Are you a dog person or a cat person?

As a kid I always wanted a dog, but now I have two cats instead. I have always heard the saying that you are either a dog person OR a cat person, but I can vouch for that that is not correct, as I am both.

I would love to have a dog, and do things together with it, like learning agility for instance. On the other hand, caring for a dog is like having a child in the house - they are so dependent upon you. Cats on the other hand are like other adults - even though they share your living quarters, they sort of lead their own lives. That is why it works out better for me, right now, having cats, as they can take care of themselves better than a dog would.

So I would love to have a dog - if I had enough time to care for it well. But in the meantime I really enjoy the company of my cats (even when their stubborness sometimes drives me nuts!)

So you CAN be both a dog and a cat person - so there...

BTW - the dogs portrayed here are of my absolute favourite breed: the border collie... So cute, and the smartest of them all!

/Kris C.

Cats are excellent alarm clocks!

If you have a hard time getting up in the morning - get a cat or two. You can't put them on 'snooze', and they are very persistent and innovative!

Lillen (see yesterday's post) will start with sittïng by my head and try to hypnotize me to wake up. When that doesn't work, he will reach out a paw and carefully tap me on my nose and eyes. No claws or anything, very friendly-like. They will then resort to jumping on and off my bed, August being the most persistent. He will rush about on top of me, and jump just out of reach when I try to grab him.

Well, this has been described on YouTube in "Simon's Cat - Cat-man-do", so take a look:




I'm grateful that my cats are gentle enough to stop before the ear-pulling...

If possible, see this film in the company of a child. I showed it to one of my youngest relatives (Selma, 3 yo) and she laughed more and more with each viewing - kids love repetitions for some reason.

One thing is certain - Simon Tofield has a cat: he's spot on!

PS. Every time I play "Simon's Cat", August comes running, all upset, trying to find the "intruder"! :-)

/Kris C

The mystery of cats' furballs

I have two cats - August is a sacred birman, and Lillen (i.e. "Tiny", because he is the biggest I suppose) is a british shorthair. They are of course the most handsome and charming cats in the world! (See their photos, right!) But while I've had them for over a decade now, I will never understand their different approaches to where to place their furballs...

Lillen is a very straight-forward kind of guy: first, he does not "deliver" them too frequently, so I guess they mostly exit the other way in the litter box... But when he does, he just coughs a little and places them neatly on the floor, usually in the livingroom, and usually right where you walk the most. So it is easy to spot and easy to clean up.

August is a totally different matter, however. Due to his long fur, I suppose, his furball-frequency is quite high, and he has to cough quite dramatically before he manages to throw it up. (Whenever my mom is coming to cat-sit, she always asks if August has puked any furballs recently: she hopes he won't do it when she's there, as she's convinced he is about to die because of the long, persistent, dramatic coughing.)

But the mystery is: why does he choose such odd places to throw them up in? It is either well-hidden (hard to reach places like under my bed is a popular spot) OR he aims for a carpet! I must be the world's most frequent carpet-washer! The result is, after all these years, that I tend to live without carpets... Well I have a pretty hardwood floor (light oak) but it is, admittedly, a bit bare without carpets.

August is a charming cat in many ways, but I almost gave him away one weekend, when I rolled out newly washed carpets in the living room as I was expecting dinner-guests the same evening - and after just an hour he placed a huge, gooey fur ball smack in the middle!

I wiped it off as best I could, and the carpet dried out well enough before the guests came so I could flip it over, but August was not a popular member of the household that day.

Well, I do love my cats, and I could not imagine living without one, but if I ever get a new cat, I will try to find out first what their furball-placing habits are...

/Kris C