#bonnie torti

[raineedaydreams]

here's my kitties when they were babies just so this new blog isn't 100% empty

[bewitchedbysami]

My favorite thing about cats is how they always have to do what you are doing. If you are doing yoga, they are doing yoga. If you are writing the next great American novel, they are writing the next great feline novel. If you are reading, then they are reading (unless your cat is like Tsuki, who happens to be a torti, and they prefer eating books over reading them-iykyk). If you are pressing flowers, then they are probably trying to eat them. No literally, my other cat Hendrix (pictured) is obsessed with trying to eat flowers and tape. Anyway, after binge-watching The Vampire Diaries about a year ago I decided to finally read the books! I am barely into it right now, but so far I'm really enjoying it. Right now it's fun and lighthearted and it is perfect for late summer reading, as I'm already counting down the days until fall. There were some things accidentally spoiled to me on TikTok which I won't repeat here, but then again I watched the entire show, so I'm sure the majority of the book is spoiled for me. I have mixed feelings about spoilers. Sometimes I mind them and sometimes I don't. Not sure why about that. However, I do like books that keep you reading and that make you forget that you are reading because you become so absorbed into that world and that's how I feel about TVD right now. Based on the TV show I'd have to say I'm Team Damon (love Stefan, but there's just something about Damon). I'm curious if I'm going to be Team Stefan when it comes to the book. I'm not sure yet. I'll have to keep reading and find out! I can't wait to get to Mikaelsons. Klaus and Rebecca are a few of my favorites from the show. I also can't wait to see how Bonnie explores her powers in the book. It's also weird to picture Elena as a blonde, Bonnie as a redhead, and Caroline as having auburn hair. My mind defaults to Nina, Kat, and Candice (who all did an amazing job on the show). It's fun when books get turned into shows and movies. Sometimes it's exactly as you pictured in your head and sometimes it isn't. I can only hope that something I write makes its way to the screen one day and the actors do my characters justice and bring them to life just like they did on The Vampire Diaries.

[lovesnapcats]

TORTIE TUESDAY!

This is Bonnie. She's 1 year 3 months-old and sponsored by Mary DeVincenzi. SNAP Cats rescued Bonnie from Kings County (CA). When Bonnie first arrived with her brother, Clyde, they were very bonded. Since then, the two have gradually de-bonded (there’s that word again!), so, although we’d like to see the two adopted together, Bonnie and Clyde can go separately if needed. Bonnie can be a bit skittish to begin with, but once she gets to know you she’ll warm up quickly, especially if there’s wet food involved! Despite missing a back paw, Bonnie gets around great. Her leg stays sore-free, so it shouldn’t be an issue in the future. She did have a hematoma on her ear, thus the crinkling, but it’s healed, and we think adds a bit of character.

If you’re interested in Bonnie please fill out an adoption application at https://www.snapcats.org/category/adoption/catsforadoption/. Thanks.

SNAP Cats uses Smart Cat, all natural cat litter.

[adtothebone]

Lindy’s favorite Bonnie Tyler song is “Tortie Eclipse of the Heart.”

cdhs.net

[love-and-hisses]

Back in 2014, we fostered a litter of kittens that included black and white tuxie Jethro Tull and housepanther Thunderclap "TC" Newman (that little tortie in the first picture is their littermate Molly Hatchett.) TC and Jethro were adopted together and went to Portland, Oregon to live... and here they are, 8 years later!⁠ ...⁠ They are big boys (I always say I don't grow 'em small), 20+ pounds each. They love that bed because it's right in front of a heat register (smart boys!)⁠ ...⁠ Jethro Tull, TC and Paz are all world class pillow smashers. While Jethro and TC are very bonded brothers, TC has a very strong bromance going with Paz.⁠ ...⁠ Bama Boys Jethro and TC join sister Leia and brothers Paz and Lukey in mid morning protest against bed making.⁠ ...⁠ 🎶Wherever you go, whatever you do, we’re gonna go through it together!🎶⁠ ...⁠ Thank you so much for the great update, Bonnie and Marc! ❤️⁠ https://www.instagram.com/p/CmHFouTN5Mi/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[scarletswalking]

Riza Hawkeye (Tortie)

Colonel Roy Mustang (solid gray)

Shake Your Bon Bon (Bonnie - gray tabby)

Beatrice Louise (turtle)

[khaos-cats]

Meet the Creatures

blog for cat pictures :) ! this is a guide to who my cats are.

Asha: ~5 y/o, adopted at 9 months. Snugglebug, kind of lazy, can’t meow like a normal cat and just sounds like a flute instead. Dilute tortie w/ white. Bonded pair with Zelda.

Zelda: ~3 y/o, adopted at 6 months. Yells, affectionate, demands you cater for her every need, loves going on (leashed!) walks. Black cat with yellow eyes! One single white chest hair. Bonded pair with Asha.

Suki: ~1 y/o, adopted at 2 months. Incredibly cute, also incredibly evil. Bites, playful, affection only on her terms, breaks every conceivable rule. Brown marbled tabby.

Cats who have passed might show up in a few photos. Their intros are under the cut.

Bonnie: ~18-19 years old. Kitten born at my family’s farm then adopted by my parents. Loud, carried conversations, not cuddly but wanted to be near you. Loved it when we moved into a house with a fireplace. Longhair dilute tortie. Older than me!

Stella: ~5 years old. Adopted at ~2 years. Quiet, only ever talked to her toys when no one was looking, shy at first but warmed up over the time we had her. LOVED belly rubs and to sit on my mom’s lap in the evening.

[friendsofmorenovalleyanimals]

🆘 Adopters & Rescues Needed 🆘 19 cats have been surrendered by their owner to the shelter. The kitties have been in the shelter since November 14th, as the owner has been hospitalized. The owner has now made the decision to surrender them over. They have now been released for adoption and rescue, and they need us all, so that each & every one of these precious babies below receives a happy new life in time for the holidays. Please inquire with shelter for medical & behavioral notes. Some are friendly, some are very scared. Their worlds have been turned upside down. #A508045 Milly - Female tortie, Age unknown #A508046 Becca - Female lynx point, 5 yrs #A508047 Terry - Neutered male Snowshoe, 2 yrs. #A508048 Devin - Neutered male W&B LH, 4 yrs. #A508049 Beth - Female Grey/White, 10 yrs. #A508050 AC - B&W DLH, Age & Gender Unknown #A508053 Jemmy - Female Dilute Tortie & White, Age Unknown #A508054 Bonny - Female Brown Tabby, 5 yrs. #A508055 Lilac - Female Grey, 8 yrs. #A508056 Betty - Female B&W DLH, Age Unknown #A508057 Stanley - Neutered M Brown Tabby, 5 yrs. #A508058 Donny - Neutered male B&W LH, 5 yrs. #A508059 Clyde - Neutered male B&W LH, 8 yrs. #A508061 George - Neutered male Slvr Tabby, 10 yrs #A508062 Sheba - Female Orange Tabby, 4 yrs. #A508063 Wilma - Female B&W, 8 yrs. #A508065 Kingfish - Neutered male B&W LH, 8 yrs. #A508066 Topper - Neutered male B&W LH, 5 yrs. #A508108 Sprite - Female Black Tabby/White, Age Unknown Moreno Valley Animal Shelter 14041 Elsworth Street, Moreno Valley, CA 92553 951-413-3790 PUBLIC EMAIL/GENERAL INFO: animalshelter@moval.org RESCUE EMAIL: rescue@moval.org Open Tuesday - Saturday (closed Sunday, Monday and holidays) Tues.-Fri. 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (at Friends of Moreno Valley Shelter Animals) https://www.instagram.com/p/CIw9AU7hPqC/?igshid=kug22eqyp5g4

[sidetongue]

I love the shelter collectives! Can we hear the story of the teeny tortie kitten and the wonderful dark colored oldies in the second to last row of the last collective post?

Teeny tortie is Bonnie, she is a fiery, feisty kitten who is full of sass. Oldie #1 is a chihuahua cross English staffy, he was really sweet and his ears were adorable. His dad came and picked him up 😊 oldie #2 is Star, another English staffy cross. She has separation anxiety and whenever she’s alone she squeals like a demon

[femslashrevolution]

Why I Love Strangeness, Smut & Fic with Lots of Feelings

This post is part of Femslash Revolution’s I Am Femslash series, sharing voices of F/F creators from all walks of life. The views represented within are those of the author only.

TW: non-graphic references to kink, taboo fantasies, abuse, and eating disorders.

I’ve started this piece about a dozen times, trying to figure out what it wants to be. As a writer, words are important to me, but as a human I want the content to say something true, to be provocative and unflinching. I want the things I write to be a sledgehammer that breaks down the walls of shame that isolate us. Shame wants to stop us from connecting, because if we do, we’ll find out we’re actually not broken or twisted or strange, or that we are but it’s okay. We’ll compare notes and realize none of us have any reason to hide who we are, because we’re all perfectly flawed. 

I write femslash to make connections. I’ve made friends, real friends, in the comments section on AO3. I help other writers, and I have other writers who help me. They’re art midwives; like a baby, sometimes a fic needs a little assistance to be born. Little international virtual villages pop up around characters or ships and we bond with each other over shared fandom. We are different ages, races, nationalities and orientations, but there are parts of us that are the same. 

It goes deeper, to the things that scare us, turn us on or make us blush. I’ve compared notes and realized that society’s “sick and wrong” is often someone’s vibrant fantasy. When I write something that feels “too weird,” either because it’s dark or kinky or too emotionally naked, I force myself to post it. I always expect the comments to say “you’re a sicko” or “how can you write about this?” but usually they’re “I thought I was the only one who was into this” and “This is the fic I’ve been searching for.” We connect over the things that isolate us, that whisper “You’re strange.” 

Maybe we are strange, but we are also the same. Isolate us, make us feel bad about who we are or what we want, and we’re powerless. When we find each other, we learn to stop apologizing for our strangeness and we become unstoppable.

I write graphic sex that’s filthy but full of feelings. I write little heartwarming drabbles about romantic misunderstandings or murderers who find kittens in the trash. I write fills for the weirdest kinkmeme prompts I can find, for pairings that make me think, “That can’t work.” I make it my mission to find a way. I kill off beloved characters, I break their hearts, I build them up, I toss them into bed together, I dissect the worst moments of their lives, I put them in sexual situations that push them too far, I make them lash out at each other, I turn them upside down and shake them until the confessions of love fall out.  

There is not always a happy ending. There doesn’t need to always be a happy ending. My best friend says she reads fic to escape the terrible state of the world. She wants a distraction, and that’s valid, but it’s not the purpose fic serves for me.

I read (and write) to feel things. Grief, rage, discomfort, joy, anxiety, arousal, heartbreak, hope. I process my life by chucking the pieces of it into a cement mixer and flipping the switch until it’s something I can build on. My triumphs and tragedies join up with the things that delight me and the ones that confuse me and the ones that scare me, and then it’s all ground down and shaken up until it’s something solid. 

I wrote the kitten!fic soon after my beloved tortie compatriot died. I used to joke she was so evil she’d live forever, but I guess even cats made of razor blades eventually need a rest. I decided to funnel my grief into something worthwhile by writing something heartrending and sad. Once I started it, the fic wrote itself into something gentle and bursting with hope. 

I wrote a dark fic in the usually-light Ghostbusters fandom; a lot of readers didn’t like it, but there were a few who connected with it in powerful ways. I often write the shades of grey, the complicated parts, the “won’t tie up neatly at the end of our hour-long episode” stories. 

I wrote an intimate fic about taboo fantasies, in which one partner had to admit to the other that she had a rape fantasy. The partner didn’t consider herself kinky, but she listened, didn’t judge and was willing to talk about helping the woman she loved explore that desire. That fic exists because in six years I was never completely honest with my ex-partner about my own fantasies, because I knew she wouldn’t have been that caring and supportive. 

I wrote a story about a lesbian whose bisexual girlfriend wanted to watch interact sexually with a man. She agreed and it was a disaster. The story struck a nerve, because a lot of queer women have had sex with men that felt “wrong” like that. I’d intended it to be a one-shot about the ways we disregard our own safety for the people we care about, but the readers’ reactions were so powerful, it prompted me to write more chapters. It grew into something much bigger about trauma, friendship and understanding.

I wrote a fill for the Ghostbusters kinkmeme prompt “anorexic Holtzmann,” because the mere idea of writing it scared me. I explored her childhood, the difficulty of being much younger than her academic peers, the way she discovered her sexuality, and the people who shaped her along the way.  I dug deep into my feelings of otherness and my lifelong complicated relationship with food and body image. Someone commented that she’d been looking for an ED fic in the Ghostbusters fandom, because she struggles and reading about it helps. “As a smart, chubby girl with an eating disorder, well done and thank you,” she wrote. It resonated with her, because we share something that makes us feel different.

I’ve written more than thirty fics centered around How to Get Away With Murder’s Bonnie Winterbottom. I’ve paired her with half a dozen different characters. Some of the Bonnies I write are fragile and sad; others are voraciously sexual, unapologetic queer dynamos. I love writing characters standing up for themselves and fighting for what they want, and Bonnie? Canon Bonnie? She wants, so desperately it sometimes makes me uncomfortable.

Before I discovered HTGAWM, I’d taken a two year hiatus from writing fic. I’d never been prolific in the first place. But there was something about Bonnie, and her complicated, imbalanced, maybe-not-sexual-but-still-intensely-passionate relationship with her boss Annalise that cut through me. It made me want to write again, made me NEED to write again. 

In Bonnie and Annalise, I saw a dynamic I’d never before seen represented on television, one that I’d lived myself. As more of Bonnie’s tragic backstory unfolded, our stories didn’t align so perfectly, but the moment she knelt weeping at her magnetic, brilliant boss’s feet still lives inside me. It resonates. I saw my past reflected in Bonnie’s devotion, her barely-concealed feelings, her tragically low self-esteem. I saw the truth of one of my own complicated relationships in the way Annalise manipulated her. I watched her give Bonnie exactly enough affection to keep her hopelessly entangled, and just enough praise to make her work until she dropped, and it made my guts ache.

And yet, I knew Annalise Keating wasn’t a monster, because I’d loved a woman who had walls like that. I knew what could happen once the lights were out. I’d seen the teflon shield come down, exposing the sort of wraith that lives inside powerful, beautiful, charismatic women who have learned to be those things to survive. The kind of woman who needs to drink most of a bottle of wine before she can let herself be vulnerable, and who wants nothing more than a moment to be soft. 

Femslash is a small corner of the wider fic world. The HTGAWM femslash community is very small. This year I discovered the Ghostbusters fandom, which offered me another character who reflected parts of myself I never thought I’d see on screen. It was bigger, more active, and the kudos and comments were addictive, but I keep coming back to Bonnie. In my stories, she faces the things I’m scared of and she says the things I wish I’d said. Life tears her apart; she collapses, but then she rises again and rebuilds herself from the ground up. And she’s so very strange. Like I am. Like we are. 

I write fanfic because I’m strange, and by putting my own strangeness on a page, I connect with other people who are like me. I write the stories I need to read, because I know there are other people out there who need to read them too. I write the kinks that shouldn’t turn me on and the confrontations that hurt my heart and the sweeping strangeness because it scares me, but it also starts a conversation. 

Hey. I understand that. I’m the same way. You’re not the only one. And we’re both okay.  

—

About the author

I’m Audrey, I’m an artist in my thirties, I live in Los Angeles and I write smutty literature. On some level, every story I tell is a love story. I like writing deep, complicated feelings into filthy smut, filthy smut into angst fic, angsty arcs into love stories, and profound epic love into fic about kittens. I’m drawn to characters who are broken but persist. My ask box is open and I am always up for a conversation about femslash, “extreme” fic, writing sex, kittens, and any character played by Liza Weil. We are all strange and weird is wonderful.

Tumblr: audreyimpossible.tumblr.com

AO3: http://archiveofourown.org/users/AudreyV/works

[ssteezyy]

Ask the Cat Behaviorist with Mikel Delgado: A Lost Cat, a Cat With Pica, a Screaming Tortie and More

Welcome to our regular “Ask the Cat Behaviorist with Mikel Delgado” segment. Once, or every other month, we’ll post a reminder for you to post your questions for Mikel. She’ll answer as many of them as she can each time, and I’ll publish her answers in a subsequent post.

Mikel is a Certified Cat Behavior Consultant at Feline Minds, offering on-site consultations for cat guardians, shelters, and pet-related businesses in the San Francisco Bay Area, and remote consultations around the world. She obtained her PhD in Psychology at UC Berkeley, where she studied animal behavior and human-pet relationships. Mikel is co-author of Jackson Galaxy’s forthcoming book, Total Cat Mojo: The Ultimate Guide to Life with Your Cat, due out October 31and available for pre-order now (this is an affiliate link*).

A follow up to questions about what to do when a cat goes missing

Before I get to the new questions, I thought I should follow up on my post on what to do if you lose your cat. I did get a few emails from folks who have some AMAZING websites with advice on finding lost cats – including some using technology such as wildlife cams and bionic hearing devices! These sites include http://ift.tt/1jFvALM and http://ift.tt/1fG5KZC ,run respectively by Kim and Bonnie who both left comments in my last column. I agree 100% with both of them that there are many things above and beyond what I mentioned that folks can do to help their cats return (just look at their websites for a plethora of ideas). The hottest issue of contention seems to be whether one should leave used kitty litter outside as a lure for the lost cat. Here was the thread of responses (I tried to put them in the order they were left).

I would suggest that Dr. Delgado have a look at our web site when counseling people about lost cats! There is much one can do to find their cat, but the one thing they should NOT do is put out a litter box! It will draw other cats (who will claim it and your property as “theirs” and will fight your cat off it (s)he tries to come home), dogs and predators. – Bonnie Wagner-Westbrook

I just read Dr Delgado’s response. She suggested putting some used litter into a TNR trap – not putting out a litter box. Tehila

(At this point, I should probably also note that I NEVER recommend leaving traps unsupervised!!! So much to say in one column, so little time! – Mikel)

Tehila, it would have the same consequence. I’ve had cases where cat guardians put out the whole box, sprinkle it around the yard, or inside traps and it attracts local strays who will fight off a cat attempting to come home on his/her own. If these cats are unaltered (and sometimes even after they have been altered), they will spray the area to mark “their” new turf. I’ve heard of (legit) cases of coyotes and other predators being attracted to an area where litter is left out. Just not a good idea. – Bonnie Wagner-Westbrook

I am happy to defer to the experts in this regard – but the logic behind the argument still leaves me with some questions! As I scientist, my main gripe is that we have so little understanding of how cats navigate in the first place. But if the main argument against placing used litter in the trap is that it will attract other animals (including predators), I would like to know why placing delicious food in the trap wouldn’t do the same thing? And lacking lures, how do you get a cat to go in a trap?

In regards to “turf marking” by cats, a lot of research (see Karen Overall and John Bradshaw’s books) shows that cats don’t use urine as a “keep out” message, so much as an “I was here” message. It’s also considered a passive signal to deter aggression, and cats don’t avoid areas that other cats have marked in. In fact, they spend MORE time investigating those areas, and a lot of cats will “overmark” the urine spray of other cats. Of course, this doesn’t mean a terrified, lost cat is going to be out and about pee-sniffing, but it’s important to understand how and what urine-marking communicates between cats. A recent study showed that although cats prefer a clump-less litterbox, previous urine odor of another cat was not a deterrent.

I agree with Bonnie. I do lost cat recovery full-time and advise against using kitty litter in any way (other than inside the house, of course). In my experience, people who swear by it are being superstitious as cats who return when litter is involved would have come back just as well to a sack of potatoes on the porch. – Kim Freeman

Now this argument makes more sense to me! I think it gets back to the question of not knowing WHY cats come back. We tend to throw every possible solution at the problem and hope that at least one thing helps the cat return or go into the trap! I have had several friends, neighbors and clients use the litter without problems, but of course they also did other things to help get their cat back! That said, I’ve also seen several cases where the human ended up going to the cat (by setting traps where the cat has been spotted) rather than the cat coming home – which brings us back to your awesome methods using wildlife cams and other technology!

About finding your cat… Not too long ago some neighbors the next street over lost their cat and put flyers on the front doors of every house in the neighborhood. It turned out that the cat had gotten into our attic… Don’t know how but we heard it when it was meowing, and made the connection between it and the flyer that was left at our door. It turned out to be the cat and the people got it back. If they had only put flyers on telephone poles, etc. we would’ve never known who’s cat it was. Mason

Mason, This is an excellent point. The more contact you can make with people (online neighborhood message boards, face to face, flyers under every door) the better!!!

Re: sister cats and redirected aggression; I had the same problem when I moved the my current apartment. I arranged for two feral cats to be trapped, neutered, and returned (TNR). Eventually my cats settled down. They still go slightly bonkers, but the aggression against each other gradually ended. Last week, one showed up and my older cat just sat and stared back at him. – Tehila

Tehila, thank you for sharing your experience. I wish all kitties would have this reaction! For tips on keeping cats out of your yard, see my last column, or this recent one posted on Conscious Cat.

Cat with a serious case of pica

Hi Mikel, I work at a shelter and was approached by a cat owner who has a cat with a serious case of Pica. She owns two older cats, a 12 yo male and a 7 1/2 yo female -both are declawed. She then adopted a stray female kitten that was very playful and got along ok with her other two cats. After she was spayed and unfortunately also declawed, she began to notice her chewing behavior began.

It started with the curtain cords- she tucked those away then she moved on to shoes/couches/dressers, toys and just about any other item that she could. Her vet felt there were no medical issues and it was just a lack of stimulation and suggested that she adopt another kitten. So she adopted another 8 month old kitten. They did and still do play together but the chewing behavior continued.

After discovering her chewing on the windowsills she confined both kittens to a room to reduce the damage to her apartment. She has tried all kinds of allowable chew toys, sprayed areas that were off limits with anti-chew spray (which did not work)- physically blocked off areas, increased her interactive play time with her, tried Feliway plug-ins, different types of food puzzles, kitty grass, outdoor bird feeders etc – you name it she has tried it.

She currently has her cat on Prozac at 5 mg and is working on clicker training – The Prozac has helped a little but the chewing continues. She is not particular when it comes to her chewing and her owner is worried she is going to swallow something that is going to harm her eventually. This concern alone makes it all the more difficult to enrich her environment and she’s fallen into a catch 22 situation.

Any thoughts on where she could go from here to change or stop this endless need to chew? – Karen

Karen, Depending on how long the cat has been on Prozac, she may not have been benefiting from the therapeutic effects yet (Prozac typically takes several weeks to “kick in”) – so she can check in with her vet about how much improvement she should be seeing by now.

Pica can be tricky, because in many cases, life-long management is necessary. There’s still a lot we don’t know about why some cats are prone to it (there is a genetic component in many cases), but the assumption is that increased stimulation and enrichment is helpful. The Indoor Pet Initiative, led by Dr. Tony Buffington, has good resources for making sure that cats have everything they need to be happy indoors. In cases of persistent pica like this one, I would recommend that she work with an experienced consultant or veterinary behaviorist who can do a home visit and assess the environment, looking for stressors that might not be so obvious (perhaps sounds or smells?).

I would also want more information on whether the kitten chews on food items in the owner’s presence, the owner’s absence, or both. That can tell us a little about her motivation – is it anxiety, is the chewing being reinforced by attention, etc. The clicker training is certainly a good approach to rewarding behaviors we like, not the ones we don’t like!

Recent research found a relationship between digestive upset and chewing on non-food items, so it’s possible that there is still an undiagnosed medical issue. We also know from a new study, that sadly, declawing is every bit as terrible as many of us feared, in regards to leading to long-term pain and behavior issues.

Screaming tortie

I have a screaming Tortie and Dr. Kris told me to ask you. We have had her for 4 years. She was a rescue that my brother adopted for my mom and we adopted her from Mom. She is a talker sometimes and can be really sweet but I am afraid we will be kicked out of our apartment. We live in a 1st floor 2 bedroom 2 bathroom and she has her run of the place. She is only not allowed in our 2 closets. She refuses to drink from her water bowl unless someone comes with her in hopes that we will turn the faucet on. She does not like me watching her drink but I tell her mommy is not leaving until you start drinking. She won’t play with her toys. We got her a pink scratching post where you need to find the ball and it has cute hanging bells and she would rather watch us play with it. She does love looking out the patio window watching the people walk by and the kids playing soccer on the tennis courts. But she is so needy and won’t play with her toys, only eats cat food, and wants to be with us 24-7. I won’t even apply for a helper dog for my MS because she will be so jealous if her mommy has another baby. We won’t even adopt another cat because we cannot afford 2 kitties. Her screaming is horrible. I don’t know whether that is a Tortie thing or not. She does love having both a mommy and a daddy. What do I do? I am about to pull out my hair. – Debbie Ramsey

Debbie, In situations like yours, I always wonder how much WE are contributing to the cat’s behavior. I had a case where one of my cats was having difficulty using a food puzzle on her own. Guess who stepped in to help? ME. Guess who could use the food puzzle just fine when mommy went out of town? My cat who was having difficulty! Turns out I was just “enabling” her and she was perfectly willing to have me do all the work for her when I was around.

Reading your email, it seems like you are concerned about a few things: 1. excessive meowing 2. it sounds like she likes drinking out of the faucet 3. she won’t play with her toys 4. you would like to get another dog but think she would be jealous I’ll do my best to address each of these things!

1. Cats who meow usually meow for one of a few reasons: something is wrong (I’m going to assume this is not the case) they are bored (possible, some cats get bored very easily!), or she has learned that meowing gets her attention from humans. See my previous column for advice on “screaming cats.” If you talk back when she talks to you, she may have learned that meowing is great fun!

2. For cats who like drinking out of faucets, a pet fountain can be great. You can also try a DIY project or a motion sensitive faucet that will turn any sink into a cat fountain.

3. If you are having difficulty getting your cat to play, it may be because of the toys, or because of how you are playing! The scratching posts with the hanging toys may be attractive to kittens, but that type of toy loses appeal for adult cats.I don’t know what other kinds of toys you have for your girl, but I recommend having a variety of interactive toys that resemble prey. Some of my favorites include the Cat Dancer, Da Bird, the Cat Catcher, and Neko Flies. These are all designed to mimic the movements of prey and I have found that most cats respond very well to these toys. Be sure to put them away when you aren’t supervising, as toys with string and wire are not safe to leave out with cats!

As to HOW to play, I recommend moving in ways that mimic the prey animals and that use what we know about cat hunting behavior. Cats are attracted to movement away from them (like a mouse trying to get away) and rustling sounds. Alter your movements, so that sometimes you move verrrrrrry slowly, then add in some quick bursts to see what she responds to best and when. Remember that cats are stalk and rush hunters, so sometimes they like the slow movements best (the ones that humans usually find boring!), and the actual pouncing part might be a very small part of your play sequence, depending on your cat’s activity level.

Don’t make the play too hard (let her touch the toy from time to time so she gets the tactile stimulation), or too easy (don’t poke, pet or otherwise put the toy right in your cat’s face – no mouse or bird would do that!). And be sure to rotate toys – a previous study showed that cats got bored of the same toy before they got bored of playing!

4. I would not assume your cat will be jealous of a new family member – for many “busy” kitties, more members of the family = more things to keep them stimulated! If you choose your new dog wisely, make sure he or she is well -trained, and do a slow introduction, there’s no reason you can’t expand your family! I’ve seen many households where cats and dogs get along fantastically.

I hope this helps!

I love this column, it is especially informative and very interesting. I like the lengthy ones, even more (hint, hint!) Thank you so much! – VagabondMoon,

Thank you so much for the kind words! I’ll do my best to keep my answers in-depth when I can!

No questions (for now!), but I just wanted to say how much I enjoy this advice. I volunteer with rescue cats and have learned tons! – Robert Wagers

Thanks Robert! Rescue cat volunteers are quality people

*FTC Disclosure: The Conscious Cat is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to products on Amazon and affiliated sites. This means that if you decide to purchase through any of our links, we get a small commission. We only spread the word about products and services we’ve either used or would use ourselves.

The post Ask the Cat Behaviorist with Mikel Delgado: A Lost Cat, a Cat With Pica, a Screaming Tortie and More appeared first on The Conscious Cat.

[roysexton]

My review of Howie Day with Shane Piasecki at Ann Arbor's The Ark - quote: "If these two wandering minstrels find their way to your town (or somewhere nearby), do not hesitate to check them out. You won’t be disappointed. I, for one, bought all of Piasecki’s musical output (four CDs – $35 in total) at the merchandise table, and Day’s are now added to my Amazon cart for ordering posthaste!" http://reelroyreviews.com/2014/04/18/guitar-heroes-and-heartaches-howie-day-at-ann-arbors-the-ark/ - enjoy! #annarbor, #roysexton, #reelroyreviews, #howieday, #shanepiasecki, #collide, #folk, #guitar, #rock, #michigan, #noah, #insidellewyndavis

[lovesnapcats]

BLACK CAT (AND TORTIE) FRIDAY!

Meet Bonnie & Clyde. They’re about 9 months-old and missing paws: Clyde (sponsored by Amber Wells) is missing both back paws; Bonnie (sponsored by Mary DeVincenzi) is missing one back paw. SNAP Cats rescued Bonnie & Clyde from Kings County, CA. These siblings are so cute together. The snuggle together. Play together. Eat... no, wait. When it comes to food it’s every cat for themselves. They both are extremely food motivated. Despite missing some paws, Bonnie & Clyde are very mobile (especially if you have a plate of food in your hand!). And there’s no current concern that the missing paws will cause any medical problems.

Bonnie & Clyde need to be adopted together. They will take some time to open up in their new home, but eventually they’ll be wonderful lap kitties looking for a lot of human attention.

If you’re interested in Bonnie & Clyde please fill out an adoption application at https://www.snapcats.org/adoption-process/. Thanks!

SNAP Cats uses Smart Cat, all natural cat litter.

[roysexton]

Guitar heroes and heartaches: Howie Day at Ann Arbor's The Ark

Howie Day

I’m not much for folk music (see my review of Inside Llewyn Davis) or, for that matter, guitar-driven singer/songwriters. So, when our friend Bonnie offered an extra ticket to see Howie Day at Ann Arbor’s The Ark, I wasn’t sure what to expect.

I had vague memories of Day as an early aughts pop/rock folkie with the following attributes: an inescapable (and kinda bland) radio hit “Collide