Feline Friends

Friendship Takes More than One

The City Daily Photo theme this month is "friend." But it's hard to be a friend in isolation. I have chosen today to feature some of the cats I have seen befriending each other and my own best feline friend.

Peachy Canyon Tasting Room Feline Friends

Peaches and Herbie hang out at the Peachy Canyon Tasting Room on Bethel Road and Highway 46 West in Templeton. I often see them separately, but on this day in March I saw them together, helping each other as friends do. They are Maine Coon cats and I always look forward to seeing them when I visit.

This short video shows how they help each other and what good friends they are.



I have featured Peaches and Herbie in my Zazzle Store, as well as my now departed and much missed feline friend. I'll tell you about her next.

Friendship Card, Peach Canyon Winery Cats CardOrnament: Black Tuxedo Cat Sitting Metal Ornament

Sarah the Tuxedo Cat and her Sidekick Garfield

Sarah and Garfield belonged to my neighbors who live in a mobile home on the other side of our driveway, across from our house. They are two of the five cats my neighbors owned at the time. I like to make friends with neighbor cats on my property, and I set about  trying to woo Sarah. I followed her into the oddest places with my camera, speaking calmly to her and not getting too close at first.

First I tried to befriend her when I found her on her porch. When I approached her she was resting, but as she saw me she got up, prepared to run away. I snapped her before she could.

There was a refrigerator the neighbors had ready to haul away, and she jumped to the top of that. I followed with my camera.

She would not let me get too close.

About three weeks later I snapped her photo as she rested on top of the water softener inside its cabinet. Someone had left the door open. She was making me work hard in this relationship.

After close to a month of wooing, cat treats in hand, she finally allowed me to get close and pet her. Then she began to hang out on an old chair on my porch almost every day. She was always there to greet me when I came home in the evenings. She actually was probably waiting just as much for the cat treat she knew she'd get. Whichever, I always looked forward to seeing her there, until she was no longer there. I heard coyotes howling the night before I didn't see her anymore. It hurt my heart. Her owners left their cats out at night, except for their kitten. I never felt quite the same way about coming home after that.

Garfield soon caught on that Sarah got cat treats when she hung around my porch, so he began to show up, too. You can read more about my history with them and see some more photos of the two of them here. 

See my other feline friends from the past.

See how other City Daily Photo Bloggers have interpreted this theme.

Theme Day: One Color - Ivory

Ivory Dominates in This Theme Day Cat Photo

The challenge for this theme is to post a photo where just one color dominates. I could have easily gone with green, but then I discovered this photo I took Friday afternoon which is mostly ivory.

Siamese Cat by Ivory Color Garage Door, © B. Radisavljevic

The Siamese cat caught my attention as she wandered around this xeriscaped yard. She finally wandered over to pose in front of the ivory garage door beside this tall shrub. So I decided to use this as the theme photo. The next one is a variation.  I allowed a few more of the colors into this one.

Siamese Cat by Ivory Color Garage Door Sniffing Shrub, © B. Radisavljevic

Kitty sat for a while near the middle of the yard.

Siamese Cat on Rock Mulch, © B. Radisavljevic

Kitty Leads us away from the Theme to More Colorful Surroundings

Siamese Cat beside Bed of Jupiter's Beard, © B. Radisavljevic

This clump of Jupiter's Beard adds some needed color to this yard. Like the other plants, it doesn't need much water to look lovely. It's a very popular plant in my neighborhood, and I finally got some it it planted in my yard. I'm waiting for it to bloom.

The most colorful thing in this garden is this colorful sculpted snail -- definitely a bright piece of yard art. It appears to be a planter, but I couldn't get close enough to see if anything was planted there yet. Time will tell.

Siamese Cat beside Colorful Snail Planter, © B. Radisavljevic

Kitty seems to prefer to look back at me than face the snail, even though I was much less colorful. Do you think that the snail fits well within this garden? Contrast it with the rest of the garden art and meet the other cat that lives here, in this post: Cat on the Rocks in a Xeriscaped Yard

See how other City Daily Photo Bloggers treated the One Color theme here.

Tired Cats Take Cat Naps

My Favorite Tired Cat Photo

If any creature understands what to do when tired, it is the cat. This month's City Daily Photo Bloggers theme is tired.  So today I will show you some of my favorite photos of tired cats. The one below was taken at Jack Creek Farms in Templeton. This one is so fast asleep you'd hardly know it was alive.

Napping Cat at Jack Creek Farms, © B. Radisavljevic

Tired Winery Cats

One can usually find cats when visiting wineries, but they are often outside. These two, from Grey Wolf Winery in Paso Robles, are obviously tired and giving in to that urge to sleep by the fire.  The fireplace is out of sight, but they are facing it.

Cat Naps at Grey Wolf Winery, Paso Robles, © B. Radisavljevic

Tired Cats in my Zazzle Store

Sticker: Tabby Cat Resting Classic Round StickerMug-White-kitten-asleep, I NEED MY COFFEE! Coffee MugCard-Tuxedo Cat Lying on Man's Suit Coat Card

Two More Tired Cats

The cats at Jack Creek Farms in Templeton must work hard because I often find them asleep when I visit. This photo was taken in autumn when all the pumpkins and squashes were on display a few years ago.

Another Cat Nap at Jack Creek Farms, © B. Radisavljevic

The cat below is Garfield, who belonged to my neighbor across the driveway. He decided there should be no property boundaries and felt free to take naps in my yard and on our cars whenever the mood hit him. He's a bit grumpy since I disturbed his nap here.

Garfield Taking a Cat Nap on Our Car, © B. Radisavljevic

Here's another view of Garfield sleeping on our car. In this photo all his feet are on the car, but he's not as fat here as this angle makes him look. He just pretends to be a tiger.

Garfield Taking a Cat Nap on Our Car, View 2,  © B. Radisavljevic

 Now that I've been watching these cats nap, I'm going to follow their example and go to bed.

What's Going on in Kitty's Mind?

Why Won't This Cat Look at Me?

A few days ago I spent a few minutes stalking this kitty in my neighbor's flower bed with camera in hand. Part of her territory is near my mailbox.  I have encountered her before and she was pretty shy then, too.  I first introduced her in Two Very Different Cats: One Shy, the Other Sociable.

Normally I can at least get a strange cat to look me in the eye, but not this one. If she's looking at me at all, she is scowling. As we appraised each other, she also let out a few growls. Evidently she doesn't like to have me stalk her. I think she'd rather do the stalking herself. On this day it seems her mind was fixed on eating grass.

What I Learned about This Kitty

One day when I went to get the mail, I was concerned that for a few weeks I hadn't seen any signs of the neighbor I thought owned this kitty. When I saw her neighbor across the street, I asked if she knew why her neighbor wasn't around. I learned she was on vacation and her nephew was taking care of the property.

While we were talking Kitty strolled over. I asked who she belonged to. The neighbor replied that the cat sort of belonged to everyone. She visited all of them and many of them fed her. I immediately thought of Six Dinner Sid, a humorous cat picture book by Inga Moore. Anyone who loves cats will want to read it.

 Sid is also a neighborhood cat, but none of the six neighbors know it. They all think he belongs just to them. He has managed to convince each that he's theirs and they all feed him. He gets six dinners a day. He is able to keep them all unaware of his duplicity because the neighbors don't talk to each other -- until the day Sid gets sick and all six neighbors take him to the same vet, who puts it all together. He lets them know what Sid has been up to. I won't tell you the rest. The book, and its sequel, which I just found out about, is available at Amazon. At least our neighbor kitty hasn't fooled anyone. They all know what she's doing and they don't care.

I Wonder If Kitty Will Ever Be My Friend?

One of my favorite neighbor cats, Sarah, was very hard to befriend, but after a few days and many cat treats she finally warmed up to me. Soon she was hanging out on my porch. I looked forward to coming home every afternoon, knowing she'd be there waiting for me -- and her cat treat. Unfortunately Sarah met with an unknown fate. Her owners kept all their cats, including Sarah, outside. One day she was gone and never returned. We think she met with disaster in the form of the coyotes that roam our property from time to time. I made this memorial ornament to honor her. I miss her every time I return to our Templeton home. The ornament is easy to customize to memorialize any pet.

Ornament: Black Tuxedo Cat Sitting
by barbsbooks

I wonder if I will ever make friends with neighbor kitty as I did with Sarah. Maybe I'd better buy some cat treats to take with me when I get the mail. I'd like to change the scowl to a smile and the growl to a purr. It would be enlightening to know what Kitty is thinking. I wonder if she would really like to be friends and just wants to be coaxed. I'd love to be able to talk to her.

Do you ever befriend neighbor pets? Do any special ones come to mind?

January 22 is National Answer Your Cat's Questions Day

Do We Need a Day to Answer Our Cat's Questions?

Why is a day set aside to answer your cat's questions? None of the cats I've been associated with in the past few years have ever asked me questions. The cats in my life don't ask questions -- they make demands.

Is this cat trying to ask me a question or making a demand?
© B. Radisavljevic

"Feed me."
"Open the door."
"Give me more attention."
"Leave me alone, I'm sleeping."

Why should I answer a cat's questions? They never answer mine?

"You just demanded to go out. Why do you now want to come right back in?"
"Just why don't you like that brand or flavor of food in your dish?"
"What are you trying to tell me?"
"Why do you get upset when I'm on the phone?"
"What makes my lap more attractive to you when I'm working on the computer or reading a book?"
"Why must you climb to the roof of my car to sleep and leave pawprints all over the windshield?

It's my guess that if today is National Answer Your Cat's Questions Day,  your cat will wait until tomorrow to ask you any questions.

Need Help Answering a Cat's Questions if You Do Get Them?

More help in understanding your cat can be found in these books.

Why Does My Cat Do That?: Answers to the 50 Questions Cat Lovers AskCatWise: America's Favorite Cat Expert Answers Your Cat Behavior QuestionsThe Cat Behavior Answer Book: Practical Insights & Proven Solutions for Your Feline QuestionsWhy Do Cats Always Land on Their Feet?: 101 of the Most Perplexing Questions Answered About Feline Unfathomables, Medical Mysteries and Befuddling Behaviors

You might also be interested in these 17 things your cat wants to tell you. 

Has your cat ever asked you a question?

Neighbor Cats I Will Be Missing This Year

Sarah the Tuxedo Cat

Almost every  year that we lived in Templeton the tenants who have shared our property have had at least one cat. Some we adopted when they left. Some we fostered until tenants who had vacated had a place for their cats. Some, unfortunately, crossed the Rainbow Bridge.Of all the neighbor cats I will be missing this year, Sarah has become my  favorite. She is pictured here. Read more about Sarah and see several photos of her with her sidekick, Garfield in my post Our Home-Grown Extortion Cats on  Persona Paper. You don't have to register to read posts there.

Sarah was a good hunter. Unfortunately, she enjoyed catching lizards that liked to hang around our porch in Templeton. One day I had my video camera with me while she was after a lizard. You might enjoy watching Sarah and the lizard in action. This time Sarah thought she had her prize, but it kept escaping. She lets us know what she thinks about that. And do watch the lizard's tail after it's detached.

Trouble, the White Cat, Lived Up to Her Name

One neighbor had two prized cats they kept on a leash outside so they wouldn't run away.  They fed many other cats that were feral or kittens of the two  they had. I've never been sure. When they moved, they took only the two cats they cared about with them. They left five behind with us, three of which were totally feral cats and two which were not so afraid of humans. We continued to feed them, give them water, and pet the two who would let us.  We became very fond of Trouble, who lived up to her name in every way. This is Trouble.

Trouble was a white cat and small for her age. Her voice and personality made me think she was part Siamese. She always wanted to come into the house, and the only way to get her out was to shut the door to the outside. Then she would run to the door to get out. While we were waiting for her to get old enough to spay, she got pregnant.

One day she came to breakfast skinny again. It took weeks before we could locate the kittens, whom she had hidden behind some boards that were leaning against the wall of the inside of the pump house. It had a cat door. We found the five kittens too late to socialize them, but we had lots of fun watching them play.

One lasted only a couple of days. It was puny from the beginning.  The ones who remained were Piggy, another black one whose name I don't remember, Richie, and Smudgie. This photo shows Smudgie (the white one) and  Richie climbing a tree. You can click any photo to enlarge it.

Pumpkin, the Tabby Cat, Was the Easiest to Get Along With

One of the sweetest neighbor cats I've had was Pumpkin. She belonged to a former tenant and was much loved and well taken care of. She got to roam the property during the day with the other cats in her family, but they all were put back in the house at night. After the tenant moved, she still didn't have a place that would take cats, so we got to foster them for a few weeks. I really wish we could have kept them, but they were finally picked up and taken to their new home.

After having Pumpkin as my feline friend for several years, I really miss not having her around. She visited me often. I used to leave this old chair beside my sliding glass door to put things I was carrying down on while opening the door. The cats decided it was theirs.

Pumpkin was affectionate, a great hunter who kept the mice and gophers under control, and  a good lap cat. Here are some of the other photos I took of her over the years.

Pumpkin Enjoying the Mallow Plants, © B. Radisavljevic

Pumpkin Looking Up at Me, © B. Radisavljevic

Pumpkin Stretching, © B. Radisavljevic

Pumpkin Eating Gopher, © B. Radisavljevic

I hope you've enjoyed meeting the neighbor cats whom I've cared about, even  though they weren't legally mine. Here are some of the ways I've made them live forever at Zazzle.

Sticker: Tabby Cat Resting Classic Round Sticker
Find other Cats Stickers at zazzle.com

Humorous Card, white cat, blank inside Greeting Card
Check out other Cat Cards at zazzle.com

Ornament: Black Tuxedo Cat Sitting Square Metal Christmas Ornament
Create personalized picture Christmas ornaments at zazzle.com
You can make your pet a memorial ornament, too.