Tremendous tabbies!

Well, there is no doubt about it!  Tabby cats are the very best cats ever!  Now, first of all, "tabby" is not a breed.  Some people think it is, but actually it is a pattern, a genetic pattern of stripes, swirls or dots in grey, brown, buff or orange.  Some people call us tiger cats, I guess because tigers have stripes, too.  And some people can't just call us all tabbies, they have to divide us up even further into classic tabby, mackerel tabby, spotted tabby or ticked tabby.  Really??  Mackerel?  Come on!  That's a fish!!

Now here is something really cool about tabbies.  We all have an M on our heads!  Isn't that neat?!  Some people say ALL of us have an M.  Others say almost all of us do.  Well, I can only tell you that I have never seen a tabby without an M so I'll go with the ALL version.

Now we have a tabby at StreetCats right now who agreed to model for me.  Her name is Marlo and she is a very sweet tabby.  Now this is not unusual.  We tabbies are known for the following qualities:  intelligence, cleverness, being amusing and warmly affectionate.  Ha!  Of course those are our qualities!!!  And I, as a tabby myself, am a shining example of all these qualities plus that of leadership!  Anyway, here is a picture of Marlo showing us the M on her head.

I have been asked many times about that M are our heads.  I could give you the scientific, genetic version of why we have it.  I totally understand it, of course, but you wouldn't, so I'll just skip that and get down to the legends.  Here is one.  The prophet Mohammed loved tabby cats and he had one that saved his life by killing a snake.  So he placed an M on the cat's head so that everyone would remember how much he loved cats and so that, in being reminded by the M, people would always respect us.  And the M has been there ever since.

 Another story involves a tabby cat who brought warmth and comfort to a shivering baby Jesus by cuddling up with him and purring.  Mary was so grateful that she put her initial on the cat's head.  And, again, it's been there ever since.  Those are nice stories, but the explanation that I heard that I like best is that it stands for Master of the Universe!  Yep, now that makes sense!!

 Now here's another picture of Marlo that shows you what kind of tabby she is. To me a tabby is a tabby, but people like to call this a ticked tabby, a brown ticked tabby to be specific. See how her stripes are sort of faded and covered by the little white ticking on her fur?   I think it makes her look a little dreamy! And that reminds me of another trait that people think we tabbies have. We're magical!! Yep, we are!  I know that on Halloween it's the black cats that our caretakers worry about.   But in the 16th century we were the favored cats of witches!   Of course we were!  Anyway, here's the picture of Marlo, the brown ticked tabby.  Do you like her necklace?  I think most ticked tabbies have a necklace like that.

Marlo is not the only tabby we have at StreetCats right now. So come visit us and see for yourself! And just to be sure you have a total understanding of just how tremendous tabbies are, here is a picture of the best tabby of them all . . . tabby and white, but still tabby. It's me, King Adam of StreetCats!!  Now I'm going to have to study my patterns to see just what kind of tabby I am.  It better not be mackerel!

Feline Friday - Pete!

Please say "Hello" and "Good-bye" to Pete.  I have been planning this week to feature Pete in Feline Friday.  Guess what happened!  I just received an e-mail telling all of us at StreetCats the good news that Pete has been adopted!  

Many of us have met Pete and know what a cool cat he is, but some of you haven't had the pleasure.  He's friendly and laid back to say the least. His favorite past time at StreetCats was getting into the cabinets above the sink.  With his long body he had no trouble reaching the fasteners, opening them and jumping in with all of the cat beds and towels. He is very talented!

 We were told that his new family originally came into the shop to look at another cat, but Pete took a real liking to the young boys.  He showed off a little in front of them and rubbed up against their legs.  Needless to say the boys decided that they wanted Pete!  So as of this writing on Thursday night he is spending his first night with his new forever family in his new home.

I decided to post the photographs of Pete despite his recent departure so that volunteers can see him once again you all can see what a great cat he is!

 

Best wishes, Pete, for a long and happy life with your new family!

 

How Is a Cat Like an Elephant?

They both have four legs, a tail and a trunk!  Ha ha!  Well, not the trunk!  They both have fur?  Hmm, I don't think you could ever call what an elephant has fur!!!  They both like hay!!  Right?!  Ha!  Elephants like vegetables and we cats, give us meat!!  Okay, people, this is not a riddle!!  How is a cat like an elephant??  Do you give up??  Yep, I can tell that you have totally given up!  Not so smart after all, are you??

It's our memories!!!  Duh!  I can't believe you didn't get it!!  Elephants remember things for a very long time, like even decades.  Now everyone thinks dogs are so smart.  Not so much.  When you are teaching a dog a trick there is a reason you have to get them to do it over and over and over.  It's because their short term memories are only about five minutes long.  Cats, on the other hand, have a short term memory of about 16 hours.  See, cats rule!!

Now, here is a very important thing you need to know.  A cat's memory is directly related to IF he benefits or is caused pain by the experience.  So if you set a cucumber down by a cat he is going to be pretty indifferent to it.  He may not remember the cucumber or you!  But if you put a bowl of tuna down, boy we're going to remember that!

Now I have one more important thing to teach you about cats, elephants and memory.  In a family of elephants it is most important that the matriarch of the group has a great memory because everyone follows her and she needs to remember where she's going.  Now at StreetCats of Tulsa there is only one cat whose memory is important and that is King Adam.  That's me!!  I am giving you this information because I think it is to your benefit to know that I WILL remember if you do things that make me happy or do things that make me mad.  I thought it only fair that I share this information before it is too late.  For you.  Just sayin'!

Feline Friday - Bob

Meet Bob!  Bob is a beautiful black and white Tuxedo cat!  He just turned 2 at the beginning of May.

Bob can be friendly and sweet with people, but we think that he would prefer to be an only cat in his new home.  He can also be playful!

There are things about Bob that we don't know.  For example, we don't know whether or not he gets along with children, or dogs.  But one thing we do know is that he is a very healthy cat.  He has been fully examined by a veterinarian and has also been neutered.  He has had all of the tests and vaccinations that every kitty needs.  StreetCats microchips all of the cats with information about the new owner.  If your cat is lost and then found most veterinarian clinics and pet rescue organizations, where your cat may be taken, will have a scanner that will quickly read the chip and give the information needed so that your pet can be returned to you.  StreetCats also helps out by paying the first year's registration fee. 

If you are interested in meeting Bob please come by StreetCats at 6520 E. 60th St, in Tulsa, from 10:30 am - 5:00 pm Tuesday though Saturday, or call our message line, 918-298-0104 for information.  We would love to show you around and introduce you to Bob, and I'm sure he would enjoy meeting you, too!