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.
"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.
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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.
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.
At one time the powers that be talked about making Larry Moore Park a dog park. I think people objected, since it never happened, but I've never been there when I didn't see a lot of people walking their dogs. Most clean up after them, but not everyone does. It's not a good idea to walk off the paths.
Many years ago I read a book called The Fur Person by May Sarton, that perfectly captured the personality of an independent cat who decided one day to choose a person to settle down with. I loved the book. One of the regular parts of the gentleman cat's day was "to read the newspaper." That meant finding a good place to observe the world and see what was happening. I thought of that as I walked past this house in my neighborhood one day and saw this cat through the window, looking out -- probably "reading the newspaper."
If cats fascinate you, you won't want to miss this book. It's been around a long time, but it's still available. It contains ten original drawings and a fictionalized story for grown-ups of a cat about town, The Fur Person, and his search for a suitable home with a suitable housekeeper.
I highly recommend you get a paper edition if you don't have an eReader that properly displays illustrations. The illustrations are an important part of the book.The gift edition above is perfect. This book should be an important part of any cat lover's library. Get it for someone you love, even if that happens to be you.
The North County is wine country, but it's also horse country. There are commercial horse farms, and then there are residents who have horses along with donkeys, mules, sheep, and goats. This is a miniature horse who lives in Templeton, south of Vineyard Drive, off Santa Rita Road. It lives with larger horses next to a rural home.
A Miniature Horse is Not a Pony
When I first saw this horse I thought it might be a pony, but later I met the owner, who set me straight. You can see how small this miniature horse is when one of the other horses is near. This isn't a very clear shot since the horses were at the back of the lot and I had to use my zoom.
I took a couple of other shots of the miniature horse to give you yet a different perspective.
This photo was taken looking straight at the front of the horse.
This shot was taken as I looked over the top of the fence.
Does anyone have a caption you'd like to suggest for this one?
CatWise: America's Favorite Cat Expert Answers Your Cat Behavior Questions
