Sgt Stripes: Why Does Gypsy Act So Weird?

February 22, 2025 | cat9984

Sgt Stripes here. You guys know that I really like Gypsy. We were upstairs together. And now that we have free run of the house, she’s the only lady cat who doesn’t hiss at me. We still nap together sometimes. But since we’ve been downstairs, I’ve noticed something kind of weird about her.

She REALLY likes to have a special spot that’s hers. The spot changes sometimes, but she always needs to have a spot of her own. I decided that we’re good enough friends, that I could ask her about it. (I hope she doesn’t hiss or whap me.

Sgt Stripes: Hey, Gypsy. Can I ask you something?

Gypsy: Sure. What is it?

Sgt Stripes: I’m your favorite cat here, right?

Gypsy: I guess. Angel tried to starve me, and Onyx hisses at everyone. Snoops is OK, but she doesn’t understand why Mr Google always confuses us when he sends “Similar Shots” to the humans. You shared your space and kibble upstairs, so I like you.

Sgt Stripes: You’ve been nice to me too. But there’s one thing I don’t understand about you. The rest of us pretty much hang out in different spots around the house. But you always have a specific place to sit and sleep. Why are you so attached to a certain spot?

Gypsy: I move around. I always go to the kitchen for breakfast.

Sgt Stripes: Yeah. But then you go back to your spot. Right now, if you’re not eating or using the litter box, you only stay in the spot where the Christmas tree used to be.

Gypsy: I cuddle with Mom on the love seat. And sometimes I sleep with you on the love seat.

Sgt Stripes: I guess that’s true. Maybe you are changing. But remember when you would only sleep in the plant? Mom had to bring your food to you there. You’d get out, eat the food, then go back to the plant. And before that, you would only stay on the stairs. The weirdest spot was when you wanted to sit in the litter box all the time.

Gypsy: That was only a couple of weeks.

Sgt Stripes: But why did you want to do it at all?

Gypsy: I feel safer if I have my own spot. It has to do with how I was raised.

Sgt Stripes: What happened?

Gypsy: My first humans kept me in a cage. And they didn’t feed me very well.

Sgt Stripes: That sounds awful. How did you get out?

Gypsy: They decided they didn’t want me and took me to a shelter. It was very traumatic.

Sgt Stripes: What happened with your next humans?

Gypsy: They were a lot nicer. But they had other cats who didn’t like me. They said I was the problem, and put me in a room away from the other cats. I was just hissy because I was so stressed out. But at least they fed me and were nice to me.

Sgt Stripes: Then you came here?

Gypsy: Yes. But when Angel, Onyx, and I arrived, there were already three cats here: you, Snoops, and Kommando. So Angel and I were put in a separate room. It was a lot bigger than I room I had been in, but it was really hard. Angel and I don’t really like each other.

Sgt Stripes: She hisses at me all the time. I don’t think I’d want to be locked in a room with her either.

Gypsy: And she kept eating all the food. I lost a lot of weight.

Sgt Stripes: That’s when you came upstairs. I remember that. You were tiny.

Gypsy: It was really weird having that much space. Onyx wasn’t excited that I was up there, but you were pretty nice. You only tried to play pounce a few times.

Sgt Stripes: You really weren’t much fun; you wouldn’t run away. But you were nice to hang out with.

Gypsy: Thank you. I was really comfortable up there. Then we were allowed to go downstairs if we wanted. It was so much space. I had never seen so much space. It was really intimidating.

Sgt Stripes: You haven’t been back up since we were allowed downstairs.

Gypsy: No. I’m still adapting to the downstairs. I even went out on the porch a couple of times. I discovered that I do not like snow.

Sgt Stripes: You should definitely stay inside. I was outside before they adopted me. Inside is definitely more comfortable. No rain or snow.

Gypsy: I think I like it here. Food, treats, and cuddles on demand. And I even have a cat friend. Thanks, Sarge.

Cats and Spring Fever

March 9, 2024 | cat9984

It’s been a very weird winter here in Southeast Michigan. The humans here have hardly complained about the weather at all. Not much snow and warmer than usual temperatures for the most part. It doesn’t really matter all that much to us cats, although no melted snow on the carpeting has been nice.

Unfortunately, it hasn’t been warm enough for the humans to hang out outside, so we’ve been cooped up with the toddlers for weeks. I think they might be getting on everyone’s nerves. Mom’s been talking about something called Spring Fever. We thought she was just making up a name for being grumpy, so we looked it up on Mr Google.

Turns out it’s really a thing that some humans get. The symptoms are:

Feeling energetic – That would be a good thing. More playtime for us and earlier breakfast on the weekends
Sleeping less – More time for cuddles.
Eating lighter – Hmm. We hope that doesn’t mean less meat. Most of the rest of what she eats is disgusting.
Smiling and happy feelings – That would be a nice change. She’s been kinda grumpy lately.
Desire to get in shape – Don’t really see that happening.
Feeling of romance – Better not happen. There’s already too many humans around here.
Taking up new hobbies – Maybe she could learn how to make homemade cat food. That would be cool
Scatterbrained and unfocused – Not sure we’d be able to tell.
Urge to spring clean – Doesn’t really sound like her.
Sense of Claustrophobia – Why would she want to leave the house? We’re in it.

Okay. It might not be a bad thing if Mom got Spring Fever. Then we began to wonder if we could get Spring Fever too. Of course, since humans are so fascinated with us kitties, some have studied this. And we can get Spring Fever!

It’s a little different in cats than in humans. Here are our top common behaviors when the weather gets warmer:

Increased Activity – Generally speaking, we become more active and energetic in the spring. We are more prone to zoomies. And we like to spend more time playing and exploring. Part of that may be because there is more sunlight. And warmer temperatures mean we don’t have to spend energy keeping warm.

Interest in the Outdoors – Even us indoor cats enjoy the outdoors more in the spring. There’s more stuff to look at out the windows. And spring is the beginning of catio season. Some of us kitties even like to go out on leashes or harnesses. (In our neighborhood, it’s not safe to be outside alone. The road is busy and we have coyotes and raptors.)

Increased Grooming – Most of us do more grooming in the spring. We have to clean up the loose furs from losing our winter coats. And we want our warm-weather fur to look spiffy.

Vocalization – Some kitties like to talk more in the warmer weather. We’re just so excited to see the world coming back to life outside.

Playfulness – We generally feel more energetic in the sun than in the cold gloom of winter. Pouncing is a lot more popular this time of year. We also sometimes want more attention from our humans. Mom says she’s not sure she has more attention to give. We’ll have to test her.

Territorial Behavior – New season, time to re-establish boundaries. We may increase our scratching and rubbing against objects. Some of our less well-mannered brethren may even spray to mark their territory. We would like to remind them that it is really only acceptable as an outside activity. We prefer the tactic of taking a spot and refusing to move.

Changes in Eating Habits – All that increased activity can lead to an increased appetite. And the sight of prey outside can make us hungry too (even if we can’t get out to eat it).

We admit that we have never paid enough attention to tell whether we get Spring Fever? Have any of you experienced it?

Sgt Stripes: I am Not the Crepuscular One Anymore

March 2, 2024 | cat9984

Sgt Stripes here. When I moved in a year and a half ago, Mom used to complain that I got up too early. Every morning, I’d want to get her up at dawn. I was the first cat she had who had lived outside, and I was a hunter. Our feline ancestors hunted at dawn and dusk because of our ability to see well in low light. That’s called being crepuscular (cool word, huh?). It let them sneak up on their prey. Then they’d sleep during the day. I was just following the call of my tribe.

Mom solved a lot of the conflict by having a cat tree in the east window of our bedroom. It let me survey my domain and got rid of a lot of the zoomies. I also discovered that my human brother had a tree outside his window that was really good for cat TV. The three of us got into a pretty good rhythm.

Then Gypsy moved in. That cat is WILD. As soon as it is anywhere near light, she’s racing around the room jumping on things. She jumps on everything – the night table, the jewelry stand, the bed, the armoire. I thought it was obnoxious when she stole my side of the bed. She was NOT getting my tree. So I hang out in my tree, and she races all over the room (including Mom).

I started feeling bad for Mom because Gypsy wakes her up almost every morning. I thought that I would ask Mr. Google how to handle the problem. Mr. Google was not particularly useful in my opinion. Here is what I found:

Play Before Bed – It says you can use up all your cat’s energy by playing before going to sleep. Our human brother plays with us almost every night. I sleep nicely; she’s still racing around. I guess we need to get her a gym membership or something. Maybe she could do cat yoga.

Ignore the Behavior – I wonder how long that’s supposed to take. Mom doesn’t get up or play with her. She just lays there. It hasn’t worked so far. Although I have noticed that Mom is sleeping right on the edge of the bed so she can’t get in her face anymore.

Offer a Meal Before Bedtime – We get a bowl of kibble to share right before bed. And we have a running fountain of water. The food is supposed to direct our energy toward digestion instead of running around. Also, we’re less likely to wake Mom up wanting food if we’ve already eaten. Maybe she needs to give us a different kind of food. More protein. I haven’t had a vole or field mouse since I came inside.

Don’t Let the Cat in the Bedroom – NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. We all share the bedroom. I am not going to lose access to my bedroom because some other cat can’t control herself. And I don’t want to be locked in either. The door needs to stay open.

Keep the Cat Awake Longer – The human is supposed to keep the cat from taking naps in the late afternoon or evening. That’s crazy. Cats rule. We nap when we want to nap. What are they going to do? Take a stick and poke us to keep us awake?

Keep the Cat Entertained While the Human is Away – I kind of like this idea. They suggest leaving the TV on for us (maybe a nature show). Or using feeding puzzles or smart bowls to make mealtimes more fun. I think they should give us tablets or smart phones so we can order our own treats and games.

Be Patient – Most cats can adapt to sleeping through the night. The human has to be patient. NEVER punish the cat – cats don’t understand cause and effect according to Mr Google. (We’re not going to tell him any different.) I’m not too sure about the patience thing though. Gypsy’s a lot older than me. I would have thought she’d be better at waiting for Mom to wake up.