The Lady Cat, Author at Chirpy Cats

Caturday Art: The Making of Sarabi the Cat Sculpture

06/05/2018
The Lady Cat
19 Comments
Caturday Doodles
catart, catit art contest, caturday doodles, sculpture

One of my other passions is makings things by hand and seeing how it transforms into something new.

Whether it’s getting my hands dirty in the garden and watching things grow, or shaping a piece of clay and seeing what it becomes. Many of my Caturday Doodles are digital drawings. I like doing digital art, but much like the red dot means for cat, you can feel it but can’t touch it. Making sculptures is such a tactile medium and is literally ‘hands-on.’ Building those layers and shaping a piece of art is the most relaxing way to spend your weekend! It’s even sweeter when the subject is my all time favorite muse, cats! What else? Read More

Day Zero and what it means for the shelter pets of Cape Town

23/04/2018
The Lady Cat
23 Comments
Catnip Chirps
animal shelter, day zero, earth day, shelter cats, shelter dogs, water crisis, water for paws

Water for paws donates water to animal shelter

Shelter cats at the Lucky Lucy Foundation examine the water bottles they received from Water for Paws.

Can you imagine a world in which your city is forced to shut off the taps and you and your pets no longer have access to running water? How would you cope if your water was rationed and you had to queue in line to get your daily quota of only 25 liters of water?

If it sounds almost apocalyptic and scary, for people living in the bustling coastal city of Cape Town, South Africa, this is about to become a reality.

Winter sun kisses
Hopeful snow melts my fur warm
Reflections of Spring

As the ice melts after our recent ice storm, Ollie and Sly Pie ruminate their existence and what it means to be a rescue cat in a harsh winter. Read More

Do you have the answers to your cat’s questions?

Mr. Jack the cat rests on his barstool and poses a few questions.

I’m always asking my cats silly rhetorical questions and of course, I pretend to know the answer with “oh yes I know you like chin stritches, Jackaboo.” Sometimes the answer to the question will remain a mystery, “Mr. Jack, do you have to exit the litter box at top speed scattering litter all over the floor?”

And sometimes the question begs, “Really George, do you have to raise your butt in the air when you pee?” most likely accompanied by an eye-roll and a bottle of Nature’s Miracle in tow. It’s National Answer Your Cat’s Question Day and we explore some of the common and not-so-common lines of questioning by our feline friends.

tabby cat eating fresh catnip from the catnip basket

Your cat climbs up to the top shelf with stealthy paws. Reaching out, he grabs the bag of green goodness and tosses it onto the floor for his feline friends. The catnip is out of the bag and the catnip party begins. If you’re a multi-cat household you’ve possibly walked in on a few wild catnip parties on your kitchen floor and then learned to store the catnip stash where feline grabby paws can’t reach!

When we think of cat environment enrichment, we think of engaging your cat in interactive playtime, food puzzles and offering an interesting changing environment for your cats. But we underestimate the power of scent. Just a little whiff of catnip can send a cat into a 15-minute euphoric frenzy. Just like treats can be used to train a cat, so too can catnip be used in positive reinforcement and behavior modification training. Some cats are treat motivated, but many others will give up their seat in a sun puddle for a bag of ‘nip any day! In fact, a whopping 70% of cats are susceptible to the catnip effect and cats inherit this trait from one of their parents.

If you have been following along with the Chirpies in 2017 you would have been exposed to many of the Chirpy Cats’ antics, mostly happening in the catio. This has become the heart of my inspiration for ideas, the central kitty lair which gave birth to segments such as Caturday Doodles, Caturday Voodles (doodles: video with voice-over) and to Marvelous Monday Haiku. It’s the place where my husband and I take delight in observing the feline dynamics in a multi-cat household, each cat with their own little quirks and chirps. So it was only the natural order of things that I wanted the Chirpy Cats blog to focus on helping cats live enriched lives with their people. I hope the Chirpies have added some value to your daily grind and we are so thankful for your company, your comments and feedback. Read More

A litter that will give your cat something to rave about

30/12/2017
The Lady Cat
74 Comments
Reviews
Cat litter, giveaway, litter box, neon litter

When you have a panel of ten insatiably curious experts that poop in a box every day, you won’t want to miss an opportunity to try new litter products; especially if it promises less litter cleaning duty, is dust-free and has superior odor control. What? Where’s the catch? Let’s find out as we review our experience with Neon cat litter.

Neon litter comes in a variety of fun neon colors and they have this to say: “NEON Litter takes the “uggh and yuck” out of scooping the litter box…” So, let’s see what other cats are raving about and what’s so different about Neon litter. Read More

A Calendar That Gives Back to Community Campus Cats

26/11/2017
The Lady Cat
13 Comments
Catnip Chirps
cat calendar, community cats, feral cats, TNR

cat calendar featuring the TUFCAT feral cats

Featuring the handsome Mr. Spunky, the kittens and his friends

When I visited the community cat colonies living at the UWC campus in Cape Town this year, it warmed my heart to witness the dedication of the volunteers and staff of TUCAT (The University Feral cat Project). That Spring, the University got caught up in student protests on campus and as always, it’s the innocent animals that suffer the consequences that follow. Some cats went missing or were displaced, and with the student holidays and skeleton staff, it was a challenge trying to track them down and ensure that all the cat colonies were fed. But with the help of everyone from the volunteers, campus caretakers, and the security guards, the cats never missed a meal. The TUFCAT campus cats call this university their home and are loved by many!

Pixie, Please let sleeping cats lie!

There is nothing more annoying than that overzealous friend wanting you to join her for Zumba at the crack of dawn and all you want to do is sleep in. And what about that roommate who oversteps the boundaries and helps himself to your week’s supply of yogurt in one sitting? When it comes to our cats, their relationships with each other are no different. So what’s a cat to do when his housemate wants to play and he wants to sleep? Well, you scratch a sticky note text on your scratching post, of course! Read More

How Kittens Taught a Feral Cat to Love Again #GlobalCatDay

October 16 is Global Cat Day, initiated by Alley Cat Allies since 2001 is intended to rally people around the world to take a pledge to show compassion and kindness to our community cats everywhere. I love that they have renamed it Global Cat Day to expand their reach and message with the realization that community cats all over the world are faced with the same obstacles: local laws advocating the removal or killing of community cats from their natural habitats, in many cases using inhumane and cruel practices such as shooting and poisoning.

Luckily there are individuals and dedicated guardian angels working against all odds to protect and improve the lives of feral cats around the world. Earlier this year I have had the pleasure to have met up with one such cat guardian angel, sociologist and lecturer, Sharyn Spicer at the University of Western Cape, South Africa.

Author - The Lady Cat

Caturday Art: The Making of Sarabi the Cat Sculpture

Day Zero and what it means for the shelter pets of Cape Town

Winter reflections as the ice melts

Do you have the answers to your cat’s questions?

9 Ways catnip can enrich your cat’s life

The Good, the In-Between and the Forgotten Blog posts of 2017

A litter that will give your cat something to rave about

A Calendar That Gives Back to Community Campus Cats

Scratching Post Secrets Revealed week #3

How Kittens Taught a Feral Cat to Love Again #GlobalCatDay