Today we had the first snow this season. According to the weather news, it was the earliest snow in four years. I like snow. The bad news was that it was a very little amount–no more than 1/2 inch or maybe 15 millimeters. It does not snow here much or very often. It is usually too warm and there is much rain instead. I let the cats have a look out in the catio. Opie was not interested.
Marigold
When my father was only a child, he saved the holiday postcards he received. There is a large collection which are mostly valentines and Christmas cards. Today in honor of Thanksgiving, I present a postcard from 1921:
1921
In the upper left corner, we see a “pilgrim” girl waving at the turkey, while she holds what appears to be an ear of indian corn. Bye, bye! To the dinner table with you!
Previously, we were complaining about having nothing to do around here. Instead of lying about, we decided to put up a Christmas tree and other holiday decorations. A small artificial tree was put together. Opie supervised the placement of the tree, and declared the position to be satisfactory.
We finally finished most of the tree decorating, but not all. There is no shiny tinsel. The cats like to play with tinsel and eat it! Tinsel is not allowed! There are a few more special ornaments I must find, and place upon the tree. Overall, Opie was satisfied with the results of our labor so far.
This does not smell like a REAL tree!
Zeke
You need to add more dangling things at the bottom for me to bat around! (Will do!)
Marigold
Why are the lights off?
I did not ask for the camera flash!
Thanksgiving Day we prowl about as the holiday turkey is being cooked. After we eat, we groom and sleep, while the humans watch football.
It is dark in the morning when we wake up. Many days it is raining. Zeke decided to jump outside into the rain and have a scratch on the catio. Maybe it would be better to go inside, as the rain is getting stronger.
Zeke scratching
The rain is falling on my back!
The holidays have not arrived. The weather is colder and damper. There is not much to do for fun-loving Maine Coon cats like us. We like to bother Marigold. She is not like us. She is not around right now.
Opie
We have been getting extra catnip. Sometimes we chase each other through the house. Sometimes we get grumpy and fight. Most of the time we lie about doing nothing much.
Zeke and Opie
It is grey and cloudy out in the catio. The squirrels are busy. In the early morning, we see and hear all the birds. We wait for the holiday when we can eat fresh baked turkey meat! Thanksgiving holiday arrives Thursday!
Zeke and Opie
Germania Kalender 1916
National Cat Day falls on Oct 29 every year here in the USA.
Today I shall mention National Cat Day. It was created in 2005 by Colleen Paige. She wanted to draw attention to all the homeless cats in the USA that need help and new homes. Many millions of feral cats roam the country. A million or more are killed in animal shelters, because they cannot find homes for them all. Animal shelters are reducing adoption fees on cats, or eliminating them altogether today, to stimulate the adoption of cats today. Cats and their contribution of human society should also be celebrated!
Marigold I got from an animal shelter. Opie and Zeke were from a litter of feral cats, I took home.
Today we begin with extra tasty breakfast for all. Later, toys will be distributed and dangled! Catnip will be dispensed! Let the festivities begin!
Where do all the feral cats come from?
What damage do feral cats do?
Is licensing the answer to overpopulation?
Updated Pierce County, Washington cat licensing fees.
Feral cats by definition are the descendants of stray cats who gave birth in the wild. Where did all the stray cats come from? Some are lost family pets, while others were set loose by owners, who did not want them any more. I have read that the number of feral cats in America ranges from 30 million to as many as 80 million cats. In America feral cats are responsible for the death of an estimated 20 billion mammals. Bird lovers are dismayed as many bird species are being killed off by outdoor cats. The estimated death toll for birds here is 4 billion birds. (statistics from Alley Cat Allies) Australia is having an ecological disaster due to the many feral cats preying upon native birds and mammals.
One solution is T.N.R. or “Trap and Release.” Feral cats are trapped, spayed or neutered, and then returned to the wild. The success of this effort is controversial. Statistics are suspect, and can be manipulated. Common sense tells us that in small feral colonies, TNR will reduce populations. In large feral populations, TNR would be akin to emptying the ocean with a bucket. In either case, the cats are still outside in the wild, preying on small animals and birds.
Cat licensing throughout the United States could theoretically increase the number of “lost” cats returned to their owners. This would not help the problem of owners turning their unwanted cats loose in the wild.
Marigold
I got Marigold from a local animal shelter. She was a stray cat picked up in Tacoma. She was extremely friendly. She was either a “lost” pet, or released by her owner.
Opie and her new friend
Opie was a kitten born of two feral Maine Coon cats in the neighborhood. Zeke was also born of the same two Maine Coon cats in a later litter. I did not particularly want to take them in myself, as I had four cats already, but I did anyway. Today I am glad of it. Marigold, Opie, and Zeke are now my cat family, as the others passed away.
Zeke
Cat licensing is different everywhere you live. Cats do not need licenses in many places. Here in Pierce County, Washington, every dog or cat must have, and display a pet license tag. It does not matter if the pet never goes outside. Micro-chipping is not required. Having a microchip number in the county computer data base is good, because animals lose their collars. It increases the chance the pet will be returned to you.
Here in the county, you can have no more than 5 cats, or dogs, or combined dogs and cats, without a home inspection. When I lived within the city limits, you could have 6. When I moved, I was illegal as I had six cats. I was a lawbreaker for a while, until one finally died. Since they stayed indoors, I did not think the one unlicensed cat was very important. But. . . .
The penalty for having an unlicensed dog or cat is $256 (€ 188) per animal.
My next door neighbor has two indoor cats. They are not licensed. His neighbor has four indoor cats. They are not licensed. I have three licensed cats. In three houses, there area total of nine indoor cats, and only my three are licensed. As you can see from my example, unlicensed cats are more common than licensed cats, in spite of penalties.
LICENSE FEES
Fees paid go towards operating the county animal shelters.
A neutered cat fee is $12 (€9) per year.
An unneutered cat fee is $55 (€40) per year. Owning an unneutered cat is permitted.
Old Age Pensioner or disabled person cat fee $5 per year for neutered cat.
Old Age Pensioner or disabled person cat fee $30 per year for unneutered cat.
Replacing a tag when the collar gets lost = $5.
Kitten up to 6 months of age = $6. After that, you would pay the adult cat fee.
What if you want 6 cats or more? You must apply for a “cattery” license which cost $150 (€110) total for all. A person from “animal control” will come to your house and inspect it to ensure it meets clean and humane standards. Then, you will be issued your yearly license.
Microchipping your cat is not mandatory. My cats are microchipped as well. Collars come off.
No matter where you live, I am sure you have seen news stories about people hoarding 200 cats inside their house. The house is filthy and the animals sick and dying. That is something that needs to be prevented.
Washington passed a law that all cats must have rabies shots. You get a metal tag from your veterinarian plus a signed certificate when your cat gets a new shot. I do not add the rabies tag to my cats’ collars. If they ran free outside, I probably would add them.
Zeke is the only cat that does not wear his license. He is terrible with cat collars. I have tried many different kinds, but he gets them off, or tears them up. I am always on the lookout for a new one to try on him.
The penthouse has become very popular with Miss Opie and her brother Zeke, since I moved it to where the Christmas tree used to stand. Zeke likes to jump upon the dining room table, and then jump into the top of the penthouse, where he rests or sleeps. Opie likes to sleep up there as well. We will see Zeke on the table, ready to jump into the penthouse, but Opie is in there! At this time of day, he is supposed to sleep there. Does she not know this? Below, he is too tired to hold his head up. Note that the curtains behind him are tightly closed.
It has been a very long time since I have seen any “ghostly” anomalies in any of my photographs. The previous post was written in 2011. Sometimes I just take random room photographs. Then, I examine them. For a very long time—nothing. In the photo of Zeke above, the orange glow is from a lamp in the far corner of the room, reflecting upon the glass in the picture frame. The next photograph is different.
Above we see Zeke disappointed to find Opie in his place. Above Zeke’s head is a large transparent object. Is it a reflection from the window? Is it a reflection from anything else? You can see the curtains are tightly closed on both photographs. There is nothing over there to reflect off. Perhaps it is one of my four (yes, 4) ghost cats checking out the new penthouse? I wish I had aimed the camera a little bit higher! The photographs were taken 2 days apart with different cameras. I have since taken photographs, trying to reproduce the same mysterious effect. I cannot duplicate the “ghost.”
I believe in both human and cat ghosts. This is not because I am crazy. This is because I have seen, heard, and felt them. Just because you do not believe something, does not mean it is not true! If you have lost a cat to death, pay attention to your surroundings. You may get a surprise if you look hard enough!
“I ain’t afraid of no ghost!” (“Ghostbusters” 1984)
Feline Café 