The Cat Report (Friday July 30th)

We have an especially engaging group of cats in the cat-room right now. In addition to our Two Grey Gentlemen (JEREMIAH and JESSE) we have our calico solitaire KATHERINE, three-month old bundle of energy REMY, and two two-month-old kittens CALLIE and ARIZONA.

I started by giving JESSE* his walk while Jeremiah got to roam around the floor and cat-stand areas inside the room. He did very well, having now mastered the essentials of being out on a walk. He even stayed claim when he had not one but incidents of dogs coming fairly close. It helped that the dogs were small and well-mannered. Then it was JEREMIAH’s turn, and while shy he too showed that he knew the rules and enjoyed the outing —even when in his case at one point he cd see a large (but again well-behaved) dog at the other end of an aisle. Both of our not-quite senior cats got a lot of attention from shoppers. One woman said she’d adopted her cat from Purrfect Pals eight years ago; his name was Silver.

I hadn’t been able to see it last week, but this time I did notice that Jeremiah’s right foreleg trembled when he was out on his walk. Didn’t seem to bother him, but might explain why he’s so cautious in unfamiliar territory. 

Having had about twenty minutes each being the only cat roaming around in the cat room while the other was out on his walk, then reversing that, at the end of about forty minutes Jeremiah and Jesse went back into their cages (a little grudgingly, but that’s not a surprise). 

Time to let the kittens out! Callie and Arizona don’t like being picked up but they love games. The string game was a favorite, though little Arizona came up with a new way  to play it — he pounced on it, bit down on the chain end, and pawed at the string end, all at the same time. Then he’d drag it off to his lair. Callie liked the string game as well but wd happily switch to something else rather than fight him over it. The feather duster, the bee on a wand, and the laser light all got thoroughly pounced on in turn. I experimented with catnip bubbles, which sent one scurrying (Callie?) and the other (Arizona?) interested but wary.

Finally it seemed high time I answered those piteous mews little REMY kept up. He was delighted to be out and playing and pouncy. He doesn’t like to be picked up but he really wants attention — not surprising, given how recently he was with siblings and mother. I split up the room so the two-month olds had the outer room to tear around in, which they did, and the three-month old had the inner room for his fun. He wd mew, purr, play a game, and pounce with apparently endless energy. He’s not so sure about catnip bubbles either. But his motto seems to be ’try every toy at least once’.

Think he and the younger/smaller kittens will find homes quickly.**

Katherine got some petting but didn’t come out. Think starting with her wd have worked better; I’ll give that a try next time around.

There was much mewing again when little Remy finally had to go back in.

—John R. 

*unless I’ve got mixed up who is who among the bonded pair, in which case swop out everything I said about Jesse with everything I say about Jeremiah and vice-versa.

**as did Oscarina, Grayson, Hudson, and Imogen

  UPDATE Saturday July 31st

This morning little REMI got adopted and away to his new home.

SECOND UPDATE: Sunday the 1st

The Two two-month old kittens got adopted together, leaving just three cats in the room: boned pair Jeremiah and Jesse, and Katherine, who apparently is pleased by this and has been coming out of her cage to ask for attention and play games.

Here's hoping that without the competition from kittens the full-grown cats will now have their turn coming up soon.