Cats in the Spotlight
This Cat Saturday we celebrate the beauty of cats in light and shadow. Be sure to read to the end when we announce our big news about Odin in the spotlight.
The days are getting longer and nothing beats napping in a sunny window except maybe walking outside. Merlin is a marvel to watch outdoors, navigating with his whiskers, tail low as a rudder to compensate for vision loss. He bumps into things but never has a mishap. Mind you, I’m never more than a few steps away his personal seeing-eye dog or would that be cat?
It may seem like winter but our cats are already feeling the quickening of Mother Earth below the ground. The sap is running and whispers of spring are wafting in the air.
Cats can hear, smell and sense things we can’t. Even on cold days, there’s an urgency to go outside even for a few minutes. Gris Gris who doesn’t have an ounce of fat, hates the cold and asked Teddy…
Domino on the other hand, stays out for hours, hardy from his many years outdoors as a feral. He’s an odd boy. I don’t mind that he favors his cat daddy. Cats are rarely egalitarian, but he liked me to pet and brush him until recently.
For weeks he’s been skittish around me, and I felt a twinge of “he doesn’t love me!” So we had a chat. He didn’t want to communicate at first but then it came out. He didn’t like how I picked him up off the porch and brought him inside a few weeks ago. Not once but twice. It triggered old fear. I apologized and he rewarded me by sleeping at the foot of our bed for the first time. Just the once, but I felt honored. Cat do appreciate apologies. They know us humans are flawed but appreciate when we make an effort to consider their feelings.
Meanwhile everyone made an extra loud ruckus playing and running around a new ‘toy’ made from yards of crumpled craft paper from a shipping box.
Mystery Miss has made a regular appearance as she sashays about cool and serene as Angelina Jolie. How can Odin resist this leopard lady?
Odin tried anything and everything to get her attention.
Our cat daddy decided to try and attach a note to her collar to alert her pet parents since we’d like to know where she lives. The only problem was he didn’t let me know. I happened to see the debacle from the second floor window. MM let him pet her but she knew what was up and left him in the dust. Now, she’s leery of anyone monkeying with her collar. My plan is to gain her trust, immobilize her by the scruff of her neck and quickly snap on a message to the collar. Any other suggestions?
Sure MM and Odin cavort and play, but we all know she’s a big flirt.
Odin loves her but is he fool enough to do something rash for Valentine’s Day?
Stay tuned…their romance is will be revealed in special report on pets in love in the New York Post on Sunday. We’ll post a link tomorrow.
Only 3 more days to nominate Cat Wisdom 101 for a Readers Choice Award from About.com. The easy nomination form is here. Thanks so much for your support. We <3 you!
15 Comments
RumpyDog!
Oh Dog! In the Post? Don’t do it Odin! Don’t! No!
Doctor Vet
Great photos and great kitty story! I hope you are able to figure out who Mystery Kitty is!
Marg
That is terrific that Odin and MM made it into the paper. Well done. I have always found cats and dogs to be very forgiving. That is what I love about them the most. Can’t wait to see the article. Good luck on finding MM’s hoomans.
Tinch
Well, Layla, you’ve taken all those pictures of Miss Mystery Cat. Why not send a copy of one of them to nearby vets and ask if they know whom she belongs to. Give the vet your name and phone number and ask them to contact the owner and ask the owner to call you. It might work!
boomermuse
Tinch, that’s an interesting idea. It would help if she were micro-chipped. We have so many vets near here I must give it some thought.
Kathryn
Wow. MM and Odin. Deep in Love. I love to see platonic love among cats. Weird about Domino. He loves you. Ched is jealous that I’m thinking about another cat now and has turned his back to me at the computer.
I nominated you!
Kathryn
Can’t wait to see about the Post tomorrow!
CATachresis
Many congratulations on being in the Post!! 🙂 Can’t wait to read it.
I think you are right about the need to apologise sometimes. Every time I give Austin his flea gunk, I have to grovel for days. Thankfully he doesn’t hold a grudge for too long!
As always your photos are terrific x
Kathy Thompson
Layla, as usual you have captured the “family” in action with such beautiful pics.
We are so happy for Odin and his Lady!We think she luvs him and just pretends to look elsewhere just to keep him on his toes.
We cats not only enjoy an apology ,we expect one and often times demand one from the mere humans that serve us…just depends on the mood.
We are so happy to be getting the updates again!
Purrs and soon to be Valentine’s Day Kisses…Skeeter and Izzy >^..^<
Deb Barnes - Zee and Zoey
Layla – I love your line that “cats appreciate an apology” and I am glad you and Domino had a little chat.
MM appears to be very healthy – I do hope you can find out soon where she lives. Have you followed her at all in the background?
Concats on the article – can’t wait to see it!
boomermuse
Deb, she tends to take two routes via thick underbrush home. The only hope is to attach a note to her caller which still won’t guarantee her guardians will respond. As a last resort I could go door to door canvasing the area, but how crazy cat lady would that be?
Anonymous
OMG! Odin is IN LOVE! This post are really cute. I loved that big toy paper and think I’ll make one for my cats.
The most touching part of the post is that of Merlin. Deprivation of one sense sharpens the others! Love!
Ingrid King
Yay! I’m so glad Odin’s story made it into the Post! Judging by that last photo, that boy is not wasting any time. I just hope he doesn’t set himself up for disappointment. Maybe once Mystery Miss realizes that he’s going to be famous, she’ll give in to his charms? But then, wouldn’t that make her a heartless gold digger? The romantic suspense continues…
boomermuse
Ingrid, thanks. The Post was unexpected since they wanted NYC-based story.
Brian
Great post and great pictures…and I can’t wait to see the info tomorrow!