Uncle!!!

That's UNCLE, as in I give up!  This has nothing to do with my Uncle Al, who was actually a decent cat as far as I know . . . not that I knew him well.  This UNCLE is far more related to Sisyphus!  You know, as in a Sisyphean task!  As in WAIT, let me give this up, please!  Oh, some of you may not know who Sisyphus was, I mean if you're not into Greek mythology.  Well, Sisyphus, again in Greek mythology, not in real life, was a king who got in trouble with the god Zeus.   He was really a very bad, cruel king so I don't blame Zeus for being angry at all.  And you know these Greek myths . . . there are so many versions!  But the final outcome of this story is that as punishment for betraying Zeus. Sisyphus had to roll a heavy, immense boulder up a hill only to watch it roll back again.  And he had to do this not just once, but over and over again . . . forever!!!!

Now it's possible that you're wondering how this story has anything to do with me, Vanna, or with cats or with StreetCats or with this blog!  So I'm going to tell you and your sympathy regarding my Sisyphean task, which I have now officially abandoned, is greatly appreciated.  So . . . I've been trying to have one of my wonderful contests now for several weeks.  And, needless to say, it just really hasn't worked out too well.  And what, you ask, was this contest, Vanna?!  Well, I've been hinting at it for a few weeks, but I might as well just tell you.  It was a contest for the cat at StreetCats who is the Best Eater!  Now wasn't that a cool idea for a contest?  NOT!!

I guess my biggest problem with this contest was that no one was willing to accept defeat . . . that they, in fact, did not win.  They kept wanting to have another trial and then another and another.  I heard things like "Those are shreds!  You know I prefer pate!"  Seriously?!  Yes!  When I would tell them, look, it's all chicken, they would gag and throw up!  Okay, I will admit that a cat's tongue does react to the texture of a food, or how it feels.  That's one reason dry cat food sometimes comes in all shapes and sizes.  So . . . okay, we'll do it again with pate!

And these StreetCats cats are pretty spoiled, too.  One day I served tuna and shrimp for our contest and all I got from one cat was "the human helpers know I only eat chicken and you surely know that, too.  I demand a new contest!"  What?!

And even though cats HAVE to have meat because they need things that can't be found anywhere else, like taurine, vitamin A, vitamin B12, niacin and thiamin, some cats do like to have a bit of fruits or vegetables as an added bonus or treat!  Well, forgive me, please, if your meal did not include any carrots or strawberries!  It is what it is!

Now I'm going to show you how I did this.  Here you go!  You'll see that it was all fair!

Now in this picture you will see the white kitty, Miss Molly, looking at the food and commenting that it is shreds and not pate.

So I scooted it over there to her and convinced her to give it a try.  Big mistake and she says she'll not ever forgive me!  In the meantime Angel had started on her second bowl and I was ready to declare a winner!  But NOOOO, it wasn't fair!

Cats and cat food, cats and cat food!  Did you know that the pet food makers spend so much money trying to figure out what these finicky cats like that they can't even count it?!  They want the little darlings to gobble it up!  And so do our human helpers!  You should hear them when someone doesn't eat.  It's pitiful!  I'm going to plan a lesson, a reminder, on what it's like to live on the street!

So I just have one final thing to say.  There is no winner of the Best Eater contest!  I hereby declare myself exhausted and fed up (hee, hee! . . . fed up!  Get it?)  They can eat or starve from here on out as far as I'm concerned . . . up to them!  I am moving right on to another contest!  More about that later!

Feline Friday - Mischief!

This is our little Mischief!

She is about 4 months old and is doing her best to live up to her name.  Photographing her has been a real challenge.   A few days ago, much to my surprise, I arrived at the StreetCats shop and found her sleeping.  Here she is waking up,  but still groggy, so she hasn't started jumping around and playing yet. 

 

By looking at the photographs you would never know just how active and fun she really is.  Because even kittens have to rest now and then I was able to take this photograph when she paused during a rousing game of "tunnel fun".

 

She has been to the vet,  has had all of her tests and shots, and found to be very healthy!  She has also been spayed!  Upon adoption she will be micro-chipped with her new owners contact information.  StreetCats will pay for her first year's registration with the HomeAgain program. 

Please come by and meet Mischief!  You can find her at the shop located at 6520 E. 60th St. in Tulsa.  The shop hours are Tuesday - Saturday from 10:30 - 5:00.  If you would like more information about Mischief, or any of our cats,  please call our message line at 918-298-0104 and you will be called back.  

Feline Friday - Alfred!

This is our very handsome cat, Alfred!  Alfred is almost 2 years old. When he was in foster care, prior to coming into the StreetCats shop, his foster mom said that he was affectionate, but shy.  Another thing that his foster mom discovered is that he does NOT like vet clinics. Not many cats do, but I guess his dislike is very strong.

He does seem very shy and likes to stay close to a “hidey - hole”, as we call them.  But his all time favorite place to sleep, and hang out, is in our over head cupboards where we store cat beds, blankets, and towels.  As we know, cats do not have thumbs, but somehow he has mastered his skill of opening the cupboard door latches. He really likes sleeping up there and seems determined to continue.

Alfred is healthy!  He has been neutered, has had all the right tests and has been given his shots. He will also be micro-chipped with the new owners contact information upon adoption. StreetCats will also pay for his first year’s registration fee with Home Again.


If you are interested in meeting Alfred, feel free to come by StreetCats at 6520 E. 60th St, in Tulsa, 10:30 - 5:00 Tuesday though Saturday, or call our message line, 918-298-0104 with any questions that you may have.  We would love to show you around and introduce you to Alfred and I’m sure that he would love to meet you, too!

A Variety of Theories

I am so confused right now that I need to stop and think a bit about what I'm doing.  Okay, we have two contests going right now.  Okay, one is over and one isn't.  So I think I'll write about the one that's over!  Now I'm not confused any more.  The other contest isn't finished because the cats BEGGED me not to declare a winner yet.  They want to continue to show me how good they are at what I'm measuring.  Each one thinks they do it best!  That probably doesn't make sense to you now, but I bet it will later.  Now I bet YOU'RE confused!  I'm sorry.  Just disregard this paragraph!

Okay, on to our contest and its winner.  I decided to have a best yawner contest.  And boy do we ever have a winner.  Her name is Julianna and you met her last week with our Feline Friday post.  Man, she's beautiful and can she ever yawn.

Now here is a question for you about why cats yawn.  You may pick the answer you believe is correct.  Cats yawn because

a.  They are giving you an honest opinion about what they feel is going on.  They're just plain bored!

b.  Their blood oxygen levels are low and they need to suck in some air.

c.  The cat is tired but is forcing himself to stay awake for some reason by yawning.

d.  They are displaying their teeth!  Grr!  Look how fierce I am!

e.  The cat needs to stretch his jaw muscles?

f.  The cat is just plain tired!

So if you want an answer to this question, don't look at me!  I don't know!  Maybe someone will write a comment and give us the real answer.  But really, do you suppose anyone but Julianna can know for sure why she yawned?  Does she even KNOW why she yawned?  I think I'll ask her.

Oh, better not ask her right now!  She's snoozing!

Feline Friday - Julie!

Julianna, or Julie for short, is a gorgeous long-haired calico!  She is mature at 8 years old and has been declawed. She is good with kids and also with other cats!  Dogs...well probably dogs, too!

She loves to play and seems to be very friendly and affectionate.  Her favorite pastime is being brushed and petted. That beautiful fur of hers needs to be brushed every day and you won’t get any arguments from her!  She even loves to have her tummy brushed and has the purr to prove it!

She was rescued by one of our volunteers, so we don’t have any history on her. What we do know is that she’s healthy! She has been to the vet, has been spayed, and is up to date on all of her shots. When she is adopted she’ll receive a micro-chip just under her skin with her new owners contact information on it. StreetCats will also pay for her first year’s registration with the HomeAgain program!

If you are interested in meeting Julie, feel free to come by StreetCats at 6520 E. 60th St, in Tulsa, 10:30 - 5:00 Tuesday though Saturday, or call our message line, 918-298-0104 with any questions that you may have.  We would love to show you around and introduce you to Julie and I’m sure that she would love to meet you, too!

Fun Stuff!

I hadn't really planned to write today.   Oh, this is Vanna in case you were wondering.  I hadn't thought I would write because I don't have a contest winner to tell you about.  We're having a contest.  And most of the cats are entering . . . with gusto!  But we don't have a winner yet and all that will be a surprise so I can't tell you anything about any of that today.  But . . . .

StreetCats is just so much fun sometimes that I just have to write and share with you just exactly WHAT is so much fun!  So first, we have new shirts in the shop!  And I just love them!  I'm going to show you a picture now.

Now isn't this just so cool and so much fun!!!  Here is what I think is going to happen.  Someone is going to come into the shop.  They are going to see this shirt.  And then . . . they are going to see me across the crowded room! And it is going to be like an enchanted evening!  And they will fly to my side and they will somehow just know that they have found their true love!  Then they will take me to my forever home.  Aaahhh!  I'm pretty sure that will happen this week!  So you see, right, why I love this shirt so much!

Okay, now I have one more fun thing to tell you about.  We have kittens!!!!  Yes, kittens!  I know StreetCats doesn't take kittens, right?  Well, I don't know how they got to be StreetCats then, because here they are!  And lucky they are, too, because they will always be StreetCats, even when they're in their forever homes!  And until they get to their forever homes they'll be spoiled rotten and given everything they could possibly need.  And we're looking for forever homes that will spoil them just as much as we do!  Want to see how cute they are?  Here you go!

These twin little girls are between three and four months old and are gorgeous!  Their names are Mischief and Mojo.  Now I just love their names!  And here is what they do at StreetCats.  They play.  And then they play and play and play.  And then they eat.  And then they play.  Sometimes they rest for a minute and then they play and play and play!  Now they are just cute to watch, but I will admit that I've had to hiss at them a time or two.  I know, I know, that's not like me at all!  But sometimes it's necessary . . . you know, for their lessons.

Okay, that's all for today.  So come on in and buy a shirt and adopt a cat!  Like the shirt says, life is short!  And I'll get back to you soon with the winner of that contest!

Poetry in Motion

I am so excited . . . happy, happy, happy!  And not just because I feel so sure my forever family will find me this week!  I'm excited because we've had another contest and we have a winner!  Before I even tell you what our contest was, I'm going to show you a picture of our winner.  Her name is Callie and she is young and beautiful.  Boy is she ever going to make a great kitty for someone who needs a kitty in their life.  So okay, here you go.  Callie!  Oh yeah, this picture was taken right after I announced the winner of the contest and you can see how happy she is!

Told you she is beautiful!  Okay, now I'll tell you what the contest was.  It was best jumper!  And it involved some climbing, too, because Callie climbed up on a big cat tree in order to demonstrate her jumping ability.  I mean creativity is one of the reasons she won.  Some of the cats just jumped up onto a chair.  Come on, guys!  Oh, climbing!  Cats climb sort of like fish swim!  So if you get a kitten don't be surprised if it climbs up your pants leg or your curtains.  Yep, better get those cat trees!  And remember that he is likely looking for prey and that prey might just be your hair!  Hee hee!  Kittens are so cute!

Should I show the pictures first, or give you the info?  Hmmm.  Hard to decide.  Okay, first the info, then the pictures.  Cats use every part of their body to make a successful jump.  First, the tail!  It is a chain of about 20 caudal vertebrae!  Yep, and we cats can use it to help balance ourselves so that our bodies go where we want them to!  Then there are our sharp claws which we can use to grab hold, if we need to.  And did you know that our spines are very supple and that our collarbone is detached, making us even more able to maneuver?!  We can even use our whiskers to orient ourselves to what is around us.  Ha!  I know I shouldn't gloat, but really, human beings?!  You can't touch that!

Okay, now for the pictures taken during our contest.  For these I must thank my wonderful photographer, Vickie Sanborn.  First we have the launch, then the flying through the air part (my favorite!) and then the landing.  I want you to note just how soft that landing is!  Now let's face it, humans, if that were you, I bet there'd be nothing much left standing in the general vicinity of where you landed.  Okay, here you go!

Terrific, Callie!!!  Any questions out there???  If so, write them in a comment!  And come see us!  Maybe Callie will demonstrate her jumping technique for you!  Bye bye!

No, wait!  One more thing!  Does your kitty ride places in the car with you?  I mean cats don't usually like to be as undignified as dogs, but sometimes it does happen.  So . . . please be aware that car travel can be very hazardous for kitties in hot weather.  Just don't leave your kitty in the car, even for a minute!