the abuser.

If you are a fan of the Oriental cat breeds, but want a quieter cat, you may want to consider the Burmese. These cats are not as talkative as the chatty Siamese, although they are actually closely related.

While the foundation cat for the Burmese breed was imported from Burma, this breed was actually created in the United States when this cat was bred to a Siamese cat and a kitten from her first litter was bred back to her. The Burmese cat breed actually has two distinct strains, the American Burmese and the European Burmese. These strains have become so different that some people now consider them to be two different breeds.

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If your home has a rodent problem, then you must not own a British Shorthair. These big cats may look placid and lazy, but they are actually great hunters. After all, the British Shorthair is descended from Britain’s barn and house cats.

This breed was created in the late nineteenth century. Despite its early popularity, the British Shorthair almost became extinct in the mid twentieth century, as other breeds were developed. Luckily, a few Shorthair fanciers were determined to save this wonderful, historic breed and the British Shorthair was saved. In the late twentieth century, these cats reached the United States, where they immediately became extremely popular.

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If you’ve always wanted to own one of the dangerous and powerful big cats, but don’t want to risk endangering your life, you may want to consider a domestic cat that looks like the deadly black panther, the Bombay. After all, the breeder who developed the Bombay created this breed so that she could have a cat that looked like a miniature panther.
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Do you want a cat that is considered to be a sacred animal? Many people think that the beautiful Birman cat breed originated from cats that guarded the Burman temples. This breed is even rumored to have helped the Burmese monks fight off attackers when a Birman’s coat turned the golden color of the goddess the monks worshiped, except for his paws which stayed pure white. Of course, less fanciful cat lovers say the Birman is simply a French relative of the Himalayan cat breed.

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When people first see a Balinese cat, they often think that this elegant looking cat must be haughty and unsociable. However, nothing could be further from the truth. This breed may look refined, but it is actually incredibly friendly and fun loving.

The Balinese has a graceful body that can move in unusual ways and helps it get into all kinds of places. This flexibility and ability to escape from seemingly impossible places causes many people to compare the Balinese breed to the great magician Houdini.

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