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For the latest catnip chirps at the scratching post,
check out our most recent posts on environment enrichment,
DIY cat hacks, behavior, training and cat fun!

1
How to survive trips to the vet with your head held high
2
Beware: This cat is cold and aloof!
3
Are you letting your cat walk all over you?
4
Celebrating 20 years of TNR at South African University
5
It’s a merry white Christmas
6
5 things I learned about making a bed with cats
7
I see the world through my heart
8
Cat Calendar that will help care for African ferals
9
A cheekful of Autumn Vine
10
Keep it Short and Sweet

How to survive trips to the vet with your head held high

A survival guide for coping with trips to the vet from a senior cat.

cat on vet table

Sarabi copes with visits to the vet by thinking of her happy space, catnip on a hot Summer’s day.

It’s 8:10 am and it’s time to leave the house to get to the vet on time but Fluffy is nowhere to be seen. You frantically search under every bed, in the cupboards and even the shower (well, because cats are weird like that and you’re half expecting to find him there, but of course he’s not) and there is no sign of him. Fluffy has sniffed something sinister a mile away and it smells like “vet checkup!” For most cats, myself included, this Houdini tactic is something we have all done at some point in our nine lives. But today I would like to let you in on my transition from a cat who bolted from the cat carrier to a grand old dame who cheerfully hops inside and loves feeling the wind in her whiskers. Well, not today, though, it was -20 degrees celsius and I was certain my old bones would not take kindly to frozen whisker syndrome for the first time, so I settled for the back seat of the car, in a cat carrier. (Yes, I know, boring!)

Think of your happy space, like chin sritches, or butterflies in summer

Now for all you seasoned cats out there, you might knowingly blink at a few points, you might flick your tail in disbelief or you might just start washing your paws in embarrassment. But for the youths out there, let this old lady Bengal (that’s moi!) give you a few pointers on how to survive the trip to the vet with your dignity intact.

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Beware: This cat is cold and aloof!

Is your kitty as cold as ice?

It’s a nice sunny day, so instead of Caturday cuddles, we were presented with a rather bizarre scenario in our catio. He’s cold, hard, doesn’t respond to head boops and he can’t even meow.

Ollie the cat with cat ice sculpture

Hello there, give us a hiss, show us what you got, ice cat.

We are still uncertain about the purpose of this soulless cat with empty eyes and no purr. Not even a hiss! We thoroughly inspected this imposter and he has neither taste nor smell.

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Are you letting your cat walk all over you?

I lay here, unable to move, barely able to stretch my legs for fear of waking a sleeping pile of purring fur at my legs. My neck feels contorted, head shoved off the pillow, and then I open my eyes staring nose to nose at my oldest cat, me graciously accepting a raspy tongue for a second or two. Well wasn’t that a good night’s sleep?!

Cat and his human

Our cats are always hogging our space, wanting to be with us, everywhere. Like many cat people, we practice an open door policy for the bathroom. There’s one cat asleep on the mat next to the shower, there’s another looking curiously from his ‘basin bed.’ I have accepted that cat hair, like invisible floating snowflakes, will always mysteriously land on my mascara wand when applying makeup. This is the complete cat package, one that we would never give up for the world.

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It’s a merry white Christmas

Jackaboo the cat sends warm seasons greetings.

Jackaboo and friends wish you a Happy Christmas.

In these turbulent times we wish for nothing more than peace around the world. Our human guardians are blessed because we know that with just one stroke of fur or a rumble of a purr all troubles melt away.

We wish you joy, peace, fulfillment and happiness in whatever holiday it is that you celebrate.

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5 things I learned about making a bed with cats

cat playing in sheets

Most cat owners know all too well the daily struggle of making a bed with cats lurking about. There you are removing the bedding, shaking out the sheets and cats come from all corners of the house to make a mad dash for the bed to pounce and ‘tent’ under flying sheets. Cats have a built-in radar for hearing the rustle of sheets and bedding no matter where they are in the house.

“Someone’s making the bed, let’s go pawticipate!”

The more you shake out the sheet, the more excited your cat becomes, thinking this game is most definitively ten times better than that silly wriggly new toy you had bought last week. On a cat’s list of things to do, only ‘boxing’ or sitting in a box, tops ‘helping the human make bed’, which comes in at a close second.

These are the 5 things I learned about making the bed with the help of cats

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I see the world through my heart

senior Blind cat

“He’s gone blind” I texted my husband, just a week after invasive dental surgery on our 15-year-old CKD cat, Earl Grey.
“That can’t be possible, I saw him climbing on the bridge this morning.”

I observed every step he took, watched every movement closely. Yes, our cat has become blind, overnight. Our beloved Earl Grey is struggling to find his way around the house. He is trying to desperately rediscover every corner, sniffing every inch of surface, treading lightly with each hesitant paw. His slow movement is not just weakness from the surgery or muscle atrophy from his kidney disease. His eyes are dilated black saucers, trying desperately to catch any light, just any at all. His head sways in the general direction of my voice as I try to soothe him with calming words.

At this moment I try to recall if this was a sudden onset or was he like this when he returned home after spending two nights at the vets after his surgery. Were his pupils this dilated and vacant? I can’t recall through my utter devastation. But how was he able to climb up to the bridge?

Our vet confirmed he has high blood pressure and this, coupled with the four-hour long surgery to remove ten teeth and the myriad of drugs administered to keep him alive during his surgery, were all contributing factors to his loss of sight. Having kidney disease did not help his situation either.

In every situation, there is light at the end of the tunnel, albeit for him, a very dark tunnel. We know his mouth is pain-free now as he is wolfing down his food. A huge relief!

My mum asked, “but how will he get by?”

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Cat Calendar that will help care for African ferals

‘A Catio for all Seasons’ Cat Calendar

Us cats love nothing more than to cavort in our little catio jungle, come rain, hail or snow. There is always something interesting to do; basking in a sun puddle, watching the birds from the highway ramps or ambushing my friend George as he exits the tunnel. We like sharing our activities with everyone and we are pleased to announce our new 2017 cat wall calendar ‘A Catio for all Seasons’ which is now available for sale. There are many delightful photos of us, capturing our charming purrsonalities and mischievous antics, but above all, it’s also peppered with sprinklings of our Haiku poetry that is sure to keep you on the good path of Zen. Here at Chirpy Cats it’s all about less stress and more Zen.

Cat Calendar 2017

The Chirpy Cats 2017 Wall Calendar ‘A Catio for All Seasons’

 

The Chirpy Cats crew hail from different situations, but our backgrounds all have a common thread: abandonment by humans for various reasons. We were lucky to end up with our humans, but we know that many others are not so lucky. That is why our big Lady Cat has decided to donate all proceeds from this calendar to a TNR program in South Africa called TUFCAT (The UWC feral Cat Project) a rescue group based in Cape Town, South Africa, who takes care of a colony of ferals located on the University premises. Read More

A cheekful of Autumn Vine

Can you feel it? Can you hear it? The crisp cool air, the captivating frisson of colour everywhere and the crispy crunch of ‘leaf Fall’. But the bugs are leaving and Mr Spider is about to pack his bags goodbye so what’s a kitty to do? Well, perhaps spend more time at the indoor watering hole or do more laptop time. But if you’re an outdoorsy kind of cat that also loves silver vine (Actinidia Kolomikta), then you’d be wise to spend your mornings claiming your spot. What’s so special about the silver vine plant during the Fall? The twigs are exposed when the leaves fall making them more attractive and accessible to kitty noses. Not a cat goes by without stopping in their tracks and rubbing against the vine, spreading a cheekful of pure vine goodness on their fur.

Old grandpa Earl Grey Ninhsy and Scout get their share of vine loving at the vine corner of the catio.

    Senior cat jumps from rampJump my old boy, jump!
    Confident and sure-footed
    You are amazing!
    perfect landing for senior catDignity intact
    A graceful purrfect landing
    With a spring in your stride
    cat sniffs silver vine twigsInvigorated!
    Scented twigs my nostrils flair
    I feel like I'm home
    cat loves the smell of silver vineI've forgotten the vet
    The Silver Vine calls me home
    I am here to stay
    Cat out on the catwalkCool tortie walks by
    She seeks vine twigs a plenty
    Enough for me alone?
    Scout the cat loves the vineCan it be explained
    The vine tickles my tortitude
    My senses entranced
    Scout the cat contemplatesI think long and hard
    The leaves go but the twigs remain
    Even in the snow
    Scout lying on the catio floor with leafOh marvellous leaf!
    Our kitchen floor is too bare
    Time to decorate!

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Keep it Short and Sweet

“You want a Sunday Selfie? Sure I can do one or two, but make it quick! I have places to go and things to see.”

When branches are swaying and leaves are moving, the pitter patter of little tuxedo capri pants paws are itching to leave their prints through the tunnels to investigate. Sly Pie sits for a minute and shows off his new layers ready for winter.

tuxedo cat looks cute

Ma, does my tuxie coat hide my increased girth?

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