Shop For Cat T-shirts!

With the holiday shopping season upon us, you may want to send some cool cat shirts to people on your list! Or, you can get one or more for yourself to show the world of your love for cats. 

Then, if you need some ideas for gift-giving throughout the year, be sure to visit the T-shirt page anytime:

 http://loveablecat.blogspot.com/p/t-shirts-for-cat-lovers.html

Busy year!

This has been a busy year here... busier than usual. I have to attribute that to the fact that I have an aging population of cats I've rescued and that did not get adopted. I would have to say, there is a "sweet spot" for adopting cats and once it's gone, those cats seldom find new homes. In general, if a cat is considered "too old" by potential adopters, the cat will be passed over.

Too old isn't the only reason, either. The black cats tend to be passed over as well. At one point, I had more than 10 black cats and an equal number of "tuxedo" cats. I still have some of them.

Many shelters simply remove "unadoptables" from their care to make room for the new ones that always come in. Yes, I'm referring to euthanasia, a sad but often inevitable fate in most animal facilities. I don't do that. Granted, it has left me to care for older pets with nowhere to go, and no room for newcomers. But they deserve nothing less than to enjoy and finish the life they were meant to have.

This summer I lost a number of older cats as they reached their lifespan limits, and it was sad to see them go. I will never forget them, as we became pretty close. Contrary to what a lot of people think, cats can become very bonded with and devoted to their humans and it has little to do with food. I have feline friends who are more loyal and loving than some people I know. If you have a cat like that, you know what I mean. Feel free to send me your story if you'd like. I can put it in here, or we can just share our experiences. My sweet girl, Holly, was the most recent loss, just a few weeks ago. She was 27.

Cat Whiskers Are Too Important to Mess With!

Have you ever heard of "Whisker Stress?" Cats have amazing ways to see and feel things in their environment, and whiskers are part of the many sensitivities they use to gather information. When whiskers are lost, for any reason, or are interfered with, it can result in a form of stress, called Whisker Stress.

Have you ever known anyone who wanted to cut off a cat's whiskers to see what effect it would have on them? Some people do that, and it's more cruel than they can imagine. There is no need to do it! If you are actually curious, and not being mean on purpose, here is a better way to learn what a cat's whiskers mean to them.

One thing I did as a kid that instantly gave me a better understanding and appreciation of their "feelers" was to "try them on." Anyone who has cats knows they shed hair, and whiskers are shed, too, as they are a specialized type of hair. When you find one somewhere, save it, and the next one, though this works with only one if you're anxious to start.

Rinse it or them off in water or alcohol if you're concerned about germs or something, then put one lightly into each corner of your mouth, root end first. Now close your eyes and just feel your surroundings. You can feel subtle air currents, anything that comes close to you, and definitely if anything touches one. In fact, just touch one yourself. Try different weights of touch, from just barely to pretty strongly. Imagine if they are attached. You would not enjoy having them pulled on or out.

Look at the whisker, Note that it is tapered. The thicker end is attached by its follicle to the extraordinarily sensitive lip area, and it narrows to almost nothing at the outer end. Feel it. It's fairly thick at the base and very thin at the end. Try bending it. Brush one against your skin, your lips, your face.

Once you see and feel all the things that whiskers do, just imagine how much your cat depends on them.My blind cat kept hers pointed forward anytime she was on the move, as they served her much like a blind person's white cane.

Why would anyone want to take this special, often crucial, sense away from an animal?

For more information, read about Whisker Stress at PerPETuallyspeaking.blogspot.com.