Tag Archives: Cat Behavior

That Darn Cat – Part I

Posted on by
14

A feline intruder has been appearing on the roof of the cottage over the past couple of months. The first time I saw the cat, it was looking down at Samantha who was in the “catio,” a small fenced-in patio on the side of the cottage. I whisked her inside and shooed the trespasser away with a few squirts from a water bottle. Samantha paced from room to room, expressing fear with a guttural growl. I learned from posts on Nextdoor that the cat was visiting other neighbors who were concerned the cat was lost. One neighbor had a visit from the cat who lingered in her courtyard into the early morning hours, yowling at her indoor cats. She was able to get the phone number off its collar tag and texted the number. The person who responded stated that “Sergio” was an indoor/outdoor cat. This cat’s owner seemed to be okay with him being outdoors. Excuse me, this neighborhood is within blocks of Laguna Canyon where coyotes reside and come down from the hills in search of their next meal. It really was not okay that this cat was roaming the neighborhood from dawn to beyond dusk. And it was not okay that he was rattling the nerves of my sensitive Samantha Jo.

John figured out that Sergio was getting onto the roof from the side of the cottage facing an above-grade walkway from which he could spring onto the roof. He installed bamboo fencing around the edge of that part of the roof. For a couple weeks we had no Sergio sightings. The relief we felt was palpable.

Then last Tuesday, I heard familiar cat cries coming from the roof. Sergio was back. I was baffled at how he found another point of access to the roof from which he pawed his way to the top of the lattice fence enclosing the catio. Samantha jumped onto my desk facing the windows of the catio and watched as Sergio leapt into the catio and sauntered over the pavers. She hissed and wailed, triggering a blood-curdling caterwaul from Serigo. I rushed out to the catio and squirted him with a water bottle. He scaled the fence landing in the front walkway. I ran into the front yard and opened the entry gate. He bolted through the open gate and ran up the street. Inside, Samantha was nervously darting from window to window. I sprayed a flower-essence based calming tincture throughout the cottage (Drama-Trauma by BlackWing Farms) and played ambient music. Soon enough, she became relaxed.

I wondered how this darn cat was once again able to get onto the roof. Then I recalled that Sergio’s collar no longer had a tag, and I wondered if he still had a home to return to.

I have stories of rescues that I will share as mentioned in my previous blog entry. This story needed to be told first. It’s been a journey. Stay tuned for the next chapter of That Darn Cat.

Cat Daddy to the Rescue

Posted on by
10

So much has happened with me and my girl, Samantha since I last wrote.  We both have experienced an uptick in our healing. The idiopathic cystitis that plagued Samantha for almost a year magically disappeared sometime in June.  And although I experience bouts of extreme fatigue that sometimes cause me to catnap on my lunch break or cut-short an evening out, my life is rich with joyful experiences again! My first book is in the midst of getting published, I’m a regular at The Cliff again, my favorite place in town for live music, and for the past couple of months, The Sawdust Festival, Laguna’s beloved summer art festival, has been my weekend happy place.

Listening to our favorite station, KX FM 104.7 based in Laguna Beach!

Bangle by Sawdust artist, Jamie Bichler of Laughing Raven Design

And Samantha, once again, has the energy of a kitten! Each morning and evening we play toss the pom pom, tag (Samantha runs up to me, swats my ankle then runs around the house as I chase her) and hide ‘n’ go seek. She’s even into wine “sniffing”!

Then last Tuesday Samantha’s right eye became teary and the lid a little swollen, which happens on occasion. It always goes away on its own within one to two days.  But by the following evening, the irritated eye had become quite swollen, which coincided with Samantha loosing her appetite and becoming reclusive.  My heart sank—something was very wrong.  A visit to the vet the following morning resulted in an ulcerated cornea diagnosis. By the time the vet examined Samantha, her pupil and part of the iris were cloudy and red.  The treatment: at least one week of an antibacterial eye drop twice a day and an anti-inflammatory/anti-pain eye drop three times a day.  A morning, afternoon and evening eye drop regimen. The vet said it would be hard and that I would need help.  Okay—well, I live alone…?

Upon explaining this dire situation to my new beau who loves animals and is smitten with Samantha, he replied by saying he’d help. This real life Batman has been assisting this Catwoman with her injured cat child by coming to the cottage morning, afternoon and night to assist with Operation Eye Drop. His IT systems project management job provides some flexibility in his schedule, but he’s a busy guy, yet he’s scheduled time to break away, put on his superhero cape and save the day.

The leather jacket serves to protect from claws!

We created a purrrfect system: I ask Alexa to play “Ambient Radio”, Batman cradles Samantha in his arms and calms her with his baritone feline baby talk, I gently scratch the top of her head and join in with calming vocals, then quickly spread her eyelid open and release a drop. We must wait five minutes in between the two drops. Batman continues to cradle Samantha, we continue with the calming vocalizations then do the second drop.

After a check-up yesterday, the vet determined that Samantha is making good progress in healing, but that the eye drop regimen is needed for at least another week.  Her eye formed a scab, which is a mucus-like tissue that is starting to shed. The vet administered pain-killing numbing eye drops then wiped some of the scab off of her eye itself.  This gave her some relief and allows the eye drops to better penetrate.

I’ve given Batman a break. I conducted Operation Eye Drop by myself yesterday; the afternoon drop was easy as Samantha was still under the influence of gabapentin, which I gave her before the vet visit. The evening dosing was successful, but it didn’t go smoothly.

Batman may have to return.

Stay tuned…

Cat Lady’s Bad Hair Days are Good Days

Posted on by
21

My hair, while growing out from falling out thanks to chemotherapy had recently come to an awkward stage.  The look went from sassy pixie to a mix of Dennis the Menace meets a short version of Farrah Fawcett’s iconic feathered “wings” only my wings looked like they could take me places.  Enough of hair sticking up at the top of my head and flipping up on the sides—hello bandana!  Last spring I wore bandanas because I had no hair.  Today, I wear them to hide my crazy hairdo—and I couldn’t be happier.  I have my hair and my health back.

An easy fix for unruly hair! Note: the sunflower painting in the background was painted by my talented mom!

Samantha Jo has given me cause to smile these days as well.  She has eased into a more relaxed and joyful state of being.  She still get’s a little cra-cra when she hears the rats at night scurrying across the roof or blustering wind, but she calms down so much quicker and finds solace by my side more often than inside an empty Amazon delivery box.

Samantha has taken to this vintage basket where she often sits while I work.

My feline counterpart is also going through an awkward hairdo stage, which in part has brought us closer.  Her luscious ginger locks have become quite matted despite daily brushings. I’m in the process of de-matting her fur myself, which takes lots of patience on my part, and lots of trust on hers.  Samantha enjoys being brushed, but I’ve had to carefully detangle and at times very carefully cut matted fur patches.  I’ve successfully de-matted under her chin, on her chest and a few spots on her sides. With Samantha’s diminished anxiety, I hate to shake things up by taking her back to the vet for grooming; and she actually enjoys our detangling sessions.  I play classical or meditation music and start by gently combing the top of her head, which she loves.  Then she rolls onto her back and stretches out her front legs up over her head making herself look like the letter “Y”.  I gently scratch under each front leg as though I’m tickling under the arms of a human, all the while telling her how special she is and how much I love her.  Then I start picking away at the tangles—cutting them if she gets really relaxed and if I can easily see the fur from the skin.

Recommend tunes to sooth cats and us cat parents!

Samantha Jo with some bald patches and me with unruly winged hair have become quite the pair.

Only I can see her skin patches, her luxurious fur hides them well.

Sidebar:  I’ve tamed my post-chemo crazy hair with amazing “hairwash”, conditioner and a crème texturizer by Innersense purchased at ROOTS the Beauty Underground in Laguna Beach, which sells only organic toxic-free products.  I stopped into Roots a few days ago and was greeted by shop owner, Laura, who I hadn’t seen in a couple of years.  She made me a cup of tea and we caught up, talked about my chemo hair, and she recommended the Innersense products that I ended up buying, and they have made my hair look and feel amazing.  As far as the bandana goes—it’s kind of a cool look and I will continue wearing it, only now to add flair to my fashion.