Turn off the light, Can Opener. You can read later.
Why does your cat sleep on you ?
All cats are different, but I notice that Sushi insists on sleeping with the Can Opener – every night. I sleep in the same room, but I prefer my comfy box under the bed behind the dust ruffle so I don’t get cold from the fan, and I can keep a closer eye on those monsters under the bed.
Sushi though, will only sleep in her under- the – bed- box if the Critters are here and she needs some space. The rest of the time she’s super-glued to the Can Opener. She even follows her when she goes outside! I had to ask why- and Sushi just ignored me and kept snoring, so I went looking for answers myself… This guy answered for me.
I think he really understands cats- because he described perfectly the things I always do to let my Can Opener know I’m crazy about her. As for Sushi, well- she’s just crazy.
I don’t think he should let his cats give him a shave anymore, though.
Not that she deserves it, mind you- but I want treats!
That Dang Vet told her to cut back my treats!
This is because at my last visit, I had gained weight- (because of that steroid shot they gave me last summer)- so the Can Opener doesn’t let me “free feed” anymore- now I get fed at specific times of day (on the Can Opener’s open schedule)- I’ll starve!!!!
I think I’ve already lost a few precious ounces… my paws feel smaller- I think that’s enough- besides, when she brushes me, she brushes off at least 3 pounds of my fur- and I’m sure some of that has to be Twilight’s fur that just kind of landed on me when she walked by.
So if part of my “weight” is just fur- and if most of that is Twilight’s fur that just settles on me when I’m minding my own business, sleeping in the carpet… then WHY am I on a diet?
I think she should just suck Twilight up in the vacuum and I’ll immediately lose weight. Think she’ll believe me?
Me either- But tomorrow I’m going to try to convince her. Meanwhile, I’m going to cuddle her tonight and be really, really sweet- maybe she’ll cut me some slack in the morning and load me up on treats!
After all, it’s not my fault that I’m 17 pounds of pure love!There’s always option two….
I stopped my busy napping schedule to pop in on you and see how you’re all doing. The Can Opener has been (thinking) she’s getting me used to the eye medicine she keeps abusing me with three times a day (in league with the vet). But I actually have her eating out of my adorable little paw.
What she doesn’t realize is that I’m pretending I don’t mind because in spite of all my efforts, she still manages to get that nasty stuff in both my eyes. I still hate it. But I know that if I act all sweet and compliant, she’ll praise me in the manner I truly deserve and load me up with treats as soon as she’s done.
Then, (thinking I’m all upset and that my eyes possibly sting when she’s done)- she decides that’s the purrfect time to “calm me down” by giving me a nice, long, brushing session with my favorite brush.
Of course, I have my tricks to make her stretch it out as long as possible, until she HAS to do something else… some completely useless thing like, oh, I don’t know… cleaning, or laundry, or cooking, or watching those Critters, or helping her sister, or checking her mail, or going to the doctor- or, exercising- just those trivial things that can’t possibly compare with the honor of taking care of adorable little me.
She assures me that soon we won’t need to “do this” anymore- so then I’ll have to come up with another plan to keep her under control. But for now- I’ll let her think she’s winning, and steal her spot the minute she gets up!
Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll finish your coffee and walnuts.
It’s going to be hot today, Twilight– but the Can Opener has us covered- Let’s help other kitties stay safe and cool today!
Keeping your kitties cool in the heat!
We’re back! Our Can Opener has had the Critters a lot more this last week than usual because their Mom and Dad both had jury duty. We thought our human would NEVER have time to just snuggle and play with us again!
She is also taking care of her sister now and is taking (new) classes in addition to still doing grief counseling. She’s busier than a fly around an ice cream cone!
But it’s going to be really hot today, so when she started preparing ways for my (still feral) Mama to stay cool through the extreme heat, she started thinking about everyone else’s kitties, and we thought she could help us write about it so everyone can know things they can do to keep their kitties safe from heat exhaustion and heat stroke in this weather- (inside and outside)! So Sushi and I are going to have some whipped cream and let the Can Opener take over from here. Enjoy! 😻
Heat Exhaustion / Heat stroke in cats
Healthy cats and kittens are normally well adapted to heat, since they were desert animals orginially. But few people realize that older or sick animals are just as miserable in the heat as we are. And feral cats, older or obese cats, and cats with asthma, heart conditions or kidney conditions are especaially vulnerable to the dangers of heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
First, here are the warning signs leading to heat exhaustion in cats(which can lead to heat stroke, coma and death).
If you see these signs, your pet is approaching hyperthermia (heat exhaustion)- take steps quickly to cool him down to prevent exhaustion!
panting, drooling
excessive grooming in an effort to cool off
restless behavior (looking for a cool place)
If your cat’s body temperature keeps rising, heat exhaustion can occur quickly-
Watch for:
rapid breathing
redness of the mouth and tongue
vomiting
lethargy
stumbling gait
and a (rectal) temp. over 105 F
According to WebMD pets, if there is no intervention at this point, the cat’s body heat will continue to rise enough to cause the cat to collapse into seizures, coma, and death.
So how do you keep your cat safe in excessive heat?
Make sure your cat can always easily access fresh, cool water. And if it’s extremely hot, or if you have no air conditioning, change the water a couple of times a day and consider placing a few extra bowls around the house. Also, consider placing a fan where it will blow in the general area of your cat, (but not directly on him)
If your cat goes out, or if you have visiting ferals, provide clean water for them outside in a shady area, and add some ice (or freeze a bowl of water and in the morning, dump out the chunk of ice and provide it in a bowl or on a plate in a shaded area for strays to stay cool. As the ice melts throughout the day, it will keep water available for them.
Consider leaving a sprinkler on (just barely) in the yard to provide a constant “fountain” of water.
If your cat goes outside and has a favorite spot, freeze a bottle of water and wrap a towel around it and place it where he likes to hang out (preferably in a shady spot).
If you have cats that go outside also, try to keep them inside between 10 am-3 pm which is usually the hottest part of the day. Particularly if your cat is white! (more on that later)…
Help your indoor cat stay hydrated by also giving them wet food which contains more water and is helpful for older or sick cats (or cats with kidney problems) who may not drink a lot of water. You can also offer them cat broths poured over their dry food for extra hydration
Cooling mats are also an excellent and easy way to provide relief both indoors and outdoors (in a shady spot) for your cats (and dogs)- such as these I found on Amazon (I do not earn any money from these links)- non toxic, pressure activated, self charging!
Please remember your cats (and doggies) can’t tell you when they are suffering from the heat! They depend on you to keep them safe! Please be alert on super hot days, and NEVER leave your cat or doggie in a hot car!
I always knew I’m a special cat- but today my Mom said it’s National SUSHI DAY! I’m so honored! I can’t believe the whole nation celebrates ‘Sushi day!’
I’ve been just dying to write about it all day long, but Mom has been constantly wiping at my eyes and putting that darned ointment in them so it’s kind of hard to see with the goopy stuff in my eyes. I finally put the guilt trip on Mom and made her feel sorry for me and she decided to stop everything and help me post about it!
But then… when I asked her how long there’s been a national holiday celebrating cute little me, she rudely informed me that “that’s not what National Sushi day” is all about. I protested loudly, but she still insists its about some thing else…
Can you believe it? This is the ‘sushi’ she says the whole country is celebrating today!
Wait- That looks suspiciously like FISH! Mom says it is fish- but it’s a dish called “sushi” – they must have just liked me so much they named their food after me! I’m so SPECIAL!
The Can Opener though, keeps insisting it has nothing to do with me- well, if that’s so, she’d better at least let me get my paws on some ‘sushi!’ Because that looks good enough for me to celebrate!
I never heard of it before today- she says it originated in Southeast Asia and Japan (according to National Today.com). She learned that it started as a dish called Narezushi- salted fish that was stored in fermented rice for months. (I’ll take the fish, you can have the rice). It was considered a very good source of protein, and some people started leaving out the rice, and just eating the fish.
Between 1600-1800 the sushi most people know was born- when in Japan, they started mixing fish with rice and vegetables mixed in vinegar. Then, in the 1800’s another style emerged called nigirizushi– this was pretty much a mound of rice with fish draped over it.
It eventually became popular here and all over the world after a terribe earthquake in 1923 displaced a lot of peope from Edo Japan and made them have to leave their land – as they settled in different places all over the world, others became introduced to sushi in its various types and soon celebrites brought national attention to it.
So, Today (June 18) is the day to make sure you try some sushi (if you’ve never tried it before)- and why not give some to your cat?? That way we can celebrate it too!
Did you hear that, Mom? No veggies, rice or vinegar in mine, please.
The Can Opener took Sushi to the vet today in my place…
MOM! I’m okay, really! Take Twilight- she has a headache- I’m sure she does!
Flourescent tears?? HOW!?
The Can Opener took Sushi in to see the vet today, and I’m going on Monday- she did it because Sushi’s eyes were super runny- every time Mom looked at her it looked like she had tears streaming down her face, and even though her eyes looked normal, Sushi kept pawing at them so Mom decided to take her to the vet and let me go in Sushi’s spot on Monday. (Gee, thanks, Mom- but I’ll pass).
I’d better get a ton of treats and some tuna for this, Mom. I know where you sleep!Something doesn’t look right, Mom. What did they DO!?
The Can Opener had been noticing for the last week that Sushi’s eyes were draining- but she already had an appointment to take her to the vet on Monday. But when she saw that the other eye also had started draining a lot, she decided it probably shouldn’t wait til after the weekend and took her in to get checked out.
They did a special kind of eye exam they’d never done on Sushi before to make sure she didn’t have a scratched cornea or something stuck in her eye.
That meant the vet put some kind of drops in her eyes to numb them, and some kind of dye to make any injuries to the eye flourescent green! (Mom should’ve waited til Halloween)!
Poor Sushi was not happy- for the rest of the evening last night, Sushi’s watery eye was raining flourescent green tears!
Okay Mom, I’m glad that’s over and my eyes are okay- that’ll cost you two mackerel, two tunas, and a boatload of treats, please. You may pay up any time now.
We’re all happy to know that she doesn’t seem to have an injury to the eyes or anything in them, so she got to go home with a new and powerful antibiotic eye ointment the human has to hire the National Guard to put in her eyes three times a day now for the next two weeks. It took the vet, the assistant, and Mom to get the first ones in. I sure hope all those workouts the Can Opener did will pay off now- as for me, I’m going to get some popcorn and watch the fight!
First, I don’t like my claws messed with and the Can Opener insists on tormeting me with those flipping clippers. She even said my back claws will be trimmed at the vets’ if I don’t let her do it.
We’ll see about that.
And, I don’t like the Furminator pet brush. It sounds too much like the “Terminator,” and everybody knows what that turned out to be.
I also don’t like my naps being interrupted which happens almost constantly throughout the day. How?
By the Can Opener using the blender for her smoothies, or sitting on the couch while I’m stretched out there sleeping- (just because likes to sit there, as though that’s an excuse)!
By the vaccuum cleaner. Her constant need to clean up all our beautiful fur off the couch, the carpet, the cat tree and everywhere else is getting old. Especially considering all the hard work Twilight and I do to improve the look of this place with our fur. Sometimes she can be so rude!
Then there’s the annoying noise from the dryer when she does the laundry, and it sounds like a siren coming through the living room.
Then, there’s her habit of opening the whole house up for “fresh air”- making sure that I can clearly hear every 2-legged critter in the neighborhood screaming, the cars and motorcycles racing down the streets, and all the annoying weed whackers used by the annoying whacky neighbors.
Don’t get me wrong- I don’t mind her having fresh air- I just want her to get it someplace else- like the Bermuda Triangle.
Good job, Mom! You finished your classes! NOW LET’S PLAY!
Finally! Now, take a break and play with me!
After weeks of studying and testing and helping your sister, you finally finished your courses and can be human again! Maybe now you can type for Sushi and I and get back to spoiling us like you did before all this stuff started. It’s no wonder you haven’t had much free time- with the classes, counseling, physical therapy, and the Critters- and making time for a grief journal too-
But seriously, Sushi and I are about to take matters into our own paws if you don’t back off from some things and get back to spoiling us! And get us some new toys, too!
Wait- WHAT? WHAT VET?
Wait- Who said anything about the VET? We’re not sick!
TWO APPOINTMENTS? THEY’RE BOTH FOR HER, RIGHT?
That’s it- I’m outta here!That’s it. I’m taking my toy and hiding!Photo by Sam Lion on Pexels.com
Oh, no you don’t! If you leave, she’ll take ME!Whatever- I already saw the vet- wake me up after your appointments.
How to Train your Humans 