Hedge Gets Brushed

How I Brush Quint's Teeth

Decorating the Ceiling

The main thing about cats is that they are insatiably curious. Anything new must be sniffed, tasted and poked to find out of what use it might be. Usefulness for a cat falls into three categories: sleeping, eating and playing. Thus, any new object must be immediately placed into one or more of the categories of usefulness. For example, I would fall into all three categories since I provide warmth when sleeping with or on, I supply food upon demand, and, not only am I the provider of toys, but often the animator of them as well, in that I toss them about for the kitties to chase. This makes me very useful to Quint and Hedge.

Newness for cats can be either a newly acquired object that has been brought home from the store, an item that has never previously been part of the household, or it can be a toy whose existence has been conveniently forgotten and has now been rediscovered. In the case of the former, the categorization process must be engaged immediately. For the latter, the category has already been established, but newfound delight can be experienced as a result of the rediscovery process.

All of the previous information is quite pertinent to the upcoming season, that being Christmas. Over the years that we’ve been together, Carol and I have acquired a great many Christmas decorations, including a lovely artificial tree and lots and lots of decorations, some handmade, some purchased and a few that were received as gifts. Some of these decorations are quite unique and delicate. At Christmas time we enjoy unpacking all these things and using them to create a festive atmosphere in the house. Two years ago, when we first adopted Quint, we decided not the put up the tree so that he wouldn’t get himself into trouble by behaving in a way that is natural for kittens. The year after that, Hedge became part of our household, and so we applied the same logic and chose to forego the tree again. This year, we decided, once again, to take the pro-active, preventive route and left the tree in its box. At this point, we’ll probably continue this strategy indefinitely, more because we like our solution to the problem then for any mistrust of our now fully-grown cats.

Two years ago, I had this brilliant idea. Since our house has quite a high ceiling which is spanned by lovely wooden beams, I thought it might be interesting to decorate that ceiling, putting all the delicate decorations out of reach of the curious kitties, but still allowing us to enjoy them by simply looking up. It has worked out wonderfully. We like our decorated ceiling and the cats don’t get in too much trouble over the holidays. It’s also a challenge to find new and interesting ways to create that festive atmosphere, and still maintain our kitty-safe environment. Part of our responsibility in living with cats is to let them be themselves as much as possible and, yet, still maintain a shared environment that works for all of us. Decorating the ceiling has proved to be a nearly perfect solution to what could have been quite a problem. The only drawback in the scheme is that I have to be very careful not to fall off the ladder while I’m putting up the decorations. So, far, I’ve succeeded.

The Undercover Cat

Despite having a very nice fur coat, cats are heat-seeking little creatures. Quint is certainly no exception, so when he trots into our bedroom at around 6:00 a.m. each morning to fulfill his duty as Carol’s alarm clock, he’ll often end up crawling under the sheets and blankets of our bed to snuggle with us for a while before someone gets up to feed him. Once he settles into a warm spot somewhere near the small of our backs, he decides that breakfast can wait for thirty minutes or so and that an extra morning nap is the perfect thing at the moment.

After that thirty minutes of warmth and closeness, the backup alarm trots in. Hedge is the backup alarm clock. Once he realizes that Quint his again succumbed to the lure of the safe, warm people-nest, he jingles into our room and warbles a query to Quint who responds with an answering chirp and a lashing of his tail. Quint’s tail lashing is soon followed by Hedge’s leaping up onto the bed. This causes Quint to crawl out from under the covers and begin the morning game of Chase. Chase continues in and out of our bedroom until someone gets up and serves breakfast.

Throughout all this, Quint still carries out the primary alarm functions, the tail lashing, the dashing across the bed, the trampling of Carol and I, and the jumping onto the floor with a loud thump. Hedge doesn’t thump, or trample, due to the fact that he is so light footed that if it weren’t for the bell on his collar we would rarely know where he is. The only way we know that Hedge is on our bed is when he lies down and leans against us. When he jumps down, he makes almost no sound. But for the jingle of the bell on his collar and the occasional chirrup, you would never know he was around. You can be putting cat food into dishes in the kitchen and, seemingly from nowhere, suddenly there is a black cat rubbing against your ankles. Hedge, if he were allowed to go outside, would be the perfect hunter; a fast, silent and deadly killer whose prey would never become aware of him until his needle sharp claws had found their mark. He has a bit of the Cheshire in him, too, in that he appears and disappears at will. He sits within a shadow, completely concealed and perfectly camouflaged, until you see a pair of glowing yellow eyes peering at you out of the darkness.

This morning’s wake-up call was particularly memorable. After a lovely Thanksgiving get-together with friends and family yesterday afternoon and evening, Carol and I, after we had returned home, had stayed up late and watched a movie. This morning was a perfect morning for sleeping late and so we did. Quint and Hedge are understanding about this sort of thing, but only to a point. Breakfast must be attended to and indulgence of human sloth can only go so far. Quint had crawled into bed with us and fallen fast asleep, willing to be as slothful as his human companions. Hedge, though, was hungry and leaped up onto the bed to let everyone know that it was past time for breakfast. Quint began the usual tail lashing and Hedge commenced an attack on Quint’s tail as it writhed about under the blankets. I chuckled and surrendered. Hedge was right, it was time to get up and start a new day.

Unlocking the Kitty Code

I received a book recommendation a short time ago from, Rachel, an on-line friend and reader of this blog. She said that she was surprised that I hadn’t read “The Silent Miaow” by Paul Gallico. Not only hadn’t I read it, I’d never even heard of it. I love a good internet research project, so I began my search for information about this book. I quickly found it on Amazon.com and, after reading a summary, knew I had to have it. There are two versions of this book available; the original, which features black and white photography by Suzanne Szasz and her husband; and a more recent version with color photographs. I chose the original version and when it arrived I knew I had made the right choice.

“The Silent Miaow” is an instruction manual for cats written from a cat’s point of view. The author claims to have translated it from a manuscript written by a cat who he suspects is most likely Cica, the cat who owns Suzanne Szasz and her husband. After reading the book, I suspect that it was indeed authored by a cat. It has the ring of authority and authenticity that only one who is experienced in the field can lend to this sort of manual. Those of us who live with cats should be grateful that this information has been made available; those who haven’t read it, ought to waste no time in finding a copy of this book and absorbing this vital information.

Not only is “The Silent Miaow” as wonderful source of insight into how cats think, it is also a lovely collection of candid photos of the everyday life of a cat. So lovely, in fact, that, upon finishing the book, I immediately set my camera to “monochrome” and have been following Hedge and Quint around for the last couple of days snapping endless shots of them as they perform their daily routines. I’m finding that the black and white photos show more of the form and feeling of the cats without the distractions that come with all the pretty colors. It is also proving to be a superior way of capturing images of Hedge. It seems that the black and white setting works better for photos of a black cat.

Thanks to Rachel for the recommendation and thanks to Mr. Gallico and Ms. Szasz for the book. I’ve not only gained useful knowledge of my cats, but I’ve gotten a bit of artistic inspiration as well. This may well be the best $4.00 I’ve spent in a very, very long time.

Hedge and I

Hedge is beginning to be my cat. In the same way that Quint is Carol’s cat, Hedge is mine. Certainly, both cats are fond of Carol and I, but when Carol is inside the house, Quint is with her. If she’s at her desk, he’s lying on the towel next to her keyboard, the towel having been placed there for just that purpose. If she’s in the dining room, he’s in the cat tree right above her head. If she’s on the couch watching TV, he’s there, too, within reach of her hand so as to be available for any petting that might be forthcoming. If she’s in the kitchen, he’s there at her feet, often bringing with him a toy mouse for her to throw and for him to catch. Quint loves Carol. At bedtime, Carol tells Quint the hour at which she desires to be awakened. The next morning, Quint promptly appears at just that hour and sees that she gets up on time.
I’m not saying that Quint doesn’t like me, too. It’s just that he really, really loves Carol. Quint and I have a different relationship, more businesslike. I’m in charge of brushing his teeth each day after dinner and he will come and remind me of that if I get busy or forgetful. I’m also in charge of refilling his food dish if the kibble supply should run low, and he reminds me of that as well. If Carol is not at home, or busy around the house, Quint will come and sit next to me on the couch if I’m watching a movie, but he prefers to be with Carol. I don’t blame him. She’s a much more pleasant person to be around than I.
Hedge, though still very much the skittish and shy type, will, if he’s in one of his rare confident moods, seek me out and insist that I pet him. He does this by coming into whatever room I’m in, squeaking at me and then walking deliberately out the door with a glance over his shoulder to see if I’m following. If I’m not, he’ll squeak again and insist that I come with him. I then must follow him until he’s in a space that he feels is the proper one to receive his petting. With Hedge, you can’t just get down on your hands and knees and pet him. No, you are only allowed to pet him if you remain standing and bend over at the waist to pet him, otherwise, he’ll suspect that you are going to try to pick him up and he’ll run away. He dislikes being held, but he loves being petted. He doesn’t seek out Carol for this since she loves to pick him up, instead he comes to me. My inclination, like Carol’s, is to pick him up and hold him while I pet him, but I know he doesn’t like being held, so I do things his way. By accommodating his needs, I’m hoping to help him get over his shyness. We’ll just have to wait and see if my strategy will be effective. It may take a very long time.
I like Hedge, and I think that he likes me. It used to be that the only individual in the house that Hedge really liked was Quint. No matter what Quint was doing or in which location he happened to be, Hedge wanted to be right there with him. Lately, though, Hedge has become a bit more independent of Quint and doesn’t have so much of a need to be with him constantly. They’ll often be found, now, napping in separate rooms. If I have time for an afternoon nap, Hedge will sometimes come and join me. Quint will come in the room to see what’s going on, but he usually goes off and takes his afternoon nap somewhere else. I understand Hedge. He doesn’t like to be restrained in any way, instead he wants to approach you and deal with you on his own terms. If he lies down with me for a nap, I don’t try to hold onto him or even touch him very much, a couple of scritches on the head are enough. For Hedge, even a slight desire for human companionship is progress in my eyes. If I make it safe for him to want to be with his people, he’ll eventually get better at being part of the family. I like him just the way he is and I’ll take whatever affection he’s willing to offer. If he feels safe and wants to offer more, I’ll take that, too, but I’m perfectly content to just let him be. He’s doing the best that he can and, considering his origins, that’s not too bad.

The Spirit of Cat

I have acquired a whole stack of books on cats, some came as gifts, some came from the used book store, and some I bought new. I have books on Cat Philosophy, Cat Behavior, Cat Psychology, Cat Humor, Choosing a Cat, and Caring for Cats. Some of them are written by veterinarians, the scientists of the cat world. My favorites are written by people who actually own and care for cats, sometimes those people are also veterinarians, sometimes not.


If you are trying to figure out exactly where to cut your cat's claws, go with the veterinary science approach to cats. They'll tell you where to cut so that you don't get into the living tissue inside the claw. For medical advice and treatment of physical problems, again, go with the veterinarian. That's what they do. They are the cat mechanics. They understand how the cat's body works and can help you fix it when it's broken. They can drain an abscess, stitch up a wound, pull a tooth, remove a growth and prescribe medications. I don't go to the scientists, though, for information on why my cat follows my wife around, or how to play with my cat, or how to communicate with my cat. With rare exceptions, that's not what the scientists are good at. Scientists think everything is a machine and that everything can be explained by mechanics and genetics.

If you are looking for all-around good advice about choosing, caring for, feeding and understanding cats, I recommend looking to the cat lovers for the best information. Cat lovers know that to understand cats you must look beyond the mechanics, beyond the bodily functions and instincts, beyond the genetics. You must look to the unique spirit that is the essence of each individual cat. There are no two the same. Just as no two souls are the same, no two cats are the same. Ask a scientist why your cat behaves the way she does and you'll get some answer that involves instinct and hard-wired genetic behavior. Ask a cat lover and the answer will be, "Because that's what the cat decided to do, of course."

You can't account for a cats behavior by only looking to genetics and instinct. Some of the things a cats does are quite obviously motivated by conscious decisions made by your cat after he has evaluated all the available data. Cats are usually quite rational about what they choose to do or, even, what they refuse to do. Sure, there are some pretty darn neurotic cats around, but most of them are not. A lot like us people, each cat has had life experiences that color its behavior. Animals that have been abused are often cowed, submissive and prone to hiding under the bed. Animals that have been raised in a safe, loving environment are normally sociable, friendly and fearless. Animals that grow up without any human contact tend to be aggressive and wary. Change the environment and you can change a cat's behavior. Take a wild, street cat and put him in a safe, loving home and you'll very likely end up with quite a good companion. The same goes for abused animals. If you show them that not all humans are trying to hurt them, they'll eventually figure thing out. It might take some time, but it most certainly can be done.

There's a reason that cats, like ourselves, respond to kind and loving treatment. It is because cats, like ourselves, are not simply a body with a brain. They, and we, are spiritual beings that just happen to inhabit these bodies. This is why, when we live in a safe, comfortable environment surrounded by people who care for us, we thrive, and why, when the opposite conditions prevail, we wither and diminish. We feel better when we are around people who love us because it lifts our spirit. People who love and care for cats, or any animal, know this. Wise veterinarians and human physicians know this as well. Beware of those who don't acknowledge, respect and nurture the spiritual nature in humans and animals. Sure, take care of the body. Keep it healthy, well fed and well rested, but also make sure that you provide nourishment for the spirit. Providing a loving, happy, playful and interesting environment is a more essential factor in maintaining good health than anything else you can do for yourself or for your cat. Keep this in mind when you are reading books about cats and be sure to take into account the spirit that is your cat and not just the cute, furry little body that the spirit lives in.