What are the cat crazies? Tootsie, a beautiful polydactyl Maine Coon , does them and a lot of cat caretakers attest to them. They are real! But have you seem 'em?! What does it mean? Cat crazies (CCs) describes a cat that suddenly, for no apparent reason, goes a bit berserk as we understand the word. The cat might chase around, charging at things, jumping onto some cat furniture and doing lots more in quick fire action. This looks odd as most cats sleep and are passive most of the time. Well, I haven't given it a thought until now. My cats don't do it...LOL...sorry. I am not sure if that is a good or bad thing. My immediate thought is that the cat crazies is a sudden desire for activity by the cat, which may stem from being too inactive, which in turn may originate in being a trifle bored. That is not a criticism of anyone. I would be shocked to discover the wildcats doing the cat crazies! If I am correct in that ascertain it would support the idea that the domestic...

The title of the world's tallest cat has been transferred from the magical MAGIC to the tallest TROUBLE! Magic is an F1 Savannah cat. She is world famous as she is also the world's largest domestic cat . Now the accolade of the tallest domestic cat has been awarded to another Savannah cat aptly named Trouble. Although I doubt whether Trouble really is troublesome. Magic measured 17.1 inches to the shoulder. Trouble was measured at 19 inches to the shoulder. He is owned by Debby Maraspini (USA) and was measured at the Silver Cats Cat Show, Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nevada, USA, on 30 October 2011. The title is confirmed on the Guinness World Records™ website . Trouble was born and raised at Savannah Island Cattery and after a brief spell with new owners from 3 months of age is now back at the cattery. He is special and it is probably fair to say that he requires special care. Look at his size: Photos copyright Jeff from Aadnesen Savannahs Cattery I think he shoul...

This is a nice picture of a blue mackerel tabby and white Norwegian Forest Cat (NFC). You can tell the difference between an NFC and a Maine Coon by the muzzle. The NFC has a more pointed face whereas the Maine Coon has a squarer muzzle and therefore face. There are other differences . If you would like to read about tabby and white cats, this page deals with that subject comprehensively plus some more pictures. Blue mackerel tabby and white Norwegian Forest Cat - Photo by PCB75 The photo copyright protected and is published with the photographer's permission. The photographer is Ainhoa. He has very nice white markings as they are symmetrical. These are caused by the presence of the white spotting or piebald gene . The mackerel stripes are also clear. Sometimes you see joined up spots or spots that are not quite joined up. The blue color is like a filter overlaying the brown.

When a cat that you have loved for 19 years begins to die you die a bit with her. You might find that she hides away for hours. If she goes outside she may go under a bush for many hours doing nothing. This is dangerous because flies might settle in her and lay eggs. She may have one of the classic diseases of geriatric cat such a kidney failure. She may drink a lot more and go to the toilet all the time. She may lose her sense of smell and as a consequence lose her appetite. He illness will also have an effect on her appetite. She will lose weight. Other diseases might accompany kidney failure such as hyperthyroidism and hypertension. She may be anemic. You may have to decide to do the kind thing and euthanize her. You will be making a decision to kill a companion that you have loved for 19 years. It will be a hard decision. It must be well made. The key is to maintain an objective approach. Do what is best for her. When her quality of life is so poor and when she is miserable a...

Tootsie is a Maine Coon polydactyl. A genuine Maine coon, except for the the thumbs. Thumbs are not allowed in the professional cat showing world, even though a significant number of the original Maine coons were polys. I found her online, via petfinder.com. As you can read below, my adventure in adopting Tootsie was not altogether happy. Nothing to do with Ms. Cat, but rather owing to the final moments of her adoption. Photo below of her guarding the garden gate. As I have related before, Ms. Cat has only recently ventured outdoors. She's been really well behaved during the adventure. Previously she would bolt upstairs whenever I opened the patio door. I know it's probably safer to have a cat completely indoors. Plus, when I adopted her 2 years ago (she's 8 now), I had to sign papers saying I would keep her as an indoor cat. However, after all the paperwork was done, and I was ready to take Ms. Cat home, the adoption person said, "oh, by the way, we di...

Tootsie's first outdoor adventure. She is sitting just outside the threshold between inside and outside, all but her tail and back end hidden by the curtain across the door. My rescue cat, Tootsie is a Maine coon polydactyl. Tootsie becomes the bravest cat in the world. These events transpired about 6 months ago, but I have not updated blog of late, due to real life demands (I mean other than Tootsie). When I got her, she was scared of almost everything. Loud noises, sudden moves. But, especially of "outdoors". If I'd even open the patio door, she would run her fluffy pants away as fast as possible. I wasn't and am not trying to make her an outdoor cat or an indoor outdoor cat. But, photo lighting is so tough indoors, I thought that if I could occasionally coax her into the outdoor sunlight for a "photo op", that would be nice (for me!). So, today, I had the French door to the patio open- nice warm day. I got up from the computer, and walked into th...