My Human Answers YOUR Kitty Questions!

It’s National Answer Your Cat’s Questions Day today, and I have to give you readers a high paw! I got so many questions. In fact, a kitty from Twitter asked a question too! A couple of humans broke the rules (humans are notorious rule breakers) and also asked questions. Reluctantly, I allowed my human to answer those. It’s a good thing Sparkle is not around for this — she would have said no!

Anyhow, here are your questions — and my human’s answers.

Ayla wants to know, “How do you get Summer’s whiskers so long and straight? Mine are curly and every which way.”

Summer’s whiskers are just that way naturally. Although they have gotten a little bendy a couple of times. She probably slept on them wrong.

Treasure and JJ, Hannah and Lucy, Mario and Katie Isabella all asked if Binga, Boodie and I get along. Katie also wanted to know if we all sleep together.

They do! They don’t cuddle together much (it’s just not something they do), but they are great pals and play together often, usually in the morning around the time I get up. In fact, my dad’s cat, Smokey, is still living upstairs here (yes, she is still in need of a home), and Summer was the first one to make friends with her. I bring her up to visit Smokey sometimes.

Summer has greatly enhanced the wellbeing of both Binga and Boodie. She wanted to be pals with them right away, and Binga and Boodie are both more playful than they were before Summer was here. The adjustment time was minimal — it just worked out that way.

Yes, everyone sleeps together, humans and cats. It’s the law around here!

Rose the (Grown-Up) Kitten asked, “Hows do you get your human to take you more places? I’s luv car rides… loves walks too, but my Giant human, says its not safe most places here, to many mean loose hunting dogs. I’s find that annoying.”

Well, Rose, you should be asking Summer that! She is trying to figure that out too. We don’t have hunting dogs here — we’re in the middle of a big city — but we do have some big, mean-looking dogs going out for walks with their owners, and they don’t look terribly kitty friendly. That, and the number of urban-dwelling coyotes that have been seen in our neighborhood, are the reasons that I don’t take Summer on walks more often. The coyotes here are very aggressive and have been known to try to snatch little dogs out for walks. It’s scary.

Mr. Chivers, Greyson, and Tabitha want to know, “Can your humom recommend a cat friendly hotel in CA to stay in while at Cat ConLA this year? And are you guys going?”

I actually don’t know any specific cat friendly hotels near downtown Los Angeles — since I live here, I usually don’t need a hotel room. That said, Motel 6 is a pet-friendly hotel chain, and so is La Quinta. I don’t know if there are any near CatCon, though. If you want something nicer, many Sheratons and Hiltons are pet friendly — just check with them about their policies. The Hotel Figueroa may allow cats — you need to ask — and that is pretty close to CatCon.

Unfortunately, BlogPaws is going on the exact same time as CatCon and we are already committed to being in Phoenix at BlogPaws.

Billy SweetFeets asked, “How can I get mine mom lady person to let me OUT.”

Get her to harness and leash train you. That’s how Summer (and sometimes Binga) get to go out. Hey, that’s what happens when you ask a human!

Connie (a human) asked, “What is her favorite food?”

Whose favorite food — mine or Summer’s? Summer will eat just about anything. As for me, I could live on avocado, coconut and pecans without ever getting bored.

Cassie and Mira asked, “How do YOU feel about torties? Would you ever adopt another one?”

Binga is awesome, and Harlot, the calico I had before Sparkle, was my soul cat. I love those multi-colored girls. If the right one comes along at the right time, of course I would adopt a tortie again.

Norville wanted to know, “I stare and stare at my human, yet she still doesn’t give me all the treats I want. Can’t humans speak cat? How do I get her to dispense treats more often?”

Actually, most humans can’t speak cat, but even if they can, they are not great treat givers. At least I’m not. From what I gather, I’m pretty stingy with the treats. So I can’t help you there.

Madi asked, “Mom and I would like to know how long it takes to acclimate a feline to travel so well in the air and on the ground?”

Honestly, I don’t know! Summer adapted really quickly. But she was trained from a young age to travel. She’s the only one I’ve done much traveling with.

Rascal and Rocco’s human asked, “Why do cats love me so much? I don’t go out of my way to pet them as I’m slightly allergic, but no matter if I’m at home or visiting, cats love to sit on me. Do they just know and want to torture me or can they sense that I am a gentle soul?”

I could let Summer answer that one for you, but I know… and it has nothing to do with your gentle soul, or their possible desire to torture you — and everything to do with cat language. Cats like to get to know people on their own terms, and in their eyes, you are being really polite by not going out of your way to approach them. So they are happy to take the lead and check you out. It’s that simple. If you want them to stay away, chase after them and force yourself on them. They will want nothing to do with you. I’ve seen that happen often!

Silver, Miranda, Harvey, Phoebe and Dusty want to know if my human is bringing me to BlogPaws this year.

I already answered this incidentally above, but yes, Summer is coming with me to BlogPaws! She had such a great time last year that I wouldn’t dream of going without her. So your human will get to meet her!

Odin wanted to know my human’s thoughts on adopting a special needs cat.

First off, I don’t consider Odin a special needs cat in the least! He is quite the adventurer and having only one eye doesn’t seem to have slowed him down at all. There are cats that aren’t so-called “perfect,” like Odin, and then there are truly special needs cats that need adjustments in a home, routine, or lifestyle to thrive. Because I’m so busy and I travel fairly often, I probably wouldn’t be able to adopt a special needs cat that required daily care — a paraplegic cat that needed his bladder expressed daily, for example. But a cat with one eye or three legs I could handle. All that said, many cats towards the end of their lives wind up being special needs, because they must take meds regularly and have to be given fluids if their kidneys are failing, etc. And you just cope with it and do what you need to do. I know Sparkle needed a lot of care at the end of her life. So really, I think what constitutes a special needs cat is a more complex thing than appears on the surface.

Selina asked, “I would like to know what to tell MomKatt about the most important thing the pawrents can do to make our upcoming trip across the country easier for us felines?”

The farthest I’ve ever moved a cat permanently has been about 15 miles, so I’m not sure I’m one to answer this well. Summer, as I mentioned above, is pretty unique, and is a pretty good traveler. You might want to ask Chey’s human — she had to make nearly the same move — only in the opposite direction!

Siddhartha wanted to know if I really like going to cat shows.

Summer loves cat shows! She enjoys being the center of attention and having people make a big deal over her. That said, she’s growing less and less fond of going to the judging rings. Either she’s getting tired of that part, or she may just need a break from competition. This is why I’m giving her the opportunity to be a Pet Me cat at shows — she gets all the fun and none of the part that’s kind of a PITA for her.

Angel and Isabella asked, “We’d like to know how you will be transitioned from show cat to therapy cat or will you be doing both at the same time. Also, had she tried taking Binga outside on a leash before you came along?”

I’m sure Summer will be doing both therapy cat and show cat duties, although she’ll have less time for shows if and when she passes her therapy evaluation. When Binga was a kitten, I tried taking her out on a harness, but she didn’t seem that happy being taken places, and she was nervous outside, so I didn’t push it. I think she is interested now because she saw all the perks Summer got for doing it!

Tybee asks, “Since we have moved to a new apartment, my lady will not let me go out in the hallway. I just want to explore and smell. She will only let me out in the hallway with that durn nylon harness. I can’t stand up with that harness, it’s too heavy. All I want to do is explore and check out the smells. How can I get her just to open the door and let me go?”

Tybee, I bet that harness would feel a lot lighter if you were offered a treat for wearing it! That’s how I got Summer to walk on her harness and leash, and now she does it naturally.

Elliot asks, “I’m a younger boy cat. Why does my human yell at me when I chase the older girl cats?”

Well, they probably don’t want to be chased. Did you ever think of that? I bet not!

Lola says, “I would like to know if you kiss your kitties on the nose. Mommy kisses Lexy’s nose, but not mine. She says it’s because I usually have a runny nose. I don’t see what the big deal is. What are your thoughts on that?”

I don’t like kissing wet noses either, which is why I only kiss dry parts of my cats! I’m just fastidious like that.

Emma and Buster ask, “We are pretty much aware of how you got there Summer, we want to know the story of Binga and Boodie.”

I’ve answered this in my CatChannel.com column. You can read Binga’s story here, and Boodie’s story here.

Emily the Ragdoll wants to know, “Why does my owner get so upset when I swat at her when she is typing or doing other things with her hands?”

Humans, when we are busy doing stuff, don’t like to be disturbed. Think about it – how would you feel if your human kept waving her hand in front of your face when you were trying to watch birds through the window? And we generally are not good at playing smacky-paws anyway. That’s more of a kitty-to-kitty game.

Raven wants to know, “How come Boodie is not on the blog very often?”

Boodie stays in the background much of the time, and she is often napping when I do photo sessions with Summer. Because she is so shy, I never try to make her do anything she doesn’t want to do. When she does appear on the blog, it’s completely her choice. She just shows up when she wants. Binga, on the other hand, wants so badly to be in the middle of everything that sometimes I need to put her in another room to get a photo session with Summer done!

Cathy Keisha asks, “If I was your cat, would you let me eat Chinese food?”

No.

Punapippuri asks, “Why are Aila, Mesi and Jaava so annoying, deliberately staring at me and teasing me?”

I wasn’t going to say anything… but maybe you aren’t totally the Big Cat on the Prowl that you think you are? Usually cats that get picked on are not the dominant cats. Hey, you asked, I’m just being honest!

Sydney, a cat belonging to Twitter follower @ClaxtonOkajima asks a couple of questions: “Why do I enjoy kneading my human on his neck, of all places?” and “Why do I seem to be able to figure out THE family member who I can wake up for a 3 AM meal?”

It sounds to me like you are a very smart and intuitive kitty, Sydney! I’m not sure why you knead on your human’s neck, though. I’m just glad none of mine do it!
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