Spotted Cat Designs

Last night I never did get to sleep. I stayed up all night working on fixing various problems with various websites, and then at 4:30 AM, drove Scott to school so he could sign up for a driving class (last month, Susan drove him to school at 6 AM and he didn’t get in!).

Finally I went to sleep around 5:30, secure and happy in the knowledge that Glory (who had slept on a chair all night) was cuddled up next to me. Various people and cats poked at me during the morning hours, but I valiantly ignored them all and slept till a reasonable 2:30 PM or so.

After I actually was walking around the house, Jennifur reasonably wanted to know where the hell I had been for so long. The interesting thing was that she was vocalizing, which she has done very rarely since she came to live with us. I realized she’s been doing that more often lately, and so I told her out loud that I liked to hear from her. She immediately started in with more and more meowing, which made me laugh happily because she really does enjoy pleasing me.

Today Steven went to visit one of his friends, who just got a Siamese-mix kitten. I went to pick him up and ended up picking her up (the kitten, that is). Her name is Marshmallow, which fits because she’s mostly white and has the most incredible soft fluffy fur…not like a Persian but kind of "springy", although it’s not curled up like a Cornish Rex. I held her and she was quite a purrball!

Of course, when I got home, I had to reassure both Glory and Jennifur that they were beautiful and wonderful. They tend not to be jealous in general but take no chances when it comes to cute female kittens!

Some advice to faciliate the recovery of your cat.

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Before You Adopt A Cat…

A very basic checklist before you adopt a pet, no matter where the cat is from.

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It doesn’t take much for a cat (or dog) to slip out of an open door, window, or fence.

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Buying a Cat from a Cattery

Like car dealerships, not all catteries are the same.

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Getting to Know You

Adopting from a shelter can be an incredible experience in both sadness and joy. Sad that so many animals are unwanted, even purposefully discarded when they become "inconvenient". Joy when you and your new cat (or dog!) find each other and agree to become family.

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A Yarn Of Feline Fur

Cat fur is fun to touch, whether on or off the cat! Our youngest son insists on keeping all brushed-out cat hair in a round container he calls his “hairball”. Having done some wool yarn weaving in years past, and while looking at the growing pile of hair I have brushed out of one of our cats each day, I began to idly wonder about the feasibility of weaving with shed cat hair.

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Cat Furniture

Ranging from multi-platform “condos” to simple scratching posts and cute fabric tents, and from store-bought to homemade, our cats have a huge selection of furniture to choose from.

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Human Allergies to Cats

If the humans in your life are allergic to cats (which can be diagnosed by your doctor or an allergy specialist), there are products which can help. If your cat scratches herself a lot, tearing out fur and even skin, and other possible causes have been ruled out by your vet, consider environmental or food allergies as the possible culprit (see our article “When Your Cat has Allergies“).

There are many products which can help alleviate allergy symptoms in humans. We will tell you about those we have used ourselves and offer suggestions about where you can buy them, as some are not readily available in hardware superstores or department stores. We are independent of any supplier and do not receive any income for these recommendations.

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Even if you don’t have the joy of a cat in your home, you’re still hosting their fur and dander, according to the National Institutes of Health!

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