Poem - Loving and Liking

Long may you love your pensioner mouse,
Though one of a tribe that torment the house:
Nor dislike for her cruel sport the cat,
Deadly foe both of mouse and rat;
Remember she follows the law of her kind,
And Instinct is neither wayward nor blind.
Then think of her beautiful gliding form,
Her tread that would scarcely crush a worm,
And her soothing song by the winter fire,
Soft as the dying throb of the lyre.

William Wordsworth

  

* This Poem is from www.catquotes.com

Humans: No Fur...

Humans: No fur, no paws, no tail. They run from mice. They never get enough sleep. How can you help but love such an absurd animal?

- Anonymous cat about humans

Jerry

Toxic Plants: Aloe Vera

It's something that doesn't usually cross our minds, but some common plants around our yards are in fact toxic to our furry friends. 

ALOE VERA PLANT

 Aloe Vera is harmful to both Cats and Dogs due to the Saponins that it contains. Saponins is the soap like foam the you can see when you crack an Aloe leaf.

Signs of your cat being affected from this can include vomiting, depression, diarrhea, anerexia, tremors, and change in urine color.

You should consult your vet immediately if you have any concerns.
 

*This information was gathered from www.care2.com

Cat Law

Cat Law: Find your place in the sun. Especially if it happens to be on that nice pile of warm, clean laundry.

Ruphio

Balinese

The Balinese cat is basically a long-haired Siamese, and originated from Siamese cats that were carrying a mutant gene for long hair. They were first noticed in the early 20th Century when breeders at first gave away their long-haired kittens, until after the Second World War, when Marion Dorsey of California began to breed to intentionally produce them. At first they were known as Long-haired Siamese, but the Siamese fraternity protested about the similarity in the name, and 'Balinese' was suggested, due to the cats' resemblance to elegant, Far Eastern temple dancers. In 1961 the Balinese was recognized in America but it was not until the mid 1970's that the Balinese was imported into Europe. The breed achieved recognition and championship status in this country in 1986.

The Balinese cat is a beautiful elegant medium sized cat. The head is long and carried on an elegant neck, wide between the ears and tapering in straight lines to a fine muzzle and showing a straight profile. The ears are large and may have tufts. The eyes are bright blue and oriental in shape and setting. The body is slender and graceful with the hind legs longer than the fore legs. The legs are slim and the paws are small and oval. The tail is long, tapering and plumed.The Balinese coat is fine and silky and the hair is from half an inch to two inches long. The tail is plumed and the hair on the tail can be as long as five inches. There is no woolly undercoat and the hair lies flat against the body. The coat features the same coloured points and mask as the Siamese; the ears, face, legs, feet and tail are densely coloured and clearly defined with the colour on all the points matching. 

The Balinese temperament is similar to that of the Siamese but some owners think the Balinese is quieter, possibly because of the influence of the longhair gene. However, it is likely that the Balinese will be something of an extrovert and will demand attention from its human companions. They are playful and can be taught to retrieve. They are extremely vocal and almost seem to talk to their owners. They are immensely loyal and don’t always suffer rivals for their owner’s attention lightly. They need to be part of the family and to have nearly constant company and they are possibly not an ideal cat to have if you are out to work all day. This can be overcome by having two cats! They are quite content to be indoor cats. 

* This information was gathered from www.purina.com.au

Quiet house when your pets arn't home...

When you're used to hearing purring and suddenly it's gone, its hard to silence the blaring sound of sadness.
- Missy Altijd

Thomas

Motherly Love

Kittens! Kittens!

Kittens kittens everywhere

Kittens chewing on my hair

Kittens climbing up my jeans

Kittens hanging from the screens

There's a kitten on each shoulder

Will they do this when they're older?

Kittens fighting on the chairs
Kittens tumbling down the stairs
There's a kitten on my head
There's a kitten in the bed!
There's a kitten in my shoe
I don't believe we just have two!

Author Unknown

Akira and Shah

 *This poem can be found on http://www.catquotes.com/kittenskittens.htm

Mr Red Update

"Yesterday was such a miserably wet day to go outside so I decided to stay inside and watch television with Desi." Mr Red.

Mr. Red

Introduction of Plants that are Toxic to your Cats

Did you know that there are actually over 700 plants that can be poisonous or toxic to your pet? That size of a number seems almost incomprehensible and makes you wonder if there are actually any plants left over that are NOT poisonous to animals! There are a quite a lot left over that is okay for your pets.

We cannot possibly begin to cover every single poisonous plant in existence, and it should also be said that some plants are much more toxic than others are. It is important to use your best judgment when determining whether or not these plants should remain in your home or garden. Consider your personal situation and the normal behavior of your pets.  If you keep any poisonous plants in areas that cannot be accessed by your pet, or if you have a pet that has never bothered with getting into your plants in the past, then it is likely you shouldn't have a problem with keeping particular species of plants in a home with pets.

The most important thing for you to do when assessing your current plant situation, is to dig a little bit deeper and find out exactly how toxic certain plants can be and how they can affect your animal. 

You can see an extensive list of plants that have been frequently encountered as being dangerous to cats at http://www.aspca.org/Pet-care/poison-control/Plants?plant_toxicity=toxic-to-cats This is a guide to what plants and flowers to keep your eyes open for.

Tune in every Thursday for detailed information on common plants in most households that are poisonous to your cats.

 * This information was collected from http://www.aspca.org/ and http://www.care2.com/ websites

Any conditioned cat-hater...

Any conditioned cat-hater can be won over by any cat who chooses to make the effort.

- Paul Corey

Australian Mist

The Australian Mist was developed over more than twenty years and have a large gene pool, derived from over 30 foundation cats, half burmese, and a  quarter each Abyssinian and Domestic. Burmese contributed the "laid back" nature, four of the colours and some of the pattern, as well as general size and confirmation. From the Abyssinian came the beautiful ticking to develop the pattern, two colours, and a touch of lively intelligence. Domestics contributed to the best spots, but primarily to vigour, with a dose of "uncosseted" cat genes improving teeth, kidneys, mothering qualities, and helping to stabalise litter sizes around the feline average of four kittens.The exciting marbled pattern, accepted as part of the breed in 1997 has "popped up" throughout the development of the breed and is growing in popularity.

These delectable short-haired cats were the brain-child of Dr. Truda Straede (Nintu Cattery) and were developed from the idea to full register over nine years from 1977. This wholly AUSTRALIAN breed of cat is now recognized by governing councils Australia wide. 

There is nothing extreme about Australian Mist, they are of moderate size, medium boned, rounded of head, with large eyes and ears. The coat is short, but resilient, the tail is plumply furred. The colours are warm brown, blue, chocolate, lilac, gold and peach; the pattern is of delicate spots or intricate marbled swirls against a misty ground, with legs and tail ringed and barred, and the face lined. Eyes are large and expressive in a range of greens. The nose, chin and whiskerpads are broad giving the face a generous expression.

Carmen Miranda

They make perfect pets for children of all ages, even very young ones, as they are tolerant of handling, and are not inclined to scratch. As kittens they are lively, but sober up a little on maturity. Their life expectancy is in the mid to late teens. Australian Mists thrive on human contact, making them happy to remain indoors between dusk and dawn or to be wholly indoor pets, an advantage as most people now prefer to keep their pets indoors. This also protects native wildlife. Some Mists can be trained to go for walks on a lead. Their tendency to crawl into the nearest lap with or without invitation and to constantly hang around to see what people are up to, makes them excellent companions for home workers. De-sexed cats and kittens fit in easily with all sorts of cats and dogs. These qualities create a truly companionable pet for any household and lifestyle, an Australian Mist will quickly become a member of the family.  

* This information was gathered from www.purina.com.au

Cats speak a subtle language...

Cats speak a subtle language... "Mnrhnh" means comfortable soft chairs. It also means fish. It means genial companionship... and the absence of dogs.

- Val Schaffner

Loo

A Beautiful Friendship

Every day - at the same time - she waits for him...

He comes... and they go for a walk

Wouldn't it be great if we all had friends like this...no words needed...they just intuitively recognize the value of each other in their lives and act accordingly.

FRIENDSHIP

The comfort of feeling safe with a person, having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but pouring them out just as they are - chaff and grain together - certain that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping and with the same breath of kindness blow away the rest.

I'm only a Cat Poem

I'm only a cat,
and I stay in my place...
Up there on your chair,
on your bed or your face!

I'm only a cat,
and I don't finick much...
I'm happy with cream
and anchovies and such!

I'm only a cat,
and we'll get along fine...
As long as you know
I'm not yours... you're all mine!

Author Unknown

 

Tigerlily on our Leather Lounge in one of our Platinum Paws Suites

Update on Mr. Red

Mr. Red has started exploring the property with his friend Desi. Desi opens the door for Mr. Red and himself to go outside and play together. However Mr. Red doesn't like to venture too far from the house just yet. He has been hanging around the gardens beside the house just getting a feel for the property.

Mr. Red comes over and spends some time with the girls in the office and really likes sitting up on the Scratching Post overlooking them working.

Mr. Red

The Fatal Lily

Several species of lily are highly toxic to cats. Even in tiny amounts it can cause toxicity and kidney failure. Symptoms include vomiting, depression and loss of appetite and will usually occur 30 minutes to two hours after ingestion. Species that are poisonous to cats include:

• Stargazer Lily
• Tiger Lily
• Asian Lily
• Easter Lily
• Rubrum Lily

Stargazer Lily

Tiger Lily

Asian Lily

Easter Lily

Rubrum Lily

* This information was taken from the "Pet Living" Magazine of Autumn 2012

I Never Married Because....

I never married because there was no need.

... I have a dog which growls every 

morning, a parrot which swears all afternoon, 

and a cat that comes home late at night.

- Marie Corelli

Effie

Abyssinian

The Abyssinian is one of the oldest domestic breeds. It is believed by many people that the Abyssinian is descended from the cats of ancient Egypt and, indeed, they do bear a strong resemblance to the cats depicted by sculptures and paintings found in the Egyptian pyramids.

The precise origins of the Abyssinian remains unclear, although it is fairly certain that the wife of an English Army officer, a Mrs Captain Barrett-Leonard, brought the original specimen back to Britain from Abyssinia in 1868. Other members of the army may have also brought these cats back from what is now known as Ethiopia around this time. It is known that the first mention in a book was in 1874, the breed was recognized in Britain in 1882.

In Australia, the first Abyssinians were imported during the late 1950's from England and New Zealand.

Photo of the first litter born in 1960 in NSW. 

The first five Abyssinians to arrive in NSW came early in 1959. 'Finisterre Casim' a male and 'Finisterre Sherada' a female, were from New Zealand. They were consigned to Mrs J Thurmer of South Australia, but due to some problem, were collected and held in Sydney for several weeks before continuing to Adelaide.

Despite their wanderings when they settled with Mrs Thurmer they proved to be a good breeding pair and produced the first registered Abyssinian litter in Australia (they were later sold to a Victorian breeder, and continued to produce prolifically).

Isis

Abyssinians are medium-sized cats. They are very elegant, regal-looking cats with strong, fleixible bodies and long, slender legs. Their paws are small and oval. They have round, wedge-shaped heads with distinctive tuffed tips to the ears which are large and pointed and set wide apart. Their eyes are large and almond-shaped and they have short, close-lying coats. Their tails are fairly long, broad at the base and tapering to a point. Abyssinians comes in a range of different colors, Ruddy being the most common coat color. They are also seen in sorrel, blue or fawn colors. Silver Abyssinians are a separate group which includes black silver, blue silver, fawn silver and sorrel silver. Not so common colors are tortoiseshell, red, cream, chocolate and lilac. The Abyssinian's coat does little shedding and is relatively easy to care for with a brush and comb through occasionally.

The Abyssinian is intelligent and curious, but this is tempered with a cautious streak.They are extremely loyal, and will become very attached to there family. The male will generally tolerate other cats well, but the female may be a little prickly and prefer to be the only cat in the family. Both sexes can form strong attachments to dogs.

Isis

The worst thing that you can do to an Abyssinian is deprive it of human company, and it is important that it lives in a household where people are usually at home. It also hates being confined, and needs plenty of space. It is a good climber. This cat is not much of a talker, but will still let its owner know exactly what it wants.It is playful and inquisitive but also sensible and will not rush into situations recklessly. After a game it will be happiest sitting on its owners lap being stroked and petted.


The Abyssinian Cat Club of Australia's website is http://www.abyssinian.org.au

Felix

* Information was gathered from several websites such as www.abyssinian.com.au, www.abyssinian.org.au, www.purina.com.au

The Smallest Feline

The smallest feline is a masterpiece
- Leonardo da vinci

Winnie

The Cat Breed Introduction

Cats have primarily been kept as hunters and companions where as dogs were domesticated thousands of years before cats even associated with people. We needed canines to help us hunt, work, and herd among other tasks.This is why there are more than 150 recognized breeds of dog, but only about 40 distinct breeds of cats in the registries. However their seems to be a new breed of cat added every year.

Purebred Cat Lovers generally choose breeds of cats that are similar to their personality. Cat owners are mostly drawn to cats based on the cats looks. You will find that most cats do actually take on the personality of their person. If you were interested in finding out what breed of cat would best suite your lifestyle, you can go to "http://www.whiskas.com.au/Breeds.aspx" and fill in the questions and they will provide the type of cat they think would best suite you and your lifestyle.

Tune in Every Tuesday for Each Individual Breed of cats' information including the origin, description and personality.

Subra

*This information was gathered from several sources such as "The Cat Behavior book" by Arden Moore
                                                                                                   http://www.catster.com/
                                                                                                   http://www.whiskas.com.au/

Cats Superiority

Dogs eat, Cats Dine!

- Ann Taylor

Cordelia

The Tale of Doc and Marty

The Tale of Doc and Marty

About 1 & ½ years ago, 2 little male domestic kittens approximately 6 months old were found by Mrs Parker on her property.  Luckily Mrs Parker is a Cooinda customer & brought them to the cattery.  Jill, the owner of Cooinda decided to keep them at the cattery & try to find a home for them herself.  They were named by Mrs Parker as Fluffball & Tiger 2.  They were a bit worse for wear, matted fur, under-nourished & scared.  I remember Jill referring to them as ‘the feral's'.  We kept them in the fernery apartments in the cattery & all the kitty carers spent time with them to get them used to ‘us humans’.

Jill spread the word to people who may be interested that there were 2 kittens looking for a home.  She had a few interested people but after a month they were still with us.  I started thinking.....the reason I hadn’t got myself a cat was because I felt bad it would be alone all day in my small unit while I was at work.  And at the time I had no outdoor access. But as there were 2 of them, I thought, at least they would have each other to keep them company.  After a few days of thinking I decided yes I would take them. And I’m so glad I did because they have become 2 such beautiful boys.

I renamed them Doc & Marty after my favourite movie ‘Back to the Future’.  So once they were micro-chipped & de-sexed I took them home.  Of course they were scared in their new surroundings & found the laundry basket or under the bed the perfect hiding places.  After a good 3 months they were finally settled & happy in their new home. Of course, being kittens, they were getting up to mischief. I would often come home & find broken ornaments, books on the floor etc.  But they slowly grew out of that and now are both ‘fairly’ well behaved boys.

I had a cat door installed in my spare bedroom & a few months later a run was built for them in my backyard so they can go in & out as they please.  They love to sleep outside on a hammock that a friend and I had made for them.  It sits up nice & high, right near the neighbors trees, where the birds love to ‘tease’ my boys. Doc & Marty also like to have the occasional peep next door to see what’s going on.

They are quite different in their ways, Doc is more outgoing & loves sleeping on the beanbag, and Marty is a bit shy & loves to sleep on the couch.  They both love to sit on the kitchen stools at the kitchen bench.  Doc is a real character & I often think he is ‘part human’. He loves to sit on the kitchen stools with his front paws on the bench.  He makes the funniest poses & has turned into a big fluffy spunk.  Marty is a real mummy’s boy, follows me around, loves to sleep on my lap & smooches my face. He is my ‘little monkey’ as he is slender & has a long tail & reminds me of a monkey.  And Doc is my ‘miniature pony’ as he loves to smooch my legs & does little pony leaps across my legs.  Marty loves sitting in my bedroom window & watches the birds, he loooooves birds!  They love to play fight in the afternoon sunshine coming into the family room & of course sleep, eat, sleep & eat.

 

I’m so glad I was able to give a home to my boys.  I know they are happy & they make me happy & keep me company.  They are now 2 years, 4 months old & have made my little unit a home. I love them as they are my children.

 

Katie Taccarino

Kitty Carer

Cooinda Cat Resort

Cats Sleep Anywhere Poem

Cats sleep anywhere, any table, any chair.
Top of piano, window-ledge, in the middle, on the edge.
Open draw, empty shoe, anybody's lap will do.
Fitted in a cardboard box, in the cupboard with your frocks.
Anywhere! They don't care! Cats sleep anywhere.

 - Eleanor Farjeon (1881 - 1965)

Mink

 *This poem can be found on "http://www.catquotes.com/catssleepanywhere.htm"

In the middle of a World...

In the middle of a world that had always been a bit mad, the cat walks with confidence.

- Rosanne Amberson

Teddy

Cat Naps

Cat's love a good night's sleep and several daytime naps. Cats average 17 to 18 hours of sleep each day. They sleep about two-thirds of their entire life but they are not complaining.

The amount of hours they sleep is influenced by their age, how content they are feeling, and the weather. You will find on a cold and rainy day, most cats would have found a nice warm place in your house to snooze, like under the doona cover, or on top of the heating duct making you wonder why your house is always so cold.

Cleo

*The information used in this Blog was gathered from "The Cat Behavior answer book" by Arden Moore

Cats are connoisseurs...

Cats are connoisseurs of comfort.

- James Herriot

CoCo

If you gave wings to a cat

If you gave wings to a cat, it would not condescend to be a bird. It would be an angel.

- Dick Shawn

Saskia

Cats vs Humans - Scoring in the Five senses

So if you have been keeping score over the past few blogs, the results for the five senses are as follows:

               Cats 4                     Humans 0  

                         with a possible tie for vision.

I guess we should be grateful that we have something cats don't have - thumbs.

                                         Or maybe not!!!

*The facts used in this Blog were gathered from "The Cat Behavior answer book" by Arden Moore

Sense of Sight - The Eyes Have It

When it comes to sight in cats, they surpass us in seeing movement due to their superior peripheral vision. Their pupils can dilate wider to capture more of a panoramic view than we can. However, cat's may not see stuff that is right under their noses as they have a blind spot right under their chins.

This must be the reason as to why the cat is such a great hunter. They can see small animals moving, even if they change direction quickly and are able to catch them with their quick speed. Most kitties have at some point brought in a mouse, bird, lizard, and even possum just to show there mums and dads how quick they are. Although both mum and dads would prefer this not to happen. 

Ziggy

*The facts used in this Blog were gathered from "The Cat Behavior answer book" by Arden Moore