Cats

I saw (read, was helpless with laughter reading) a (yes, an appalling but hilarious) Twitter thread about cats eating (and enjoying) butter.

Check out the thread by Sarah Kessler (@moveablejaw) which starts with the immortal tweet:"My wife has taken to leaving the butter on the counter European-style and I just caught the cat LICKING THE BUTTER and it appears she’s been doing this for months and that we’ve been eating CAT-BUTTER please send help immediately."

This was followed (same author, same thread) by a tweet which read: "We literally just had a convo about how each of us thought the other was taking weird dented knifefuls of butter from the stick but IT WAS THE CAT, whose Velcro tongue ridges are in fact VISIBLE ON THE STICK OF BUTTER"....
Found in that thread
https://www.twitter.com/i/web/status/1495709693163245579/
 
OMG, butter, hahaha, that's both unexpected and, yes, of course, because cats :)

Yes, cats, even an ambitious dog...

What, these people never heard of a butter dish? What is the world coming to...

glass butter dish.jpg
 
I had to give my cat a course of antibiotics, which I naturally put in a wad of butter*. After that, it became a ritual that she would come and sit by me as I was making toast and receive a bit of butter to be licked off my finger.


*margarine, actually, as I rarely use real butter, and anyway, adult cats and dogs are not lactose-tolerant, so butter is a bad idea.
 
I had one cat in the city who was a dedicated food thief. If you had to go back to the kitchen for some forgotten item, your only recourse was to cart your plate of eggs or chicken or whatever back out there with you if you were dining alone. Otherwise the cat would materialize from somewhere a credenza or the piano and scarf up half your meal in the few seconds you were gone.

That cat even went after a plate of chipped beef and vinegar on toast that my sister-in-law had made for her lunch one day while she was staying at my place during some postgraduate work. Who knew a cat liked vinegar?!
 
So I’m sitting here on the deck minding my own business and reading TA. All of a sudden I spot a tabby under the carport. I talk to her and assure her I’m not running her off, but I’m also not going to feed her. When I look back down I see a visibly pregnant black cat peeking out from under my chair. (She’s the only one I feed.) Evidently she’s extra hungry that she came up her to beg for food. I hope the neighbor will feed her once we move.
 
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2001 — 2021

So… last year in August our beloved cat Skattie died.

During the summer heatwave she just stopped eating — kept on drinking water — used her litter tray to the end… but she just faded away. Her personality was there all the time. She was just tired.

The vet was out of answers… nothing we could do. It was desperate. We bought all the different brands of food… all the snacks… just anything to get her starting eating again. But she'd walk up to her favourite food, sniff it… and walk away.
It was horrible how quickly she lost weight. She was a hefty little cat, but by the end she was light as a feather.

We finally decided to have her put to sleep. The vet came to our house and she died while my husband held her in his arms… and then… then she stopped purring.
The grief was terrible. We had lost more than a pet. For weeks afterwards we kept seeing her shadow in the corner of our eyes.

With a broken tail that left a permanent kink, she had been rescued from the streets, we found her at the SPCA in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong in July 2001. The feistiest and most confident kitten you could imagine.

In her nearly 21 years she was well travelled — Hong Kong, South Africa, UK, Italy, France… back to the UK. When we went on a holiday she'd come with us. People often don't think about taking their cats with them… dogs, sure. Cats? Not so much. But she travelled well and was used to the drill.

She was dearly loved and spoilt beyond belief.
As she deserved to be.
We still miss her terribly.

So far we have not made a decision on adopting another cat… The temptation is huge and so many older cats out there who deserve a good life. Time will tell.
 
226066078_3483536081748731_1232691036608208928_n.jpg


2001 — 2021

So… last year in August our beloved cat Skattie died.

During the summer heatwave she just stopped eating — kept on drinking water — used her litter tray to the end… but she just faded away. Her personality was there all the time. She was just tired.

The vet was out of answers… nothing we could do. It was desperate. We bought all the different brands of food… all the snacks… just anything to get her starting eating again. But she'd walk up to her favourite food, sniff it… and walk away.
It was horrible how quickly she lost weight. She was a hefty little cat, but by the end she was light as a feather.

We finally decided to have her put to sleep. The vet came to our house and she died while my husband held her in his arms… and then… then she stopped purring.
The grief was terrible. We had lost more than a pet. For weeks afterwards we kept seeing her shadow in the corner of our eyes.

With a broken tail that left a permanent kink, she had been rescued from the streets, we found her at the SPCA in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong in July 2001. The feistiest and most confident kitten you could imagine.

In her nearly 21 years she was well travelled — Hong Kong, South Africa, UK, Italy, France… back to the UK. When we went on a holiday she'd come with us. People often don't think about taking their cats with them… dogs, sure. Cats? Not so much. But she travelled well and was used to the drill.

She was dearly loved and spoilt beyond belief.
As she deserved to be.
We still miss her terribly.

So far we have not made a decision on adopting another cat… The temptation is huge and so many older cats out there who deserve a good life. Time will tell.
So sorry for your loss. She was such a beautiful cat. It's so hard to say good-bye to them. They are family. I've lost two myself and it still gets to me whenever I think about it.
 
226066078_3483536081748731_1232691036608208928_n.jpg


2001 — 2021

So… last year in August our beloved cat Skattie died.

During the summer heatwave she just stopped eating — kept on drinking water — used her litter tray to the end… but she just faded away. Her personality was there all the time. She was just tired.

The vet was out of answers… nothing we could do. It was desperate. We bought all the different brands of food… all the snacks… just anything to get her starting eating again. But she'd walk up to her favourite food, sniff it… and walk away.
It was horrible how quickly she lost weight. She was a hefty little cat, but by the end she was light as a feather.

We finally decided to have her put to sleep. The vet came to our house and she died while my husband held her in his arms… and then… then she stopped purring.
The grief was terrible. We had lost more than a pet. For weeks afterwards we kept seeing her shadow in the corner of our eyes.

With a broken tail that left a permanent kink, she had been rescued from the streets, we found her at the SPCA in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong in July 2001. The feistiest and most confident kitten you could imagine.

In her nearly 21 years she was well travelled — Hong Kong, South Africa, UK, Italy, France… back to the UK. When we went on a holiday she'd come with us. People often don't think about taking their cats with them… dogs, sure. Cats? Not so much. But she travelled well and was used to the drill.

She was dearly loved and spoilt beyond belief.
As she deserved to be.
We still miss her terribly.

So far we have not made a decision on adopting another cat… The temptation is huge and so many older cats out there who deserve a good life. Time will tell.
Pretty cat, sorry for your loss. After our 3 cats passed, we decided although we loved having our cats, to take a break from pets.
 
226066078_3483536081748731_1232691036608208928_n.jpg


2001 — 2021

So… last year in August our beloved cat Skattie died.

During the summer heatwave she just stopped eating — kept on drinking water — used her litter tray to the end… but she just faded away. Her personality was there all the time. She was just tired.

The vet was out of answers… nothing we could do. It was desperate. We bought all the different brands of food… all the snacks… just anything to get her starting eating again. But she'd walk up to her favourite food, sniff it… and walk away.
It was horrible how quickly she lost weight. She was a hefty little cat, but by the end she was light as a feather.

We finally decided to have her put to sleep. The vet came to our house and she died while my husband held her in his arms… and then… then she stopped purring.
The grief was terrible. We had lost more than a pet. For weeks afterwards we kept seeing her shadow in the corner of our eyes.

With a broken tail that left a permanent kink, she had been rescued from the streets, we found her at the SPCA in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong in July 2001. The feistiest and most confident kitten you could imagine.

In her nearly 21 years she was well travelled — Hong Kong, South Africa, UK, Italy, France… back to the UK. When we went on a holiday she'd come with us. People often don't think about taking their cats with them… dogs, sure. Cats? Not so much. But she travelled well and was used to the drill.

She was dearly loved and spoilt beyond belief.
As she deserved to be.
We still miss her terribly.

So far we have not made a decision on adopting another cat… The temptation is huge and so many older cats out there who deserve a good life. Time will tell.
So sorry for your loss; she looks absolutely gorgeous, - her coat is magnificent - and she was clearly much loved and wonderfully cared for.

A happy cat who lived a long, much loved, well-travelled, interesting and adventurous life.

Who among us can ask for more?
 
So sorry for your loss. She was such a beautiful cat. It's so hard to say good-bye to them. They are family. I've lost two myself and it still gets to me whenever I think about it.
Thank you. She was a beauty.

Yes, so sorry for your loss.

But they know when it is time. Enjoy the memories of the 20 years you had with her.
This is true. I always heard about that — our other cat (also a Hong Kong street moggy) died of stomach cancer, so it was a different situation.
But this was extra heartbreaking… she just knew, "Time to go…" and of course our response is, "You can't possibly leave us!" Sometimes being human is hard…
Pretty cat, sorry for your loss. After our 3 cats passed, we decided although we loved having our cats, to take a break from pets.
Thank you very much. Yes, as much as we would love to adopt another one (or two!) it was such a heartbreaking thing that we're not being hasty. But still, this winter was extra cold for us.

So sorry for your loss; she looks absolutely gorgeous, - her coat is magnificent - and she was clearly much loved and wonderfully cared for.

A happy cat who lived a long, much loved, well-travelled, interesting and adventurous life.

Who among us can ask for more?
Thank you very much. Indeed a well travelled cat. We'd get to the destination, she'd skulk about a bit sniffing where things were — litter tray *check* Food *check* Windows *check* Warm cosy bed *check* She was A-OK.

Happy memories.
 
I have four cats in the household. Three of them relocated to Canada with us almost 7 years ago so they’re older ladies while the Canadian cat is the youngest at 6 years old.
All of our cats are either from shelters or rescued by us because their former owners left them behind.

One day I’d love to have a Maine Coon because I really like that breed.
 
One day I’d love to have a Maine Coon because I really like that breed.
I was in love with one of those once. She was the sweetest kitty I ever met. Sadly, some other house belonged to her, so I only got to see her once in a while. And perhaps a good thing, that, because I have no idea what it was like with that 27-foot-long fur during shedding season.
 
One day I’d love to have a Maine Coon because I really like that breed.

We think our current one is a Wedgie, and we somehow got a Maine Coon from the shelter when I was a kid. Both are really good breeds, although the health problems Maine Coons can have took ours far too early, and he was somewhat traumatized by the previous owner so we never really got to see how social they can be.

Our current cat though. Loyal, social (with us), intelligent. I still get surprised by some of the ways she’s been figuring out how to use non-verbal communication with us to ask for play time (with us specifically), or to put the harness on and go outside for a little bit.
 
Kedi

In November last year we spent a week in Istanbul.

Here are a few of the fabulous street cats we came across.
On the whole the cats are well looked after — shelters and food and most seem in good health.

The first one nearly came home with us. I could fit this little kitten in my pocket. Look at those eyes!

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This one and her family lives in the Hagia Sophia…
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Heart shaped snooze.
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This old bruiser was so friendly — definitely king of the street, been around the block a few times…
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This old fellow is near the end. He lives downstairs in the apartment block we stayed in. Didn't move much from the chair, but always enjoyed a stroke and snacks.
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She's completely at ease amongst the crowds of the Grand Bazaar…
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There is a rather lovely film about Istanbul's cats… Kedi
Youtube
 
Kedi

In November last year we spent a week in Istanbul.

Here are a few of the fabulous street cats we came across.
On the whole the cats are well looked after — shelters and food and most seem in good health.

The first one nearly came home with us. I could fit this little kitten in my pocket. Look at those eyes!

View attachment 12055View attachment 12056


This one and her family lives in the Hagia Sophia…
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Heart shaped snooze.
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This old bruiser was so friendly — definitely king of the street, been around the block a few times…
View attachment 12058

View attachment 12059


View attachment 12061
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This old fellow is near the end. He lives downstairs in the apartment block we stayed in. Didn't move much from the chair, but always enjoyed a stroke and snacks.
View attachment 12063

She's completely at ease amongst the crowds of the Grand Bazaar…
View attachment 12064

There is a rather lovely film about Istanbul's cats… Kedi
Youtube

Wonderful shots.

That - the sheer number of cats, and how well-cared for, they seemed to be - was something that always struck me whenever I walked through the centre of Istanbul, and there were a number of years when I was transiting through the city (often, over-nighting and always spending time in the city centre) on a regular basis.
 
I think health problems are much more prevalent in pure-bred cats than "mutts". We have had 3 ragdolls and 2 had kidney issues. And they weren't even from the same breeder.
This is my impression with any pure breEd, not as healthy as muts due to the genetics of the process.
 
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