Saturday, July 02, 2011

When a handsome tom cat comes calling, should I let him in?


Dear George,
I just came back from a month vacation and WOW! Vegas - the new k
id on the blog. Stanley – the PM’s of Canada new kitten. Blaze & Lea - the gangsta sisters! Wow! Wow! Wow! Boy weren’t you busy! No wonder you are one of the favourite cat bloggers. Congratulations!
So, let me pick your brains on a recent problem I have. Right before we went on vacation a really handsome tomcat started visiting me. At the beginning he was shy and will wait outside for me. Of course we get along very well which, I know, it’s
a bit unusual but, we might even be related (we look very much alike). Later, he started coming in the house; first in the kitchen where he would eat from my plate and then in the living room where we would take a nap. I couldn’t find out if he is homeless (he doesn’t look like), looking to re-home or just lonely. My problem, George, is: how do I introduce him to my humans; especially to my female human? I don’t want her to react like a worried mother when the daughter brings home her first boyfriend!
Love
CAT Victoria

Dear Victoria
Yes, Victoria, he's handsome (see photo on the right). Humans are odd about visiting cats. They just don't think about our feelings. Some humans let in any stray cat, even when we are outraged at having to share our house with them. For, let's face it, most of us cats are very possessive about our territory. We are not promiscuously social like dogs. We don't like intruders, and yet our humans seem to think we won't mind sharing bed and board with a complete stranger. You are an exceptionally social cat, Victoria, in your attitude towards this handsome tom cat.
First, there's the problem of whether he has a home. I expect he's told you the details of why he is visiting, but because humans are so dumb, they don't speak cat language. In order for them to know the details, they should cut a strip of paper like a collar with a message saying "Phone this number". Then put this round the cat's neck with some sticky tape. A paper collar will be safe because if it gets caught in a bush, the paper will just tear. Or they could put up some posters saying "Does anybody own this cat?"
Has he been neutered? Yes, I know
you know, Victoria. But your humans need to survey his backside to see if there are two little furry balls there. If there are none, he has been fixed and probably has, or had, a human home somewhere. If those little furry things are there, then he is a full tom and it's no wonder you enjoy his company. My predecessor, Fat Mog, fell in platonic love with the local stray tom cat but went off him completely when Celia meanly had him neutered.
If he is already sharing meals with you, you are half way to moving him in already. All he has to do is charm your humans. Wind round their feet. Purr loudly at them. Then show them that you and he are friends by sitting close to each other. Do the friendly cat kiss nose to nose. Sleep in each others arms. Most humans will fall for it.
Yours
George
PS. There's a good conference coming up in October for UK cat lovers and cat rescuers. Spread the word to others. Details on:
http://www.eventelephant.com/apbcannualfelineconference

9 comments:

  1. I've been out of pocket for several weeks and look at all the beautiful kitties I've missed.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Well, better to bring home a handsome Tom and introduce him to your human family then to gang up with bad alley cats at Malls! Yes, there are bad cats out there! Good for you Victoria.
    Let your mummy know that you like him.
    Love
    Shumba

    ReplyDelete
  3. Fluffy & CayenneJuly 09, 2011

    CAT Victoria, are you sure you want to share your living quarters with somebody else?
    If you are.....go for it! But first, as George said, make sure that he doesn't have a home.
    Love
    Fluffy & Cayenne

    PS. Yes! He is handsome. Good taste Victoria

    ReplyDelete
  4. FredericoJuly 09, 2011

    Well, in my case....my human mommy started secretly feeding a cat in the backyard. The tragedy is that that cat has a tag name and I'm really worried that my human is going to steal somebody's else cat.
    Uh! These humans. I'm glad that one of our friends told my mommy to stop.
    Frederico

    ReplyDelete
  5. SebastianJuly 09, 2011

    Since when are girls bringing home tomboys? Phew!
    Sebastian

    ReplyDelete
  6. Sir WinstonJuly 09, 2011

    Victoria, don't forget that you are "royalty".
    Make sure that he's good mannered and behaves properly. Guess that he got the snip ...but!
    Sir Winston

    ReplyDelete
  7. George, you are a romantic! Kiss nose to nose! OMG! Victoria, if you like the guy get him in the house. End of story!
    Diego

    ReplyDelete
  8. I'd be a bit shy...but I would enjoy his company too!
    Thea

    ReplyDelete
  9. George is right! Ask your Mom to find out first if he has a home. As lovely as he is ...if you "steal" him may be some human will be heartbroken.
    Tom

    ReplyDelete

Help for cats whose humans show behaviour problems.

This blog is devoted to the study of human behaviour. We cats, who live with this sometimes unpredictable and always feeble minded species, can benefit from seeing their behaviour in its proper scientific context. The study of feline dilemmas, training problems, and difficulties with humans, can only benefit all of us. All of us train our humans - to buy the right food, for instance, but many of us do not have knowledge of how to improve our training methods. The human species is obviously not as intelligent as the cat, but nevertheless can learn quite a lot - if properly managed. Topics of interest include the use of claw and order, purring as a human reward, rubbing your human up the right way, when to bite, spraying as a method of making our wishes known, ignoring the human, human harassment, human inattention and sheer human stupidity. I welcome your questions. Photos can be sent via my secretary's website, www.celiahaddon.com This blog has been chosen as one of the top 50 feline blogs by Online VetTechprogramms.org