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First Let Me Tell You A Little About My Three Cats, Dusty, Lego and Budder!
Budder is the sweetest kitty anyone could ask for. I believe he is part munchkin, as his front legs are quite a bit shorter than most. This does not in any way affect his daily activities. He gets around just as well as the other two, in fact sometimes faster (This I mostly attribute to his being a kitten still). I think he's definately going to be the 'BOSS' of the house... hahaha. He thinks my bed belongs to him. Whenever I go out he scratches on the window because he wants me to come back in. He always greets me at the door and does this figure 8 thingy around my ankles. Then he goes straight to the kitchen and meows until I feed him some can food. Budder is a free-spirit during the day and dosen't like to be held much. When night-time comes he always sleeps near me. He loves to be under the covers and close to me. This I don't mind because he purrs and purrs. Can you think of anything more sweet than that, 'falling asleep to kitty music'...
I call Lego my paper kitty. He just adores paper wads. When I throw them he actually goes and retrieves them and puts them by my feet, so I'll throw them again! Who says you can't teach a cat tricks... Speaking of tricks, I never have to lick stamps or envelopes. Lego will gladly lick them for me! I just hold them down to him and he licks away. He also loves to smell the mail when we bring it in from outside. I buy him all kinds of toys and he would rather have the wrappers from them. He just likes anything to do with paper. I just can't throw a piece of paper away without letting Lego play with it first. If I try to, he meows and gets in the waste basket to get at it. He never misses the sound of a piece of paper being wadded up.
Dusty likes any kind of box/carton to play and lie down in. Empty shoe boxes are his favorites, and if you throw a old shoelace in the box, he will play with it for hours. Dusty knows what the word bye-bye means too. He has a leash for when I take him outside. He will go sit by the door when I ask him if he wants to go bye-bye. Then I go to the drawer in the kitchen where his leash is and he will follow me there. Then I tell him to get on a chair and he will. Then he starts purring very loudly! I can hardly put his leash on him because he's always trying to rub his head all over my hands at the same time. Finally I get the leash on and we are ready to go outside now. First thing he does outside is: heads for the nearest big tree. He then climbs about four feet up and starts scratching while hanging there! What a silly cat I always say. (In the mean time, I can hear Lego meowing at the window.) So we then proceed to go to the window where Lego is, so I can talk to him a bit. (Lego is afraid to go outside, I don't know why - he just is...) So anyway Lego cries the whole time we are outside. I guess he just doesn't want us to being go outside either. Finally its time to come back inside but........... Dusty refuses to come up the stairs. He just sits there at the bottom of the stairs pulling his head from side to side (like he is telling me 'no'). I end up picking him up to bring him inside after a few more minutes of this. When we are inside I quickly get his leash off. Then Lego licks his head and ears. Then Dusty lays down and rolls and wiggles all over the floor! I think he does this to show-off to Lego, because he got to go outside. Then they romp and play knocking stuff over all around the house. ___________________________________________________________________
HERE ARE SOME IMPORTANT CAT FACTS...
* If a cat has bad breath, it is often a sign that his teeth need cleaning. Regular dental care is important for your cat. Talk to your veterinarian about ways to help keep your cat's teeth healthy and strong.
* Don't take chances with your cat's life. Make sure your cat receives a rabies shot once a year. One shot will provide protection against rabies for twelve months.
* Children must be taught how to handle a cat correctly, so that the body is firmly supported. A cat may scratch or bite if held improperly. Never pick a kitten up by the scruff of the neck, only a mother cat knows how to do this correctly.
* Cats will suffer metabolic disturbances if you try to make vegetarians out of them because they are predators and need animal protein. Cats need four times as much protein as dogs; therefore use only cat food when feeding your cat. Remember cats prefer their food at room temperature. Never feed your cat food that comes directly from the refrigerator.
* By tirelessy licking its fur, a cat keeps it soft to retain its insulating effect. You can also help your cat my brushing him daily. Cats have stress too! Grooming your cat's coat serves as a relief from tension, excitement, or embarrassment this is called "displacement grooming."
* Please remember to spay or neuter your cats. Only two out of every ten kittens born in the United States ever find a lifelong home because of overpopulation. Adopting a cat from an animal shelter will help with this problem.
* A cat will be lost without his whiskers. Never trim or cut them off. Periodically, they'll fall out on their own. But new ones take months to grow back.
* In ancient Rome cats were said to lie at the feet of the goddess Libertas. During the French Revolution they were considered a symbol of freedom because of their independence and free will.
* Agouti is the technical term for wild coloration in cats. This type of coloring is produced by bi- or tricolored light or dark banding on every single hair, with the tip of the hair always dark.
* The presence and degree of eruption in the teeth of a cat are one method a veterinarian uses for determining the age of a kitten.
* Many communities offer reduced-fee programs for spaying and neutering your cats. Check your local shelter to see if such programs are available in your area.
* If you are afraid of cats you may suffer from ailurophobia.
* Declawing is an unnecessary and painful procedure for cats and involves the amputation of the top portions of a cat's digits. Rather than having your cat declawed, buy a scratching post and use positive reinforcement to teach him to use it. Scratching is a normal behavior and declawing shouldn't be considered as an option.
If you would like to see Dusty and Lego's pictures go to: DUSTYLEGO
My Favorite Cat Names
My Favorite Links
Angelfire - Easiest Free Home Pages
Rodney Dangerfield's Home On The WWW
A Good Pet Food Site
HARVEYWORLD - 3 cute cats
