Herd your cats here

[FishProf]

This afternoon, we interred the Magnificent Orestes.

The candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long, and your cuteness has burned so very bright.



Thanks to all for your kind words.  The Thundercats are very perplexed at the absence of their nemesis/l'il brother.  They are also uncommonly affectionate, and that is sorely needed.

[mamselle]

For a dead kitten:

Put the rubber mouse away,
Pick the spools up from the floor,
What was velvet shod, and gay,
Will not want them, any more.

What was warm, is strangely cold.
Whence dissolved the little breath?
How could this small body hold
So immense a thing as Death?

- Sara Henderson Hay

M.

[AvidReader]

Returning to this thread with a query.

Spouse and I have this spring invested in two food dispensers to help us keep our cats fed regularly. The first one, which ran on batteries, had a habit of running out of battery unexpectedly, so we shelled out for a more expensive variety that features a power cable with battery backup. The power cable has been a big hit in the worst possible way; we noticed the first one was shredded after three days, and one or both (we suspect Artemis) destroyed the replacement overnight (it was in six pieces when we came outside the next morning).

The feeder is outdoors (as the cats are) and about two feet from the outlet we want to use (sheltered under a ledge on the back patio). The actual outlet is hard to access but we will always have at least a foot of cable that needs covering. Spouse wants to build a box/frame to cover that foot of space, which is feasible but will take some time. We've also considered taping the cable to the floor/wall, encasing the cable in a pool noodle, or cutting PVC pipe to fit the space. In most cases, we are still worried about the cats being able to work their way into gaps, whether by moving the feeder to create slack or by getting into (for instance) the space at the end of a PVC pipe. Floor is concrete, wall is brick, and feeder is plastic, if any of that matters.

Do any of you have experience protecting cables?

AR.

[the_geneticist]

You can get what look like coiled telephone cords to put around the cord.  Or slide it in a metal conduit/pipe.  Or try just scrunching aluminum foil along the entire length.  Most cats will dislike chewing on metal foil.

[AvidReader]

Thanks, the_geneticist! I saw the coils online and wasn't sure how they would work (the cats attack anything that moves). I'll try some scrunched foil on its own and see if that is a preferred or distasteful substance.

I appreciate the suggestions!

AR.

[clean]

Maestro continues to astound me with his caring behavior toward the kitten. Kitten also seems to be warming up to Maestro, now treating him more like a buddy than a giant toy. I have seen him give the Maestro cheek nuzzles and make a few perfunctory attempts at grooming. He has also largely stopped resisting the frequent baths Maestro insists upon.

What is the update?  Does the new kitty have a name?  Are they still getting along? Any new tales to tell?

[OneMoreYear]

As we slide into August, I hope everyone's cats are doing well!

Ricochet the squirrelly tortie has survived the invasion of the scary humans (my BIL and nephews). She escaped to another dimension for 3 days through an apparent wormhole in our basement. She has now returned, but has been tightlipped about her travels. She has identified a new "space spot"--on top of the shoe rack, and is now sleeping on top of my sandals next to SO's hiking boots.

[AvidReader]

Our cats are also tightlipped about their travels, OneMoreYear! We sometimes joke that it would be fun to put a GoPro on Artemis to see where she goes when she disappears for multiple hours, but we don't want to violate our neighbors' privacy.

Hestia turns one year old this month (Artemis is four months older). Both cats love hunting dragonflies and lizards, often successfully. We had guests for dinner on the patio a few weeks ago, and we discovered that Artemis is still skeptical of unfamiliar humans, but Hestia will leap onto the lap of anyone who offers her a treat (and nuzzle the nearby hands until she gets it). While the cats have explored all the backyards that intersect with ours, they have only recently started venturing out into our front yard, where there is an excellent climbing tree. Hestia in particular is a big fan and has gotten quite high (and back down) on several occasions.

AR.

[Larimar]

The Larimar cats haven't been doing much in the way of interdimensional travelling. It's too hot, and we spent this past week without air conditioning because our elderly unit cratered. Thank goodness we now have it replaced! The Larimar cats have mostly been flopped on the floor in various spots around the house. There was one day when they didn't even want to play laser light.

HerMajesty went to see the royal physician last Tuesday for her annual vaccinations. She was, of course, declared in perfect royal health.

Calico was in on the excursion as well. The vet said she's generally healthy, but needs to lose some weight, 2, maybe 3 pounds. She was already on the rubenesque side, and since we started giving the crew the prescription food that OrangeGuy needs, Calico has gained another full pound. This means we'll need to change what food we're feeding them again. I hope they'll like the stuff we're thinking of ordering as much as they do the current stuff.

Larimar

[smallcleanrat]

Maestro continues to astound me with his caring behavior toward the kitten. Kitten also seems to be warming up to Maestro, now treating him more like a buddy than a giant toy. I have seen him give the Maestro cheek nuzzles and make a few perfunctory attempts at grooming. He has also largely stopped resisting the frequent baths Maestro insists upon.

What is the update?  Does the new kitty have a name?  Are they still getting along? Any new tales to tell?

Realizing I've been away for quite a while (offline life's been a bit much).

The brothers are still doing very well. The kitten adores the Maestro, and on the whole Maestro is showing a whole new level of contentment ever since his little bro arrived. He used to have occasional spells of moodiness and irritability, but having another kitty in the house seems to have been just the remedy he needed. Now he has a playmate, a grooming buddy, and a nap partner who, unlike those selfish humans, never leaves the house or spends hours staring at a glowing rectangle instead of paying attention to the dashing tuxedo cat.

Still, as the kitten has grown, Maestro has gradually been peeling off the kid gloves. He's a very patient brother, but sometimes the little one pushes his buttons one too many times and then the fur (literally) flies. He's obviously still holding back, only using as much force as required to get the kitten to back off and give him a break. He's taken to retreating to the top of the kitchen cabinets when he needs some kitten-free time. The kitten is now developed enough to be able to join Maestro (jump from floor to footstool to counter to top of fridge to cabinets), but he doesn't seem to have figured this out. He keeps trying to jump straight up from the floor, falling comically short, and whining.

RE: the kitten's fora name. I liked Fishprof's earlier suggestion of Novizio, but the more I've observed him the more I realize that he's less an apprentice than he is a comic relief sidekick. He has a very sweet, easygoing personality, with none of the Maestro's feisty intensity or focused contemplation (or intelligence, to be frank, lol). His most distinctive physical feature is his soft, brown eyes. He has an innocent, guileless gaze, rather like an animal in a Disney film. I can make him purr by cradling him in my arms like a baby. He melts into the cuddle, relaxed as a rag doll, with an expression of drowsy contentment. Not a care in the world (or a thought in his head).

So, the name I'm considering at this point (to go with this sweet brown-eyed little kitty) is Caramelo.

I found some pictures of cats on the internet that have a strong resemblance to our brown tabby kitten and our milk-mustachioed tuxedo cat:

(kitten's photo double)
https://www.cathouseonthekings.com/mobile/animal.php?id=17260&n=Hazel

(I can't believe it's not Maestro! He loves to relax in this exact pose, and the markings are very similar)
https://twitter.com/nwilliams030/status/1303156427956125696/photo/1

(This kitty has a bit of a longer face than the Maestro, but those eyes are very Maestro-esque)
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/782078291516352583/

[mamselle]

AWwwwwww, thanks for the update and the pix!

Glad you are enjoying them so much, and their doppelgangers are adorable.

Stay strong!

M.

[Larimar]

AWwwwwww, thanks for the update and the pix!

Glad you are enjoying them so much, and their doppelgangers are adorable.

Stay strong!

M.

+1 to all of this. Glad you - and Maestro and Caramelo - are back, smallcleanrat.

[smallcleanrat]

Caramelo's love language is gifts. Maestro gets the majority, but yesterday he trotted over to me with a toy mouse and dropped it at my feet (and then requested head skritches).

A few days ago, Maestro was in his pet bed taking a nap when his little brother walked over to him with a toy, dropped it in the bed, then walked away. Maestro blinked at the toy in confusion then looked at SO and me with wide eyes like he didn't know what to make of it.

I like to think it was a token of brotherly love, but Caramelo has stolen far more toys from the Maestro than he's given. Maybe it was merely an act of appeasement.

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

Youngest evil cat is addicted to cat grass. She has been known to stand on her hind legs with her front paws on the kitchen door while howling for someone to open it. Why? The treasure trove of cat grass lies beyond the big white door and she can't open it.

She did it just now.

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

Delayed double-post.

I think that I taught youngest evil cat how to sit! I use a hand command and a verbal command and she sits!!! I think the main motivator is cat grass. She used to jump up and grab at it, but now, she politely sits.