Saturday, June 29, 2013

Diva the Diva


Hello, StreetCats blog readers!  I know you are disappointed that there is not a picture of me here today and I totally get that!  Really!  But I thought I would introduce you to another StreetCats cat today.  This is Diva.  Diva is about five years old and she has been tossed around way too much in her life.  This girl's color is interesting.  You can see the grey tabby markings on her.  But she also has brown patches!  So is she a brown patch tabby?  Some people think she looks like a tortoise shell color.  Hmmm.  So anyway, whatever color she is, she is not as beautiful as I am.  But she can't help that and she does try to fix herself up with the collar she is wearing.  More about that later.

So I hear the servants talking about her sometimes and they say that Diva is a diva.  Well, duh!  Our servants like to give us names and some of them are pretty silly if you ask me.  I have the best name!  My name is Lulu, in case you've forgotten.  But then of course you haven't forgotten!  Anyway, we would not give each other names.  Just the human servants do that and, as I said, they describe Diva as a diva.

So I looked up the word diva in the dictionary and it said it was an operatic prima donna.  Well, Diva doesn't sing!  So then I looked up prima donna and that definition used the words temperamental and conceited.  Okay, so now I get it!  Especially the temperamental part.  Man, this girl can sure be temperamental.  But then not everyone can be as even tempered as I am so I won't judge.

But here is an example of what I'm talking about.  I observed this with my own eyes one day.  A servant (could I just go ahead and call them slaves?  No?  Well, okay.) picked Diva up and put her on her lap.  Well, Diva immediately jumped down and went in the other room!  And why was this? It was because getting on the lap wasn't HER idea!  But then she IMMEDIATELY walked back into the room and jumped back up on the servants lap!  Aaahhh, NOW it was her idea!!!!  Isn't that just, well, temperamental!  And divaish?!  (I'm not sure that's a word.)

Diva needs to be adopted.  She really needs her own home where she will be a wonderful lap cat for someone, when it is her idea!  She and I have one thing in common.  She doesn't like all these kittens either . . . you know, the ones I wrote about before.  And we have about six of them right now!  So she and I have to be very long-suffering!  But there is one huge difference between Diva and me.  I have my own room, Diva does not.  Okay, I even feel a little sorry for her.  :-(

Now I'm going to tell  you, in all confidence, just whispering here, that I think Diva wants my job.  Shhh, don't tell anyone else!  If she knew how hard my job is she would not want it!  But I still think she would like to have my private room with my very own tree.  And maybe even my computer!  Well, I can tell you one thing for sure.  That will only happen over my ADOPTED body!

So come one, come all, to see all our kitties who need their furever homes.  Just be aware when you meet Diva, who is going to be someone's wonderful devoted lap cat some day, that you cannot choose Diva.  No, she must choose you!  That's just the kind of cat she is!  Oh yeah, I promised to explain the collar.  Looks a little like those ruffled collars that queens used to wear in the old days.  Personally I think Diva wants her named changed . . . to QUEEN DIVA!

Saturday, June 22, 2013

Sometimes They Go Too Far!



I have serious matters to discuss, but first here is another picture of me.  And in this one you can see my eyes!  You're welcome!!!!  And here is my tree again, too!  But mostly my eyes!

Now I ask you, have you ever been in charge of something and then wondered if you really are in charge?  Have you ever trained helpers so well that you lose control over them??!!  Well, of course that would never happen to me, but I was just wondering what you would do if it happened to you.  You know, a hypothetical question.

Although I'm sure it is just some kind of misunderstanding, I need to figure out why the special, just for me, food I get does not smell as yummy as what I see presented out in the hall to the other cats.  When my servants get here in the mornings we get clean food dishes and brand new food and water.  I have special food because they love me more than they do the rest of the cats.  It has the word "digestive" on it.  I'm not sure what that means, but I'm the only cat here who gets it.  But then that makes sense because I am the only cat here who has her own room and her own tree.  And am, therefore, the boss!

But here's the deal.  I want to try some of the stuff the other cats are getting!  It smells so yummy!  So I look at my servants with my big eyes and I meow at them and I do double takes out into the hall.  And they are so dimwitted that they don't get it!  I guess I could scratch them, but frankly I'm not sure they'd understand that either!  And, even if they did, I'm not sure they would get me the food I want.  Because they want to do what is the very best thing for me and they think they are giving me the very best food there is!  Just for me!  I despair that I have taught them too well!

This is SOOOOO FRUSTRATING!  I frankly am not sure how to handle this excess of indulgence.  Come on, people, sometimes I want what I want, even if it is not the best FOR me!  Just a little bite now and then?!  Yes, I'm frustrated, but I WILL figure this out!  I WILL!  (But while I'm figuring, any suggestions you have would be appreciated!)

Friday, June 21, 2013

Pure Indulgence!



Here is another picture of me.  I know you have not forgotten what I look like . . . how could you?!  But I also know you have been longing to see me again so I decided to put here in my blog another picture of myself.  I apologize that you can't really see my eyes in this picture and I promise to post a picture soon where you can gaze into my eyes!  Because they are beautiful!  I would like for you to note in this picture that I have my own tree.  Yes, in my special room at StreetCats I have my very own tree, brought in just for me.  I really do!  And that's the truth!  You can see it here!

You can also see here with me, one of my servants, Christy Campbell.  You cannot see her as well as you can see me, which is as it should be.  She is not a regular servant, but she is a Reiki (pronounced ray key) Master and she came to see me because she loves me!  (I find it interesting that I have not yet met anyone who doesn't love me!)  Reiki is a therapeutic massage that helps me with my stress.  I'm telling you it's stressful to manage this place, even with all the help I have.  This Reiki massage helps me to relax and it balances my energy.  It is not at all unpleasant, as you can see!  So this time I didn't even go to the spa for my massage, Christy Campbell came to me!  I don't think I want to give up my spa trips as it is just good to get away from here sometimes.  But I'm telling you, this was really just as great!  I wonder if humans get this treatment, too.  Hmm.

And this is why everyone needs to have a cat.  When you get a dog, you get one because you think the dog will make you feel loved and will be all goo goo over you.  Right?  But what, I ask you, is the true purpose of a cat????  To be totally and completely indulged, that's what it is!  I have known that I have taught my servants well in the art of indulgence, but when I saw Christy Campbell here and realized why she had come, I really thought I have reached the perfection of pure indulgence!  I do believe I'll purr now!


Saturday, June 15, 2013

Silly Little Girl Cat



I have a story to tell you, but before I do let me tell you about this kitty.  Her name is Daphne and she is a young cat, just barely not a kitten anymore.  She really likes our servants here, but she is not so sure about the other cats, so the servants keep a safe place open for her.  That is a cage that has the door open so that she can come and go as she pleases.  In it is a bed, a litter box, food and water.  She doesn't have to come out if she doesn't want to, but she can come out when she feels like it.  And she does come out a lot, but she sure likes it that she can go back in her safe place if she feels the need.  I've heard the humans commenting that perhaps she needs to be someone's only pet.  Definitely something for me to think about before I approve any adoption of her!

So here is the story.  She was out the other day and she came to my door.  It is a screen door so I know when someone is there.  I'm not disturbed too often and usually I ignore whatever or whoever it is that is hoping to disturb me.  But just this once I went over to see what she wanted.  And she asked me the funniest question I think I've ever heard.  She said, "Lulu, why are there 22 beds for us when there are only 11 cats?"  I laughed so hard!!!!  And then I looked at her face and I stopped laughing.  You can see what a sincere kitty she is!  And this was a sincere question!  She really wanted to know!

Daphne was abandoned.  There are so many words for this thing that happens . . . abandoned, left, relinquished, DUMPED.  I could go on.  We don't really worry about any of that too much at StreetCats.  We try very hard not to judge!  You know what they say . . . "walk a mile in my shoes . . .", "let he who is without sin . . . ."  Well, I'm sure you know how to finish these phrases.  We can't always understand why someone wouldn't want the cat they were supposed to take care of, but we just shrug and take care of them ourselves.

So . . . since Daphne was abandoned, she may never have ever before in her life had even one bed, much less an abundance to choose from!!!!  This even made me a little teary!  So I explained to her.  "Well, Daphne, you might not want to sleep in the same bed in which you took a catnap!  Or perhaps the first bed you try has a lump in just the wrong place.  Or what if it smells like your least favorite StreetCats cat!  Our servants will do whatever they need to do to keep us comfortable!"  And let me tell you this, readers!  Not only do we have a major abundance of beds, but this is just like the best hotel in town!  Our beds are washed daily!  Yes, it is a little irritating at times when the servants get here and we all want their attention but instead they gather up bedding and put it in the washer!  But I digress.

So, silly little Daphne, of course we have lot of beds!  There would be more if we wanted them!  So help yourself to whatever bed you want!  And don't you worry about a thing!  Lulu is going to see that you are well loved during your time with us and I will find a very special home just for you!  They don't call me the head cat for nothing!

Friday, June 7, 2013

To Fetch or Not to Fetch



The title of this post is what we will be talking about today.  This is serious and demands immediate attention!  But before we discuss this, let me introduce you to the offending "cat."  His name is Thomaseo and he is about two years old.  And he is quite the conversationalist.  He talks to the humans here a lot!  And then there is his shiny fur and long legs!  Sigh!  I suppose one could say he was too young for me, but I truly believe one is only as old as one feels.  And I'm feeling a little frisky.  Meow!  What a nice hunk to get to look at from time to time!

But he fetches!  Seriously?!  My servants are absolutely delighted that he does this and they laugh and they encourage him!!!!  They throw these balls to him over and over!  He goes to get them, bats them around for a while, and then he carries the ball and drops it at the foot of a human and the whole thing starts all over again.  Does this young man not realize that DOGS fetch????!!!!

Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against dogs!  Some of them are very nice to us cats, although believe me you'd better be sure before you decide to play with one!  I even let the StreetCat servants have a dog at home if they want.  Of course, they are not allowed to bring them here!

So the question today is . . . is a cat carrying things too far when he fetches just like a DOG????!!!!  (Carrying things, that's funny!)  My initial reaction to this question is YES!  And I'm especially concerned because we have several young impressionable kittens here and just yesterday I saw one of them pick up a ball in her mouth and then she started walking and oh my gosh . . . well, you know what I was afraid of!

But then Thomaseo came and explained to me how much fun it is to have such control over these humans.  Of course he can just bat the ball around all by himself and then chase it.  And I know that.  But he says it is sort of fun to bring it to them and watch them throw it.  It isn't like a dog where you are just goo goo happy that someone is playing with you.  No, this cat fetching is done with dignity and the definite intention of seeing just how much these humans will do for us!  Hmm!

I'm going to give this matter more thought before I make a decision about this fetching business.  If I observe this behavior in another cat I may have to put an immediate stop to it!  But for now I will tolerate Thomaseo fetching.  Only for now.  But I'm thinking . . . .  If anyone out there has any advice about how I should handle this situation, feel free to give it.  I'm feeling just a little confused.  Maybe because he is so handsome!  Sigh!

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Vouchers

So . . . it's 2:00 AM and I'm not sleeping.  Nocturnal, remember?!  And I decide to look at my blog.  So . . . I'm scrolling down through my posts and . . . huh? . . . I do a double take!  A cat double take is where our eyes get bigger and our head jerks back and our ears go back and we have a really surprised look on our face.  It's a lot like a human double take except that humans are not good at moving their ears.  I observe our human servants a lot and they really do have many limitations and it's hard not to take pity upon them!

But I digress.  I scroll back up to what I had seen.  A comment!  Someone wrote a comment about my last post!  That has never happened before!  I wonder if it will ever happen again?  And this commenter likes me!  Of course.  She says I am doing a good job of keeping this place under control!  Again, of course.

And in her comment she said I should tell everyone about spaying and neutering.  Man do I ever hear those words around here a lot!  And some people call it "fixing."  I don't get that because I know they are talking about the cats and we're not broken!  And this spay/neuter thing is sure important to our servants in regard to taking the very best care of us!  Very important!  So I have been watching and listening very carefully and here is what I've learned:

1)  All cats adopted from StreetCats have already been spayed or neutered.

2)  If you go adopt or purchase a cat that has NOT been spayed or neutered then you really do need to do that!  Because, if you don't, there will be more kittens and, as discussed in my previous post, kittens are not a good thing!  I really don't get the correlation between spay/neuter and kittens, but this is what the humans talk about all the time!

3)  If a stray cat comes to your house or neighborhood and you want to help the kitty not to make any baby kitties you can call StreetCats and we will help you!  For $20 you can purchase a "voucher" (please don't ask me for an explanation of what that word means) and take it to a spa/vet that we tell you about and they accomplish this spay/neuter deal on the cat.  And they'll even give he or she a rabies shot!  Isn't that cool?!  So if you call our message line at 918-298-0104, we'll get a voucher ready for you to pick up.

4)  If the cat is wild, you can borrow a trap from us and catch the cat and take it for this procedure.  There are some really nice humans that do this a lot.  And man do I appreciate it!  Can you imagine how many cats I would be responsible for if there weren't humans helping with this?!

5)  Now there are time limits on this deal.  Once you get the voucher you have to use it within three months or you will have to purchase another one.  And if you borrow a trap you can only keep it for two weeks.  Yeah, I know, rules can be a pain sometimes, but this isn't an anarchy (love that word!), it's StreetCats!  So make a plan!

6)  And there is a limit each month of how many vouchers we can let humans have.  We use our StreetCats money to pay what the spa/vet charges above the $20, so . . . well, you know that money deal.  Is there ever enough?!  Hey, here's an idea!  If you have lots of money you can donate some to us!  I do hear "tax deductible" around here!

Now I and all the cats here at StreetCats have had this procedure and I can tell you that it is a wonderful thing to get.  This is done at the spa and when the cats come here they are rested and just fine.  I don't remember having anything special done at the spa, along with my massages and pedicures, but I do feel great now!  One thing I know for sure is that our servants take the very best care of us possible!  So trust me, this is the right thing to do!  So if you need a voucher for a kitty that you want to help, don't forget, call our message line at 918-298-0104 and we'll tell you everything you need to do!

Now I'm going to look through my blog again and see if I have any other comments!  Then maybe a little nighty/night!