Albany Cat Lady

Man Arrested After Throwing Cat at Wife

2009-01-20T14:42:00.001-05:00

Picture of the Day

2009-01-15T06:13:00.002-05:00

Playing

National Delurker Day

2009-01-13T11:27:00.000-05:00

I just found out that today is National Delurker Day. Lurkers everywhere, reveal thyselves!

Seriously, though, I don't have very high traffic at this blog (yet!) but if you are lurking around, leave a comment and say hello!

Everything is going well...

2009-01-13T06:07:00.005-05:00

Oliver is fitting in very well. He is very happy to accept his position as low man on the totem pole, which has made the transition much easier than it was when Annabelle came into the picture.

She absolutely refused to let Stubbs be the boss. She wanted to play and chase him. I don't even think that she wanted to be the "alpha" cat; it almost seems like she just wanted to be equals. Stubbs was not happy about that.

But in this case, Oliver defers to Stubbs. Sometimes, Oliver will approach Stubbs when Stubbs wants to be left alone, and Stubbs will raise a paw in warning. Oliver will instantly get as low to the ground as possible, as if he is kow towing to Stubbs. Oliver also allows Stubbs to sniff his butt for extended periods of time, which I believe is also a submissive thing.

Oliver and Annabelle are the best of friends. They spend their days chasing each other, jumping over each other, and generally stalking each other. The other afternoon, they both took a snooze on my "lap", Annabelle sleeping on my stretched out legs and Oliver on my actual lap.

We are still adjusting to having three cats eating at the same time. Oliver is a total hog with absolutley no table manners. This is not a surprise, since he was the only cat in his last home. He is still learning how to eat off his own plate only. He is also acting very much like a teenager, trying to push the limits of how much food he can guilt out of us by following us into the kitchen constantly, mewing his adorable mew.

Picture of the Day

2009-01-07T11:39:00.002-05:00

Stubbs - about 2 days after I adopted him.

Service Animals

2009-01-06T16:59:00.003-05:00

Please check out this article from New York Times Magazine about Service Animals. It is very interesting.

The article brought to light for me an issue that I have not thought about much in the past. There is a big debate about what qualifies as a service animal and where the line is drawn. It is certainly not a black and white issue by any means. I want to reflect on this more and perhaps write another post once I have collected my thoughts.

Back from a hiatus

2009-01-04T20:59:00.008-05:00

I honestly don't even know where to begin with this post. I haven't posted since before Christmas.

The holidays were crazy as usual. Stubbs and Annabelle dealt very well with the revolving door of people that were in and out for the last two weeks.

Markedly, they were both very good with my niece, Miranda, and our friends' child, Alex.

Miranda came on December 27 to go see a play and to sleepover. The first time Miranda visited (last February), Annabelle was a bit skittish around her. We have reason to believe that Annabelle may have been treated poorly by children at her previous home, so it was no surprise to us. I am very happy to say, though, that after exposure to many gentle children whose parents have taught them to be nice to animals, Annabelle is totally comfortable with kids. In fact, she seems to crave the energy that little kids bring to the house. She and Miranda were the best of friends for her visit.

Stubbs also is very good with children. I have seen him be super surly with adults, including scratching and biting at them (always after fair warning...Stubbs has never scratched or bitten without first giving multiple cues that he wants to be left alone), but he has always been nothing but a gentleman with kids.

The second child visitor we had was Alex, a rambunctious 2 year old who has never had much exposure to cats. Kudos to his parents, though, who have taught him to be a gentle boy with other living creatures. After about 5 minutes, I was never once worried about how he would treat the cats or how the cats would treat him. He was a natural. Stubbs was being his typical sullen self, but Annabelle was in her element. Alex quickly figured out how to use the cat teaser, (which we call Annabelle's "birdie") and within an hour there were cat toys scattered everywhere. Annabelle was tuckered out by the end of the night. I know that she probably need more stimulation than we are able to give her, so nights like that are very good for her.

On a side note, I have to add that Annabelle is such a creature of habit. She does not go to bed at night until we do, no matter what the time. Over the last couple of weeks, we were up very late most nights, causing her to be tuckered out during the days.

Little Alex left on Friday, and Joe and I headed out to the humane society to help my brother-and-sister-in-law pick out a kitty. They have been wanting to get one for awhile now, so we were super excited to go help them out. Although we have been tossing around the idea of getting a third cat for awhile, we really had no intentions of getting one that day. We brought the carrier that B-I-L and S-I-L were going to use for their new cat, and that was it.

Well, we should have known better. We actually
almost made a clean getaway. B-I-L and S-I-L were signing the paperwork when I happened to notice a cat that we somehow overlooked on our first lap around the Humane Society. I walked over to the cage and saw the prettiest orange cat with a huge plume tail; his name was Blue. The dog I had growing up...the best dog ever...was named Blue.

Joe and I were smitten at first sight. He was rubbing his head against our hands through the cage, and his fur was so soft. Joe and I just kept giving each other looks without saying anything.

We read on his info sheet that he was an owner drop off. The reason: "Moving." I won't even get into by feelings on that right now.

We actually left the humane society empty handed. We didn't have a carrier to take him home in anyway, so we decided to run a couple errands and talk it over. In the car we decided that we would give it a try, putting the happiness of Stubbs and Annabelle first. We drove home, got the carrier, went back to the humane society, and picked up our new little guy without any hesitation.

The introductions between the cats were better than I ever dreamed, much smoother than Stubbs and Annabelle's. Stubbs, who we were worried about, sniffed him and just walked away. Thus far his attitude has been at worst aloof.

Annabelle, who we were not worried about, was a little tougher. At first she was fine, but within a couple hours she was hissing at the new cat (who we decided to rename Oliver Blue) everytime he approached her. We were a little worried, but decided that her good nature would win out, and we were right. By the next morning there was minimal hissing, and within hours they were fine.

We had company on Oliver's second day here, and he exceeded our behavior expectations by leaps and bounds. Instead of being a shy boy, he was Mr. Sociable. He immediately took to my S-I-L, sitting her lap for almost an hour. He even discovered the tent on the kitty condo while we were watching a movie and hung out with us.

By the second night, Annabelle realized the advantages of having a young cat around, and they started playing with each other. Joe said that they were up to the wee hours of the morning chasing each other around.

So that was the last two weeks in a nutshell. We have added another member to our crazy cat family, and we couldn't be happier with this gentle, sweet little boy.

Quick Update

2008-12-22T21:58:00.003-05:00

I have been a slacker, but it's really been because I've been busy with the holidays coming up. In the next couple of days I hope to have time to post some updates on Stubbs and his meds and talk about the homemade diet that I have both my cats on.

Picture of the Day

2008-12-22T21:56:00.002-05:00

One of their Christmas presents: a catnip filled mat.

I Love Tuxedo Cats

2008-12-22T21:55:00.002-05:00

more animals

Picture of the Day

2008-12-21T09:30:00.001-05:00

Total Laziness

Picture of the Day

2008-12-19T22:07:00.002-05:00

Please give me belly rubs...don't you see how cute I am?

Sick, sick, sick

2008-12-19T09:52:00.001-05:00

This article angers me to no extent. I can't believe that anybody would do this to a cat.

Picture of the Day

2008-12-17T20:48:00.003-05:00

Even big cats want belly rubs now and then.

"My black dog doesn't match the new white carpet"

2008-12-17T14:04:00.003-05:00

While these people repulse me, I do have to chuckle at how utterly ridiculous these excuses are.

You Can Ring My Bell...

2008-12-17T12:40:00.000-05:00

Monday morning somewhere around 4 AM, I heard Joe shutting our bedroom door. I asked him what was going on, and he said that the frogs were being too loud (We have two green tree frogs, and if you’ve never heard green tree frogs, well, they bark. There’s no other way to describe it. It’s incredibly loud, although I had been so dead asleep that I didn’t hear it). He had put Annabelle in the naughty room, and shut the door. Stubbs was still in our room. I reminded him of this, and Joe’s reply was, “He’ll let us know if he wants to get out.”

Sure enough, about 10 minutes before my alarm goes off, I hear “ding, ding, ding….” Groggily, I lifted my head to figure out what the noise was. Stubbs was sitting next to the closed door, batting away at the bell on his collar. When he saw me looking at him, he stopped ringing his bell, and just looked back and forth between me and the door until I got up to let him out.

I guess Joe was right.

Picture of the Day

2008-12-15T18:33:00.002-05:00

Settlement in the Case of the Kidnapped Cat

2008-12-15T15:15:00.003-05:00

This is interesting. I would like to hear more about it, particularly the reasoning that the neighbors had for thinking the cat was neglected.

Picture of the Day

2008-12-12T12:01:00.003-05:00

This picture was taken the first time I ever found them sitting close enough to be touching.

Alarm Clocks

2008-12-12T09:44:00.003-05:00

Who needs one? We were covered in freezing rain and ice overnight, and we lost power at some point. I, however, was not affected. Fortunately, the kitties don't lose power, and they made sure I was up on time (early actually) to get them their breakfasts.

I didn't have time to post the picture of the day this morning; I will put it up when I get home from work.

"Cats stink!"

2008-12-11T11:52:00.006-05:00

There is nothing more infuriating to a cat owner who has a clean, odor free home than these two words.

Cats do not stink. Nor are they dirty. They are, in fact, very clean. If you ever observe a cat over a 24 hour period, much of the time that they spend not eating or sleeping is spent grooming themselves. I don't know any short haired cats that have ever needed any professional grooming services (except in very rare, medical related circumstances), and most long haired cats require vigilant brushing and maybe a once a year trip to get shaved down.

And they do not smell. At least not any more than a human or a dog. I mean, of course their poop might be stink sometimes when they first go (although since mine have been on a homemade diet, I haven't noticed it at all), but doesn't yours?

I know, I know. But you knew this person, and they had a cat, and the whole house REEKED! From one cat! The minute you walked in the door, you could smell it!

I hate to tell you this, but that person was not taking proper care of their litter box. With vigilant scooping and cleaning, your litter box will not smell. If your litter box smells once it's scooper, it's time to change the litter.

Cats are clean. It's their owners who are dirty, or, and I'm being too kind here, haven't been properly educated on how to care for a cat.

And I do not just say that as the snooty owner of a two perfect kitties. I say that as the humble, and oft embarrassed, owner of a cat who PEES OUTSIDE THE BOX (see previous posts).

Yes, it's a total pain, but when Stubbs goes on one of his peeing rampages, the only thing to do is pull up your sleeves and clean, clean, clean. And you CAN get the smell of cat pee out of things. It just takes time ad patience, and a little bit of knowledge learned from experience and trial and error.

Here are a few things I have learned through experience:

1. Don't buy a scented litter to try to mask the smell of a dirty litter box. Your litter box still smells dirty, and the scented litter has its own scent, which people recognize as the scent of litter, which makes them assume your cat is dirty.

2. Stick with litters made with natural ingredients like pine, corn, or wheat. Buy a scoopable, clumping version of this litter. Scoop daily. Or twice daily if you are like me and have a kitty who is pick about his litter box.

3. Buy another litter box. Yes, I know this sounds counter productive, but it's not. An extra litter box will make your cat happier and less likely to go outside the box. It also disperses the poops and pees so that they are not all in one location.

4. Add a sprinkle of baking soda to your litter box to absord odors.

5. Use a litter liner. Easier clean up.

6. For accidents outside the box: Nature's Miracle is the way to go. The trick with Nature's Miracle is to use it straight, don't water it down, and, now this is important so pay attention, do not use any other products on the stain until the Nature's Miracle has removed the odor. I cannot stress this enough. Nature's Miracle is designed specifically to neaturalize enzymes in animal urine. If you use another product on the urine first, you may be altering the enzymes, hence making the Nature's Miracle useless. Be patient and vigilant. Nature's Miracle, let it soak (for really bad stains I just let it straight up dry), water and a wash cloth, let it dry, sniff, repeat as necessary. For urine on hard surfaces like tile or linoleum, dump it on and let it dry, repeat as necessary.

If you have any other questions or tips, please feel free to email me or leave me a comment!

The Healing Power of Kitties

2008-12-11T07:48:00.006-05:00

I am home today, nursing yet another back flare up.

Luckily, I have my two little nurses to take care of me. It is funny, though, how these two function as a team when either Joe or I is sick.

Annabelle is the constant worrier. At the slightest sniffle (due to sickness or sadness), she is on the case. She will not leave my side and prefers to be on my lap or snuggled right next to me at all times. She suddenly becomes the model kitty, abandoning all naughtiness for the sake of her ailing mommy.

Stubbs is very content to let Annabelle take the brunt of the caregiving. He takes over whenever she is taking a break. He will stay in bed with me all day when I am sick, but he leaves the following me around and constant watching to Annabelle. However, he has an inante ability to sense when I really need HIM.

Although Joe and I love both the kitties, Annabelle is a daddy's girl, and Stubbs is a momma's boy. Sometimes I just need the comfort of my big fluffy Stubby. And he knows when that is.

Stubbs and I have been through some tough times together, both on his end and mine. I have nursed him through ailments and soothes him through anxiety, and he has returned in kind.

When I broke up with my ex, which now seems like a million years ago, I found myself living alone for the first time, lost and lonely. Stubbs was my rock. He was by my side constantly, waiting at the door for me when I got home, cuddled right up to me each night. He made the healing process go much more quickly than it would have if I had been truly on my own.

So, here's to my little nurses. I love you guys!

Picture of the Day

2008-12-11T05:52:00.002-05:00

From the Onion...

2008-12-10T09:17:00.000-05:00

This is too funny, and something all cat owners have been through.

The Escape Artist

2008-12-10T08:31:00.000-05:00

Last night, Stubbs escaped into the hallway of our apartment building twice. The first time, we didn’t even realize he had escaped. Joe was helping our friend, Ben, in the door with his baby and all the accessories that come with a traveling baby. When Ben went back out in the hallway to go down to his car to get something he left down there, he discovered Stubbs in the hallway. He picked him up and brought him back in.

About an hour later, our friend Rich showed up (Tuesday night is guys’ night at our house). Stubbs had obviously learned from his previous sojourn that he needed to bolt, lest he be captured again, and bolt he did: Down one set of stairs, up the other, into the laundry room, dodging both Joe and Rich’s attempts to capture him. Finally, Ben came out to aid in the rescue mission; the three surrounded Stubbs, and he had no choice but to turn himself in.

Most cat owner would just chalk this up to a cat being a cat. And that could be the case in this instance. But, I always have to take into consideration the fact that Stubbs is a special kitty, a kitty that has been on and off various sedatives and anti depressants for the better part of a year.

As I’ve previously discussed, Stubbs pees outside the box. Not all the time, but it happens. It has been determined through tons of medical testing to rule out any physical issue that this behavior is the result of an anxiety disorder.

Yes, my cat has an anxiety disorder. Roll your eyes if you must, but it is very real.

Back to last night. The reason that Stubbs’ behavior raised some red flags for Joe and I is that the last time he escaped (and he has only made about 4 escape attempts, including last night’s, in the 3 years he has lived with me) about 6 – 8 weeks ago, the escape was followed by a 3 day pee-outside-the-box rampage that ended only after Stubbs took Acepromazine (a sedative) for several days.

You see, we have become very experienced at dealing with Stubbs anxiety. We have learned to read the signs. Like I said before, being a pet owner is all about learning from past experiences.

We made the decision to start Stubbs back on Clomicalm, an antidepressant used to treat anxiety disorders in cats and dogs. We gave him a low dose, and will continue to do so for a few days while we monitor his behavior. This is strictly a preventative measure; we are trying to play offense this time. If he goes a few days without anymore incidents, we will stop the meds, as we prefer to have him be medication-free as much as possible.

Did we make the right decision? Was he just being a normal cat? He has been pretty wild and playful lately, at least by his standards. Should we have waited another day to start the meds? What if he is actually getting better, and just being a more playful cat, and we are putting a damper on a normal behavior? Is giving him this medication taking a step forward or a step back in our treatment of his issues? I guess only time will tell.

Picture of the Day

2008-12-10T06:13:00.001-05:00

All he asks for out of life is a comfy place to sleep and some warm sunlight.

Christmas Kitty

2008-12-09T18:59:00.000-05:00

from LOL cats

more animals

Men and their Cats

2008-12-09T15:14:00.000-05:00

This is an article from The New York Times earlier this year. In a nutshell, it's about men, and how they are "coming out of the closet" as cat lovers. I found it amusing and interesting, as my husband is just a big mushball when it comes to our two kitties. I also have at least two other guy friends that I can think of off the top of my head, who are total softies with their cats. These guys are, however, not single men, which is what the article focuses on.

From the Onion....

2008-12-09T15:03:00.000-05:00

I absolutely love the onion, and their animal stories always crack me up. Here is the latest.

Let's Talk Inappropriate Urination (Part 1)

2008-12-09T11:51:00.000-05:00

If Stubbs were to go to a support group, his opening line would be "Hello, my name is Stubbs, and I pee outside the box."

It all started rather slowly and innocently. I had Stubbs for over a year and a half the first time this happened. I went away for the weekend, and when I returned, he had peed all over his new kitty bed. No big deal. I realized, in hindsight, that I had probably not been keeping his litter box as clean as I should.

There were no other incidents for about 6 more months. By this time I had moved to a new apartment that Stubbs never quite seemed to feel at home in. It was on the first floor, as opposed to my two previous apartments (one of which was on the 2nd floor, and the other on the 3rd), with a lot of street and foot traffic, which I think make him anxious.

But I digress. The fact is, that I tried to change him to a new litter, because I was sick of stepping in litter dust everytime I walked in and out of my bedroom, and I switched it too fast. I tried mixing it half and half, which he did fine with, but I naively thought that meant he would be fine if I just refilled it with all new litter. Wrong. He took one look at the litter box and promptly peed on my duffel bag.

OK, again, this was my mistake. Being a pet owner is all about learning through trial and error. So I went back to the old litter and stuck to it.

His major offenses started a few months after that, in the summertime. I was still teaching at that time, but was off for summer vacation. I had a part time job (at a Veterinary Office), but did not have to get up at the ungodly hour that I had to get up at when I was dealing with the hour commute that I had to school. Stubbs, however, did not understand this, nor did he care to understand. It was 5 AM, he wanted to be fed, and he wanted his mommy time. For several days, I got up at 5 to appease him, and to save my mattress from the destructive nature of his claws. On the third or fourth day, I had had enough. I shut the door. For the first time since I had him, I shut the door. He cried for a few minutes, and then went away. VICTORY WAS MINE! or so I thought....

I got up to discover that Stubbs had taken his anger out on the dishrag that I had left on the counter, in the form of a good dousing with urine.

And for some reason, this was the straw that broke the camels back, or the dishrag that broke the cat's back, however you like to look at it. Stubbs went on a two week long peeing rampage, that I still shudder to remember. Any piece of cloth that was left laying on the floor or counter may as well have been put in his litter box. Or maybe it would have been better off in his litter box, because he was certainly spending more time peeing out of it than in.

Again, in hindsight, I was going into this blind. Silly me, I kept leaving things around for him to pee on. For instance, I kept repeatedly throwing dishrags in the same spot on the counter. Now I know that this was a huge mistake. Always, always, always, if you can, remove the stimulus. I rearranged a few things on my counters, got in the habit of hanging the dishrag where it belonged, and he stopped going on dishrags on the counter.

But he did not stop peeing on other things that he was not supposed to pee on, so I took him to the vet, wondering if he, perhaps, have a urinary tract infection, knowing in my heart that he didn't, and that he was truly just being a big pill. And my heart was right.

At the same time as this was going on, Stubbs was also acting very needy. When I was home, he was constantly at my heels, crying for attention. After talking it over with the vet, we decided that perhaps he was lonely and he needed a friend. So, I got Annabelle.

Did the arrival of little Annabelle cure Stubbs of his inappropriate urination? Find out in the next installment of "Let's Talk Inappropriate Urination...."

Obesity Saved this Dogs Life...

2008-12-08T12:09:00.001-05:00

Click here to read the article.

Cats and Morning Routines

2008-12-08T11:37:00.000-05:00

Slate magazine writer Michael Agger asked readers how they manage their morning routines. Among others, he heard from cat owners:

Cats were another big theme. Our feline friends help us get out of bed with a considered choice of sitting location, but after that service has been rendered, they can require a lot of work. One reader must sing a song to her cat—"He's a Bad Cat," to the tune of "Our House" by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young—every morning while getting the paper.

You can find the rest of the article here .

I know that my two spoiled brats are a huge part of my routine, which usually goes as follows:
4:30 AM - Annabelle wakes up, stretches her legs, and proceeds to meow and walk all over our heads. I ignore her.
4:35 - Joe wakes up and puts Annabelle in the "naughty room" (our den, which is equipped with a water bowl and a litter box - more on why we can't just throw her out in another post).
4:35 - 5:30 - Annabelle howls and scratches at the door of the naughty room, or tears apart the toilet paper roll in the bathroom adjoining the naughty room.
5:30 AM - I wake up and release Annabelle from her prison. Stubbs wakes up and stretches, and they both follow me to the kitchen.
5:31 - I attempt to get my breakfast started whilst tripping over cats who are STARVING
5:35 - Pull cat food out of fridge, add cod liver oil and multivitamin (they are on a homemade diet), place food on floor
5:35 - 5:37 - Follow Annabelle around with food dish while she decides where she would like to eat.
5:37 - Take my (now cold) eggs and toast into the den to eat and read my email
5:38 - 5:40 - Attempt to eat eggs while Annabelle jumps on my desk and also tries to eat my eggs. Finally give up, shove as much food in my mouth as possible and throw plate on the floor for her to lick and sniff.
6:00 - Scoop the litter boxes, change the kitty water, and refill the bird feeder
6:10 - Get in the shower
6:20 - Emerge from the shower to see Annabelle sitting on the toilet, waiting for me to get out of the shower
6:20 - 6:30 - Attempt to get dressed while the cats attempt to keep me home by laying on every article of clothing that I lay out to wear
6:30 - 6:45 - Hair and makeup while Annabelle perches on top of the medicine cabinet, blocking the mirror
6:45 - 7:00 - Attempt to throw my lunch together while the kitties circle around my feet and fight with each other
7:00 - Attempt to leave. Stubbs looks at me with pleading, hungry eyes. Give them both greenies.
7:05 - Hopefully out the door and in the car on my way to work.
7:08 - Answer phone. It's Joe, asking me if I gave the kitties their greenies, because Stubbs is crying for them. Tell him, yes I did.

I'm serious about doing this...

2008-12-08T10:09:00.000-05:00

Well, it looks like I started this blog back in March, and then proceeded to not keep up with it at all. I am recommitting as of today. I'm just diving in.

Yesterday I spent the day wrapping Christmas presents. Our tree looks quite ugly at the bottom. It's just the ugly tripod that the tree stands on and the wires for the lights. We can't put down a tree skirt. Stubbs has an inappropriate urination issue, whereas any fabric on the floor can be seen as a target for pee pee. Although he hasn't had any incidents since October, he isn't on any meds right now (I will post later about his medication debacles), so we don't want to trigger him. Now that I finally have the presents wrapped, I thought I would finally be able to make the bottom of the tree look nice.

I'm not stupid, though. I do know that Christmas presents can be targets of a different kind. Stubbs, in the past, has put a few claw marks in presents under the tree, but I have no experience with Annabelle and Christmas trees. Last year I had my tree in a room that she only had access to when I was home. This year it is out in the open. So, on a hopeful note, I put a few presents under the tree. They were all things in boxes, that would not be destroyed if the cats got into them.

By the time we went to bed last night, the presents were untouched. I was hopeful. When I woke up this morning, one of the boxes was torn to shreds. When did this happen? We always think the cats are in the bed with us all night. Everytime I wake up, there is a cat laying on one of my various extremities, limiting my movement. Do they have such an inate ability to read our sleep patterns that they can detect when we are in our deepest stage of sleep? Do they wait until we both hit REM, sneak away to do their dirty work, and then return to the bed, falling back asleep as if nothing happened? I know that they both can detect when I am awake, even if I keep my eyes closed. Very interesting.

Anyway, one of the presents was torn to shreds (well, the wrapping paper; the present was fine), so I moved them into the guest room this morning (where the kitties are not allowed). Now the question is, what do I do about my ugly Christmas tree? I am actually contemplating wrapping empty boxes, just for the decor. Am I absolutely nuts?