The Way of Cats

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Here are some feature articles that will help you Find a Cat.

Cat Compatibility

Last modified on 2008-08-21 01:53:52 GMT. 1 comment. Top.

Whenever we add a new cat to existing cats, the issue of compatibility can be a daunting one. I’ve known many people who would love to get another cat, but worry about acceptance. This is where understanding the cat types and choosing wisely will let us worry less.

I’m very happy about RJ; it seems I picked well. Of course, the Tale of Ordell indicates I don’t always.

The easiest match is Type to Type. Get an Alpha, another Alpha. If we are choosing kittens, we can use their youthful flexibility to move only one step different from our existing cats.

If we have a bunch of quiet Gamma cats who love their routine, throwing a rowdy Alpha kitten into the mix will create more havoc than if we found a mellow, easy-going Beta kitten who loves to make friends. In this way, the new cat’s preferences will be like the other cats and there are points of compatibility for them to share.

Cats will gain confidence about their own lovableness if they see the new cat getting praise and attention for doing the same things they do. The Gamma cat is horrified when the Alpha gets laughter for their antics, because they know they can’t mess with things the way an Alpha can’t help but do. The Alpha cat is sad when the Gamma gets praise for not getting in trouble, because they know it’s hard for them not to play with things.

This creates cat conflict; the new cat’s way of looking at the world is so different our cat doesn’t know how to make overtures that will be accepted.

Cats are like us; they make friends with shared interests and shared outlooks.

Our attitude, expressed sincerely and with a lot of body language, will help this process along. We can be just as astonished as they are that this new cat appeared. “There’s a new cat in there! What will we do? I wonder what this new cat is like?”

We remind the established cats that they wanted a friend. “Will it be someone to play with? We need a new buddy. There isn’t enough cats to play with right now.”

And with a kitten, we can let them make a claim. “You have a kitten! Not many cats are lucky enough to get a kitten! They are so much fun, and they make you look so smart!”

Just like humans, cats want to know that there is no downside to this new relationship. We can help this along by paying even more attention to the established cats, and not being too effusive about the new cat, except in private. When with the other cats, a new cat has enough on their mind without being a focus of your attention, and the established cats want reassurance that the fun new cat does not mean they will be neglected.

The most important thing we humans can do is not rush this new relationship. If things are getting too tense, let the new cat retreat to their space, maybe with help. Do let the new cat be part of joyous cat occasions like extra dinnertime or new toys. Make it fun for everyone!

With proper choosing, and careful maintenance, the new cat will blend into the household and be a wonderful addition. Multiple cats have many advantages. They are playmates, model good behavior for each other, add to our communication efforts, and narrow the “cat gap”: those times when the humans want a cat around and there isn’t one available. Cats do enjoy having others of their own kind around.

Don’t deprive either of you.

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There’s more about multiple cats in The Way of Cats than the article you are reading now. See more posts on the MULTIPLE CAT ADVANTAGE.

The Importance of the Name

Last modified on 2008-07-26 23:09:23 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

It is not only important what we name the cat, which will have an impact on our relationship. Sometimes, it can be a great help to pick the name before we look for the cat. It requires the ability to look at a little furry face and realize it is not Roger or Violet or Inspector Gadget or whatever name we feel is The One for our future cat.

Dear Husband and I’s first kitten together was Ordell. We are both Samuel L. Jackson fans, and were fond of his performance as the gun dealer, Ordell Robie, in the movie Jackie Brown. So when I asked if he had any kitten preferences, he said, “Just get one we can name Ordell.”

So I did.

It was not immediately apparent that it might not be a good idea, in our particular situation, to have a kitten named after a psychotic criminal. Oh, it’s not that he wasn’t sweet. He was adorable and affectionate. But, as he grew long long legs, enough to get him the nickname of “The Muppet,” he was getting more and more energetic.

We tried to play him into the ground, but he’d take it all and come back for more. This was a difficulty.

Dear Husband has a chronic illness, with exhaustion and sleep disruptions as a constant companion. We didn’t have the room for Ordell to really burn down that energy. So we reluctantly found him another home, where he was going to be fostered until he calmed down.

That was seven years ago. We still visit, and get updates and pictures. But he never did calm down. He still leaps from the center of his cat person’s stairs, to snag the drapes over the entrance, swinging Tarzan-style into the middle of the room, to drop with a thud.

This is the kind of thing we are not able to provide, and he needs it. His new person is much better situated to give him what he needs.

That’s what love is.

So when Dear Husband brought up getting a kitten again, he said, “I know it was my fault. I sent you after an Ordell and you got an Ordell. So this time… could you pick out a Reverend Jim?”

Those who fondly remember Christopher Lloyd’s performance as the “embodiment of the ’60’s” character on Taxi, Reverend Jim, will immediately recognize the kind of personality I was looking for; mellow, a bit goofy, but with a heart of gold. And RJ not only has those traits, he has something extra.

Reverend Jim, on the television series, was constantly befuddled by the world around him.

Having spent decades in a drug haze, the demands of the 1980’s often gave him a completely flummoxed expression. Which we have seen on RJ’s face many times; when he realizes the food dish is always refilled, when he beheld our fancy litter box, when he jumps onto our chair and we make a lap for him to curl up and get cuddling. Whatever happened to him was bad enough for the police to remove him and hold him as evidence, and then he spent we don’t know how many months in cages, by himself.

When he arrived, we had to teach him how to play.

He has bounced back wonderfully. But I hope he never loses his version of Reverend Jim’s face; that wide eyed look of wonder that these great things are for him; and he never expected it.

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There’s more to The Way of Cats than the article you are reading now. See my LATEST CAT ADVICE.