Things I've learned about cats

[In_Gabriel_We_Trust]

Because Uende / Wendy is taking a well deserved vacation in sunny California, she entrusted me with two of her best friends: her cats, Max and Lex. This is a true sign of trust because I’ve never had a pet before. I don’t even have a plant in my flat.




So ten days into the adventure, I’ve learned this about cats :

In a two room flat the size of a shoebox two cats can remain hidden for the better part of the day.
No amount of calling out their names will work.
Only if they want to be seen, they will be seen.
Cats are like the CIA that way.
When they do decide to show themselves, cats can always be found in the same spot : the space where you were going to take your next footstep.

Cats can sleep up to 20 hours every day.
They are most active when you are asleep.
If you accidentally wake a sleeping cat, it will give you the vilest look ever.
A cat can stretch itself up to twice its original length and make a yawn big enough to fit a basketball in.
Watching this happen will inevitably make you feel extremely tired.
Two (sleeping) cats can take over an entire sofa.
When you are sleeping, cats can place all four paws on your head, reminding you it is time to get up and feed them.

Cats can go from complete inertia to 750 mph in the blink of an eye. Outside noises can be responsible but are not necessary as a trigger.
This speed will double when you are holding a can of food.

One cat will actually be on the lookout while the other is making mischief.
Cats enjoy staring at boring things like a wall.
It took me several days and three inspections of said wall to figure that one out.

A cat scratching in its litter box in the middle of night sounds like a truck depositing tons of gravel.
A litter box can go from completely odourless to landfill-on-the-hottest-day-of-summer in two point three seconds.

Cats claw at things when they are unhappy.
Cats claw at things when they are happy.
Cats have both those feelings when they are sitting on my chest while we’re all watching Bleach.

[dbzmomma]

That is all so true! Here's one we've all experienced on our house.

If you're sleeping on the sofa, a cat will take this moment to tear around the house chasing an unknown prey, careen off your face and disappear in a flash. Just enough to wake you up with a shriek as her nails dig into your nose.

[Baakay]

Cats enjoy staring at boring things like a wall.
It took me several days and three inspections of said wall to figure that one out.

All observations very much true! But the one above reminds me of one of our favorite books, a collection of comics by B. Kilban that featured big-fat-Garfield-like cats. I think the book was called "Never Eat Anything Bigger Than Your Head."

The quote was: "Cats see things we don't." and featured one of those fat black and white tabby cats ... staring at the wall.



I wish I had a buck for every time we've noticed one of them doing something like that in the last 25 years!

[ljeffrey]

Cats are full of personality!

We've had apari for about 13 and 16 years, and recently we got a big goofy golden retiever. You can all guess what the cat's reception to that was! Thank goodnes they are declawed! But never let that fool you. One day I was holding my older at and the one who seems to hate the dog the most and the doorbell rang. It was jsut one of my new cels coming in, but the scared her. With my package in hand and a wave to my friendly maimlan I turn around to ser the cat sitting right in front of the dog's. Sher may hate him, but she'll still run to him if she's scared and wants protection! of course once the door was closed she began to hiss and wack him as if a saying "What the heck you doing so close to me! I DID not just run to you!"

I am such a cat person!

[aernath]

I was treated to the full three stages of furball morning alarm this morning.

1: Paws on the face, meow. (avoided the usual paws on the bladder - this usually works on the first try)

2: Walking on the piles of books/magazines/papers on the floor beside the bed, knocking them over, meow.

2A: Jumping from bed to aforementioned piles and back, meow.

3: Standing on the nightstand, putting a paw in the blinds and rapidly rattling and shaking the blinds, knocking them against the window (metal blinds), meow.

I managed to withstand all stages until the blind thing (they're right next to my head), at which point I yanked open the blinds and stuffed the cat onto the windowsill.
He went away after that, his mission obviously accomplished.

[Majin_Vegeta_2028]

haha thats good and all true

i would also like to add:

if a cat wants to be petted, it will happen. whether you want to or not. be it on
your leg, the corner of a desk (only applies if your at or near said desk), the
channel changer or your chin while your taking a nap. if a cat does not want
to be petted, it will NOT happen.

[Cloud]

Is this a riddle?

[Baakay]

Is this a riddle?

No Cloud... it's the truth.

The metal blinds thing cracked me up. One of my life companions -- this guy was MY cat from start to finish -- was Clawdius Rex. Great BIG orange tabby with a devious mind and, like his mom Brandy (who still is with us) the ability to smell 5:30 a.m. regardless of what else was going on.

He discovered that if he got in just the right position between the head of the bed and the wall, he could get those metal blinds going. If the "Row... rrroowww, rowww" didn't wake us up, the blinds would.

He was also the cat who did safety patrol every night as long as he lived. After the lights were off, Clawd had to travel the entire house, "Rroowww?" ing loudly until we reassured him that we were still here, and safely tucked in. Every... blessed.... night.

Loved that guy. He was a doll.

[Cloud]

Why of course. I never lie.

[kittens]

Also

Cats know exactly how to get attention whenever they are ignored (for example when you are reading a book, she or he will sit down on the top of the book.)

[Rekka Alexiel]

That's so cute! Cats are a handful when you're not used to them. They all have their own little personalities. Good luck with the two of them! You're so sweet to watch them for Uende!!

[Belldandy]

Cats are so funny!

[Bevhippy]

here are a couple of things I've come to realise about cats

While settling down on your chest cats will pause for about 10 seconds with their puckered starfish about 10mm from the end of your nose.

Nothing smells as bad as a cat fart!!!

10 week old kittens seem to think that your leg is the ideal place to learn to climb, usually by racing across the room at top speed and physically throwing themselves towards your thigh with claws extended.

When I was younger I shared a house with a couple of friends and their cat Mitzy.
When Mitzy was in a mood with you she would make a point of sitting with her back to you even going to great lengths of shuffling round to keep her back to you if you happen to get up and walk across the room.
This was the time you avoided stroking her!

[In_Gabriel_We_Trust]

Cats generate enough heat to power a small town.
I keep throwing the sheets off of me in bed because it's so hot... and then a furry ball of fire settles on my back.



(yes... I sleep on my tummy, a position rather similar to Marty McFly's).

[kittens]

And cats know exactly where to sit down.....

If a cat is white or lighter colored, (s)he sits on black cloth.
If a cat is black or darker colored, (s)he sits on white cloth.