Cat Play

Other than sleeping and eating, play is a major part of my cat’s life. Since cats are true carnivores, their games center on hunting. Rabbit, Bird, Fish, and Mouse are the four major games that cats play, and their mothers teach them these skills as kittens. Cat's can play with a human companion, another cat or group of cats, or another species of animal altogether. Some cats have the ability to amuse themselves alone, but cat's aren't as creative as most young humans. This is why they usually require a basket of toys. Toys and moving objects are great for cats and most of them relate to the four major games cats play.

Playing with my cats strengthens our bond, helps disperse their aggression, reduces whatever fears they have, builds trust and confidence and corrects any inappropriate biting and scratching. By setting aside playtime with Boe and Pozzy, I provide them with the necessary exercise for their mind and body. Let me briefly touch on the four basic types of play my Boe and Pozzy indulges in everyday.

The Bird Game
In this game, Boe and Pozzy would leap through the air and swat on a particular toy. This is done for the purpose of capturing the elusive pretend bird. Most cats are able to leap five times their height from a standing position. Whenever I watch Boe and Pozzy play in this manner, it's a little like watching a cat ballet.


The Rabbit Game
In this game, Boe and Pozzy grabs an object, wrestles it to the ground clasping with the front paws and kicking with the hind legs(Boe's picture above illustrates this even more, see her grab the scratching post and kick it with her hind legs). This is how any cat for that matter would attack a prey of similar size in the wild (and in the case of domesticated cats in the home including the owners foot).


The Mouse Game
In this game, Boe and Pozzy would execute a finely executed pounce. This starts with pawing, stalking, biting, and capturing the object playing the part of the mouse. Sometimes it will look like the they are treading backwards when suddenly they would springs forward on the imagined object. This could be a squeeze toy, a furry mouse, or in the case of some owners, their big toe!


The Fish Game
In this game, Boe and Pozzy makes a scooping motion that imitates little hands pulling up a fish. This is often done with one paw reaching into the perceived prey. See Pozzy reach in with her paw, trying to pull out the ever illusive green ball.

Cat owners should really spend more quality time with their kitties. Personally I find a deep sense of fulfilment each and everytime I play with my cats. The laughter I derive from each activity wipes the daily blues instantly. I don't need coffee or chocolates to give me that "high". Seeing them enjoy playtime with me is more than enough to give me that happy feeling.

Here's to a constant playtime for you and your cats in the coming days!

Grooming Time

I love grooming my cat's. By this I mean two things, brushing their coats and clipping their nails. It's my way of spending quality time with them.

I have to admit, I don't follow the book when it comes to cat grooming. For example, it is advised that short haired cats like Boe need very little brushing usually once a week or once every other week is enough. Just stroking her fur is enough to bring out the beautiful shiny sheen. But I can't stand not brushing it anyways at least every other day. She's ok with this except when I sort of get carried away and brush too much and longer than she could handle. She won't bite or claw me but usually she would swish her tale to warn me of her irritation, just enough to give me time to back off. I learned my lesson the hard way when I didn't really understand the swishing of her tail when I brushed her coat for the first time. As expected, Boe gave me a warning bite. After that incident, I started to read more about cat behavior just to understand what certain feline movements mean.

While Boe require very minimal brushing, it's exactly the opposite when it comes to my Pozzy. She needs to be brushed DAILY(and she hates it). It's not easy brushing her at all. At first she would swipe me with her claws. I had to think of a way to avoid getting hurt. And so I managed to attach the brush in a 12 inch flat stick. This way, even if she tries to swipe me away with her claw, she would only hit the brush and not my hand. Brushing Pozzy is like forcing a 4 year old kid to take a bath. She would usually run away the moment she see's my hand with that evil brush. I would follow her anywhere just to brush her coat. Eventually she felt resigned to the fact that I AM THE BOSS and I get things my way whether she likes it or not.

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If it's a crime at all, then I would readily admit to forcibly cutting my cat's claws. Most cats do not like having their toenails trimmed. I have to "force" Boe and Pozzy to submit to this stressful session otherwise, they might hurt each other in one of their cat fights. When left uncut, their claws grow to be razor sharp weapons of defense.

This may seem like a daunting task at first, but trimming our cat's claws regularly is an important part of maintaining their hygiene. Keeping our cat's claws clipped will also minimize scratches that we might suffer. Trust me, it's not a pleasant feeling getting scratched by cats claws. From experience, the best time to trim my cat's claws is when they are relaxed/sleepy or when they just woke up from a nap. I literally avoid giving them a pedicure right after a stressful experience or an energetic round of play.

Some cat owners use clippers to cut their kitties claws. I use the ever dependable nail cutter instead. I would hold it vertically so that the claw is trimmed from bottom to top instead of across the nail. This position help prevents splitting the nail that usually occurs when it is cut horizontally. I would hold a paw in one hand and press a toe pad gently to extend the claw. I make sure I dont cut the pink tissue (also known as the "quick") on the inside of the cat's claw and literally avoiding it; cutting into it will cause pain and bleeding.

That pissed look from Pozzy before

and after a nailclipping session

Boe's resistance to the nailclipping session is nothing compared to Pozzy's. She just hates it and would do anything to break away from my grip. I would talk to her in the most loving voice just to calm her down and assure her I'm not going to hurt her. I somehow suspect that her previous owner must accidently hurt Pozzy in the process which explains her resistance. I don't know if Pozzy will ever get over the trauma so I am trying my very best to use "gentle force" on her( if there's such a word). I would usually shower her with praises right after each session and immediately spend some playtime with her. I want her to associate nailclipping to playtime so that eventually the fear and resistance will lessen and hopefully she would look forward to the session instead.

Sexier Boe

A leaner looking Boe sleeping soundly beside me

I have a good reason to celebrate. Boe lost weight!! Yipeeeeeeee*jumping up and down*

My well planned strategy worked. Boe's slender form is back. If my assessment is correct, Boe lost around 5 pounds in just one week. That's a lot of excess weight chopped off her. Her agility improved drastically. I noticed in the past she had difficulty running away from Pozzy when the two of them engage in the usual cat fight. Now she can speed away in a blink of an eye and even Pozzy got a little bit surprised by this renewed speed from Boe. Ganun na sya kabilis tumakbo ngayon! Tuwang tuwa talaga ako.

Now I'm a little bit tempted to write Science Diet and let them know their product worked wonders for my Boe. I think they should even pump up their product campaign for Science Diet Light considering the alarmingly huge number of obese cats in the US. Seriously, a lot of cat owners should resist the temptation of feeding their kitties with table food. They endanger their cat's health when they take for granted this single most important rule of thumb when it comes to cats health. Kawawa naman yung pusa. Sigh.

I find it hard to believe na in a span of a week lang ay matatapyas na agad yung kinaiinisan kong taba nya sa belly area. What an amazingly fast transformation indeed. Sana ganun din kabilis mag lose ng weight ang tao. Buti pa si Boe nagawa ito in a week eh samantalang ako, hindi lang yata tatlong buwan kailangan ko para magawa iyon, baka isang taon pa huhuhu kainis. Sana may Science Diet Light formula for human consumption with the same potency para naman in one week, anyone who has weight concerns would get a leaner look. Ang tanong, ano naman kaya ang lasa nun? Ewww. Ok, halata na ba na naingit ako kay Boe? bwahihi

Here's to a long and happy life for Boe. Cheers!

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