Cat of Nine Tales First Blog Entry

     This is my first blog entry. Whew! I got that sentence out of the way. I’m here because I love cats. I’ve always loved cats, but only within the last three years have I totally abandoned myself to the thought of being a…a…dare I say it?…a cat lady. Yes – there it is. I am a cat lady. Is there a politically correct way of saying that? A cat person perhaps? You certainly don’t say a cat man, that has heroic connotations, but, come to think of it, I know of some men who rescue cats, or, actually take in rescues, specifically mothers with young kittens…but I’m getting off track here. I’m a cat lady, and I’m also a writer and now I’m compelled to write about my cats. I’ve been reading the current cat blogs and some of them are quite clever and very active. Most I read were in the perspective of the cat, but when I tried that myself, it didn’t work out so well (maybe I’ll post it someday). I found that a lot of my fascination with cats is how they interact with us and how they interact with each other. I’m enthralled by the subtle layers of communication between all of us. I guess it should be labeled as “behavior”, but that sounds too scientific and implies generalizations of cat actions into broad categories. I love to watch their individual personalities at work, their changing moods, energies and dynamics between each other. See what I mean…cat lady.

     My domestic partner, I shall refer to as DP, and I have nine cats, thus the name of my blog. She had four cats, Barnum, BJ, Nick and Wizard (plus three dogs), when I moved in a few years ago with my two boys, Bustopher and Moseley. Then we adopted more kitties when she worked at the local animal shelter and so we have a “yours, mine and ours” colony of felines. I’ll introduce them one by one because they each deserve their own blog entry. They all have interesting lives, at least to me, and so I do tend to go on and on about them. We have a bazillion pictures of them, which I’ll have to spend time wading through to find just the right ones to share. By the way, I refer to our group of cats as a “colony,” because I’m just not used to saying or hearing the word “clowder” and it makes me laugh. Until I grow up and change my mind, I’ll be using the word colony. Do you use the word clowder? I’m sorry…it’s all clams to me.

     All of our cats are indoor only cats, but we do have an outdoor cat enclosure that DP built. It is accessed by a narrow window in our bathroom above our toilet, which provides them with a “porcelain staircase” leading them to the outside. When we know we’ll be home for long periods of time, we slide the window open, yell “kitties out!” and the cavalry comes running, from all corners of the house, through the bathroom door, up the porcelain staircase and out the window (usually creating a bottleneck after being indoors for hours on a long rainy day). With nine cats, we have given them their own bathroom (but it’s not the one with the window out to the cat enclosure). In the “cat bathroom,” the tub makes a great place for three of their litter boxes, plus four more on the floor around the outside. The other end of the bathroom is lined with free feeders and a water bowl. We have all shapes and sizes of water bowls placed around the whole house, including a fountain waterer, and each cat has their preference. Of course, even with all that, some drink from our tub or kitchen sink.

     Our cats are our companions and our entertainers. Several times a month we pull out a special toy for group games. Sometimes it’s the red laser light and sometimes it’s the flying feather wand. Everyone gathers round in the living room when one of those toys comes out, even though some prefer being a spectator to being a player. They do gather together on their own at least once a day to play. Everyone’s awake at the same time and there is a spark in the air. It only takes one cat to dart at another, dart away again then a chase ensues, rousing the whole gang for play fights and acrobatics around the furniture. Within seconds the living room is alive with tumbles, leaps and pounces. Most times they pair up with their best buddies, but occasionally they’ll switch around.

     Part of my compulsion to write about cats is to enlighten those who may not be cat persons or those who might be cat curious. These feline entities are such wonderful personalities with vitality and spiritual energy, and I, for one, feel honored that they are willing to share themselves with humans even though they do not need us. To know that at birth, they are endowed with all the wild and instinctual skills necessary to survive without humans, as long as they have a decent mother, and yet they willingly stay in the company of us, strangely malformed human animals. I think that we fascinate them too, my cats watch me as much as I watch them…so independent yet so engaging and always interesting. It feels like we have a little wildlife right in our living room. In truth, caring for and living with all our pets, influences me to think about human beings and our social behaviors, so I feel I learn daily just from being with them. 

   Hey! Thanks for reading this all the way through! I welcome you here and I welcome your thoughts. Co9T