Hrmm, I think it's time for another cat-related update (or um, any kind of update).The Adventures of Arlo T. Underfoot, Jr. and Gracie May "Little Britches" Underfoot continue!
Previously, in "The Playdate That Never Was" our curious duo had what ended up to be quite a short but exciting encounter with the Huge Orange Hissbag Under The Bed (ahem, my mom's cat).
The dialogue went something like this:
Gracie (in high-pitched, overly-cheerful voice): Well, hello there! My name's Gracie, cuz I'm gray, see? Hehhhyeheh. But you can call me Little Bri-
Mom's cat: *Glare* HISSSSS! Grumbles!
Gracie: (Pulls back extended paw) Well dang, aren't you a bitch.
Arlo: HEYHEYHEY! *snoof snoof* What do we have here?
Mom's cat: *Glare* Grumbles! *Ears back* HISS X 12!
Arlo: *Tail poof* Well then, I will be crapping in your litterbox.
Dun Dun Dunnn! The End?
So, the cat-sitting experience didn't go over so well for anyone involved. My mom's cat was SO glad to be taken back home where she could be checked on by a neighbor and spend her free time quietly plotting revenge instead of putting up with us, our unfamiliar house and our lively cats. I do like my mom's cat, but it was sort of a relief when she left (practically drove herself home). Cats don't really tend to enjoy "visits" too much, and our house isn't really big enough for us to give her much of her own space to chill.
Otherwise, Arlo and Gracie seem to be doing well. They have some obsessive-compulsive quirks, but what cat doesn't? Arlo loves to follow and get underfoot, in hopes that you were just on your way to give him a treat or open a door to some restricted area. He needs a lot of attention and interactive playtime, while Gracie is more content to explore and play on her own. Arlo has what I think is a boy-cat tendency to go from purring/lovey to purring/lovey/BITEY-TIME which isn't overly aggressive, but not something I want to continue. Gracie also has an interesting habit of um, nursing on herself. She only seems to do it when she's getting snuggly with us in bed and being petted, and then she gets this intense purr going and does the push-push on her little belly and well, she finds a nip and goes to town. The suckling noises can be somewhat irritating when you're trying to fall asleep, but she's just such a cute little thing. She was the runt of the litter, so maybe she didn't get as much time as needed with her mama. Aww.
I've probably spent way more time than is necessary fretting over the type of food and litter to buy for them. People have really strong opinions about this! I think you just have to go with a balance of what your cats like, what you're willing to spend, and what you hope won't have any adverse effects. I will say that I'm not going to go so far as to start cooking up homemade cat food, or insist that they eat a raw diet like their ancestors (which seems like saying "yeah, you live in my house and all but you go catch your own dinner like your ancestors had to - it's good for ya!") but I do feel a little better giving them something that at least has recognizable, seemingly high-quality ingredients (currently it's Eagle Pack brand) and admittedly, I still hold somewhat of a grudge over the whole melamine disaster a few years ago. As far as litter goes, I don't know if any of them can really make the poop-scooping experience a pleasant one - I'm just using those that don't make me or the cats sneeze too much.
Wow, ok that's a lot of cat talk. *Honk-shu*
4 comments:
Heh, I'm glad for the update. Yeah cats are not good houseguests, that's why I always get cat sitters for mine.
My boy cat is still very scratchy with me, and I wish I had trained him better when he was younger. Keep clipping those nails, heh.
I know what you're saying about the food, litter, etc. I'm sure if I had kids, I wouldn't spend so much time and energy on these things, but... they're our babies! After much fretting and chatting with the special-pet-food-store lady, my pup is now on a special grain-free, chicken-free food. And treats. And he only gets filtered water. Ahem.
In any case, I always enjoy your updates, cat-related and otherwise!
After much experimentation, I've found the best litter for more than one cat (which we previously had) is Arm & Hammer Multi-Cat Extra Strength Clumping Litter. Whoa, that's a mouthful (though I don't recommend eating it).
Our new ones are not quite two years old yet, and I was just feeding them, I don't know, Purina Indoor/Hairball control or something. And then at Thanksgiving the boycat Griff felt like he was going to DIE one night, so I took him to the vet the next day, and long story short, he got blocked kidneys from some ingredient in regular food, had to be cathetered and kept for several days. Geez. $400 later he was back home, and now I have to buy the little bastard that special expensive food you can only get at the vet for the REST OF HIS LIFE. So that's fun trying to keep their two foods separate. FOREVER.
~ Peggasus
Fluffycat - Yeah, the boy cats like to test their boundaries! At least Gracie will put him in his place if he gets too rambunctious with her, so that's a good thing.
Kate 2.0 - I hope your puppy is doing well! Maybe the new food will help with the... uh, digestion issues he had when you first got him? And thank you for still reading!
Peggasus - Yay, I'm glad you shared your research results! I think I'm gonna have to pick up some of that litter next time. I've been using the Arm & Hammer Essentials stuff that's made with corn - it smells nice, isn't so dusty and it's light BUT it just doesn't clump or cover poo smell as well as the stuff you mentioned (which is actually what my mom brought over with her cat). I'm glad Griff's okay as long as he's on his VIP food but yeah, keeping foods separate cannot be fun!
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