The Strategic Kibble Reserve

October 4, 2025 | cat9984

We stumbled into a meeting of Felines for a Better World, a shadowy group of some of the most influential cats in the country. They are also known as the Cat Cabal by some of their detractors. If there’s something happening national for kitties, you can be sure they’re involved somehow. The meeting is called to order by the president, Mr Tibbles.

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Mr Tibbles: Thank you all for coming here on such short notice. You are probably wondering why I needed you here.

Penelope: It was very inconvenient. I’m miissng my weekly deep muscle massage.

Theodore: It doesn’t have anything to do with the humans, does it? I hate dealing with human problems. They are so hard to control.

Zoe: Just when you think you have them trained, they do something ridiculous.

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Mr. Tibbles: I’m afraid it does concern the humans. Princess Zelda, would you please report on what you’ve been observing.

Princess Zelda: As the privileged class, you may not have noticed, but the price of kibble has skyrocketed. The humans have caused something called inflation. It makes the prices of everything go up.

Rocco: How does that affect us?

Princess Zelda: Where do you get your kibble from?

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Rocco: I’m not really sure. It appears in my bowl every morning. I have better things to do with my time than worry about who’s buying my kibble.

Maurice: You simpleton. Someone has to buy it at the store. It doesn’t grow on trees.

Rocco (offended): I’m not a simpleton. I know kibble comes in bags.

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Maurice: And someone has to buy those bags. Those bags are getting more expensive.

Princess Zelda: If you two are finished, I’d like to continue my report.

Mr Tibbles: Please proceed.

Princess Zelda: it’s not really an issue for kitties living the good life, but there are a lot of cats who are starting to be impacted. Some of them are being forced to eat cheaper kibble. And some are even getting their portions cut.

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Audible gasps around the table.

Theodore: You mean an end to the never-ending kibble bowl?

Rocco: And generic kibble? That’s inexcusable. We need to talk to the humans and get this straightened out.

Princess Zelda: We’ve tried. But they really don’t seem to be all that concerned.

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Maurice: That figures. All they think about is themselves.

Audra: So we need to take care of it ourselves?

Mr. Tibbles: I’m afraid so. We need to do something to get the prices down.

Zoe: You don’t mean…

Poured 50 pounds of cat food into a sealable container. Fat Ass over here thought it was just a GIANT bowl for him 😂 : r/Thisismylifemeow

Mr Tibbles: I don’t see where we really have a choice. We can’t have cats not ed the kibble they’re entitled to.

Rocco: That is the reason we created the Strategic Kibble Reserve.

Theodore: How many depots are there?

Mr. Tibbles: We have ten locations around the country.

A group of cats walked onto forbidden property, while one snuck away, refusing to be part of a secret society.

Audra: Is it going to be edible after being stored?

Mr. Tibbles: It’s been freeze-dried. It will be fine once it’s thawed.

Zoe: We need to be careful. Releasing too much will leave us vulnerable until we can restock.

Rocco: We need to make sure we have cats on the ground when we release it. We don’t want a riot. We are releasing excellent kibble.

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Mr Tibbles: I have created a distribution plan. I’m confident we can control the release. Shall we vote on it?

Maurice: I have a couple of questions. Are we involving the humans? If we do, who’s in charge?

Princess Zelda: We need to run this the way we ran distribution during that big human sickness a few years ago. Entirely through the

cat underground. The humans will get in the way.

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Nods around the table.

Mr Tibbles: Time to vote. All in favor? All against?

The motion passed unanimously.

Mr. Tibbles: All right. I’ll set the distribution in motion. Thank you for your time.

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Ed. Note: We would like to thank Bella Dharma and Bella Sita from The Bella Girlls’ Purrfect Pad for recommending us to their followers. Bella Dharma does a wonderful job of describing life with her humans. You can check it out here.

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Pictures courtesy of Google Images.

How Much Fish is Too Much Fish?

August 30, 2025 | cat9984

A cat in front of a fish stall in a market in the sichon province of southern thailand | Premium Photo

You may recall that one of the prizes at the Cheeseland Rummage Sale was an All you Can eat dinner for six at Freddy’s Fish Factory. The lucky winner was Rex Rutford, an elegant tabby who invited five friends and family members to join him.

Our own elegant tabby, Sgt Stripes, joined them for the dinner. He speaking with Angela Rutford, Rex’s lovely wife.

Sgt Stripes: Hi Angela. Pleased to meet you. It looks like you are going to have quite a feast.

Angela: We are really excited to be here. Rex and I both love fish, and I’ve heard so many great things about Freddy’s.

Sgt Stripes: And who are your lucky fellow diners?

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Angela: This is our son Fernando. And our neighbors Luke and Kitty, and finally, our nephew Tommy.

Sgt Stripes: I hope everyone’s hungry.

Fernando: I haven’t eaten all day. I’m starving.

Tommy: Me too. Fernando and I have a bet over who will eat the most fish.

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Sgt Stripes: Good luck to both of you. What’s at stake?

Tommy: The loser has to buy the winner a bag of their favorite treats. Mine are beef/liver.

Fernando: And mine are tuna.

Luke: What happens if I eat more than either of you?

Fernando: I don’t think that’s going to happen.

Rex: It might. He’s bigger than either of you.

Tommy: But that won’t matter if we’re hungrier.

Luke: I still think I can eat more.

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Kitty: Luke honey, they just have a wager between friends. It’s not a challenge to you.

Luke: Nonsense. If they’re going to compete at the table, anyone at the table should be allowed to join.

Rex: How about it, boys? Can Luke be part of your challenge/

Luke: You should join too, Rex.

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Rex: Hmm. Maybe I will. What do you think, dear?

Angela: I think that it’s ridiculous you’re turning a nice dinner into a competition. With your son, of all cats.

Rex: It’s just for fun. The four male cats competing to see who’s the best.

Kitty: At being a glutton?

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Angela giggled and looked at Fernando.

Angela: It’s okay, honey. I’ll buy treats for both of you if either of them win.

Fernando: I guess its okay.

They were interrupted by the waitress.

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Waitress: Hello everyone. My name is Ruby. Welcome to Freddy’s. Has anyone been here before?

Everyone shook their head.

Sgt Stripes: They won a free meal at the Rummage Sale.

Ruby: Excellent. Here’s how it works. You order your favorite type of fish. We’ll bring you two pieces to start. If you want more, put your plate at the edge of the table. I’ll bring you two more pieces. What would you like to drink and what type of fish would you prefer?

Waiter! Bring me food!

Angela: Goodness. That sounds like a lot of fish. I’d like mackerel and water, please.

Kitty: That sounds good. I’ll have the same.

Fernando: Tuna and water, please.

Luke: Salmon and water.

Tommy: Salmon and water.

Rex: Bass and water.

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Ruby: Thank you. I’ll bring two fountains for you to share and be back with your fish when it’s ready.

Luke: I think I like this place.

Kitty: Yes. They have a lot of choices. Does anyone want to go to the salad bar?

Luke: Not a chance. I’m going to be filling up on fish.

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Their orders appeared a few minutes later. The ladies were relieved to see that the portions were manageable.

Angela: This looks delicious.

Fernando: It tastes great too.

Kitty: And I like that they don’t try to stuff you.

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The male cats finished their fish quickly and put out their plates for more. Ruby quickly refilled their plates.

Ruby: Would you ladies like more?

Angela: I think we’re set for the moment.

The male cats are the second serving quickly, but not as quickly as the first. Rex slowed down significantly at the end.

Cat sitting on a table 2025

Ruby: You boys ready for more?

Rex: I think I’m done, thank you. You guys go ahead. I’m full, but not too full.

Luke: Where’s your spirit of competition?

Rex: I want to remember this as a pleasant meal.

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Luke, Fernando, and Tommy set to work on their third plate. Suddenly, Luke sat up and ran for the door. The other cats watched him with surprise.

Rex: What do you supposed that was about?

Tommy: Classic scarf and barf, I think. He probably isn’t used to this much so quickly.

Kitty: Poor thing. I’ll go make sure he’s okay.

Rex: Guess I won’t be remembering this as a pleasant experience after all.

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Angela: Boys, I think you need to stop eating after this plate. I don’t want either of you to get sick.

Fernando: I’m not feeling that great right now either.

Tommy: Yeah. I’m done too.

Rex: What about the bet? It looks like you ended in a tie.

Angela: I’m proud of you both for knowing when to quit. I’ll buy you each a bag of treats.

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Pictures courtesy of Google Images

Cat Council: Training Small Children

July 26, 2025 | cat9984

Sgt Stripes: Snoops, I’m worried. Mom said she was running around like a chicken with her head cut off. She still had her head. And she didn’t looks anything like a chicken. Do you think she’s gone crazy? Maybe we should get her a new mirror.

Snoops: She doesn’t really think she’s a chicken. That’s just something humans say when they’re really busy. Since Blondie’s been gone, she’s been watching the little humans as well as being our human. Plus she’s working and trying to sell her uncle’s house.

Sgt Stripes: Wow. That’s a lot. Maybe we should do a Cat Council and try to help.

Snoops: That’s a good idea. Maybe then I’ll start getting a sufficient number of pets and cuddles.

So the five cats held a meeting.

Snoops: Okay everyone. We need to find a way to help Mom be less busy so she can spend more time with us.

Gypsy: She needs some help with those little humans. Every night it’s the same thing: brush their teeth, give them a bath, read to them, put them to bed. She exhausted by the time we supposed to cuddle. EVERY SINGLE NIGHT.

Angel: Well, the mornings aren’t much better. She gives us breakfast, but then she gets their breakfast ready, then puts clothes on them, lets them eat, puts on their shoes, and drives them somewhere. She doesn’t get back until dinner time. And then they need to eat dinner and play outside.

Sgt Stripes: It sounds like she needs help with those little humans. We need to share our experience with her so they don’t take up so much time.

Snoops: That’s a good idea. She doesn’t seem to have started them on hunting yet.

Onyx: That sounds like it is way overdue.

Snoops: I agree. I’ll need to give some of the mice who get into the house to her. It’s going to be tough to train the little humans. The most important part of hunting is patiently waiting. And they are not good at that.

Angel: That’s true. When they come in at the end of the day, they get grumpy if food doesn’t appear in front of them immediately.

Onyx: Maybe we should just catch the mice and let the boys chase them. Eventually they’ll probably get the hang of it.

Snoops: They’ll starve before that happens. I guess I’ll have to train them myself. I hope it goes better than when I trained Kommando. She thought they were toys.

Sgt Stripes: They are a lot of fun to play with. Until they stop moving.

Snoops: No wonder Mom thinks you’re related to her.

Gypsy: What’s the deal with the litter training? They keep having “accidents”. And no one ever puts them in the litter box to show them how to use it. It’s a little revolting to smell that.

Onyx: That’s true. But I am not sharing my litter box with them.

Angel: Me either. Maybe we can talk Mom into getting them one of their own.

Gypsy: Excellent idea.

Onyx: Have you seen how she bathes them? It is so inefficient. They get drenched in water, just to get some kind of bubbly stuff rubbed on, then they get drenched again.

Snoops: I think that humans have to get bathed like that. Their tongues don’t work right to do it our way.

Gypsy: Ugh. I am not cleaning them for Mom.

Sgt Stripes: That would be so disgusting.

Snoops: Yeah. I guess she’s stuck doing what she’s doing.

Angel: She needs to train them to eat kibble. They can get it out of the bin now for us, but they never feed themselves. It would save Mom so much time.

Snoops: That is an excellent idea. I think we’ve come up with some good ideas for Mom. Teach them to hunt, use a litter box, and eat kibble from the bin.

Sgt Stripes: Pawsome! More treats and cuddles should be expected soon.

New Year’s Resolutions, Cat-Style

December 28, 2024 | cat9984

Greetings. Snoops here. Apparently humans do something called Making New Year’s Resolutions this time of year. I don’t really understand why Wednesday is going to be a different year from Tuesday. I think it has something to do with using up all the pages on the calendar.

Of course, cats are perfect so we don’t need to make promises about exercising every day or drinking less coffee. And some cats are less perfect than others; they just can’t see where they need to improve. So we decided to help each other identify slight flaws that could be worked on. Each cat came up with one suggestion for every other cat.

Angel

Gypsy: You still need to apologize for all the food you stole from me when we were together in the sunroom. You could offer to share your food with me.

Onyx: You seem to be spending a lot of time on my human’s lap. I think you should resolve to spend more time finding somewhere else to lounge.

Sgt Stripes: You were really nice to me. We even hunted together. I think you should try harder to play with me. I think we could be buddies.

Snoops: I like you best of all the invader cats. But I don’t like to eat all of my food at the same time the way you guys too. You could try not to eat my scraps until you find out if they really are scraps.

Gypsy

Onyx: You should stop sleeping in the plants. You smell like dirt.

Sgt Stripes: You’re my favorite of the invader cats. You should spend more time with the rest of us. We could be best friends and spend lots of time playing.

Snoops: You seem really nervous a lot of the time. You should find something that will help you relax. Maybe some catnip tea.

Angel: You need to get over what happened in the sunroom. And stop trying to steal my breakfast.

Onyx

Sgt Stripes: You kinda seem to have a bad attitude. Like you think you’re better than the rest of us. Maybe you should try meditation or something.

Snoops: You kinda mess up the rhythm of treat time. Maybe you should try flavors other than dairy. Mom always has to get out a separate bag for you.

Angel: You think you’re better than we are because your human came with us. You could willingly share her once in a while.

Gypsy: You seem a little arrogant. You should try hanging out with the cats sometime, not just with your human.

Sgt Stripes

Snoops: I am the empress kitty here. Quit pouncing on me.

Angel: You’re a really nice kitty. I like it when you just hang out with us. You should try to get your exercise somewhere else.

Gypsy: We were buddies when we were both upstairs. You should try to do more shared naptimes. It’s cold now. Work on getting a cuddle buddy.

Onyx: I don’t really know you. Maybe you could stop eating all those revolting flavors of treats so they only buy the good ones.

Snoops

Angel: I think you should resolve to find a new napping buddy now that Kommando is gone. I volunteer to be your new partner.

Gypsy: You seem to be really tense sometimes, just like me. I think you need to find a new napping spot. And maybe take some vitamins.

Onyx: I don’t think you understand my esteemed position in my previous household. I think I am due more respect here.

Sgt Stripes: You need to chill out and relax. Sometimes you look and sound really mean.

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Free Range Cats

August 10, 2024 | cat9984

Snoops: Quiet down, everyone. I called this meeting of the Cat Council to figure out what we’re going to do with this week’s blog post.

Sgt Stripes: What does Mom want to do?

Snoops: That’s the problem. She’s been so busy watching the little humans for the past couple of weeks that I think she might have broken her brain.

Onyx: How do you break your brain? Is it permanent?

Snoops: I think it’s just an expression for when humans get really tired and don’t want to think anymore.

Sgt Stripes: Maybe we could write about how mean the lady cats are to me. All I want to do is play.

Angel: I thought that was going to get better when you got to come downstairs.

Sgt Stripes: I did too. The humans told me that you were a nice kitty. But you hiss at me every time I walk by.

Angel: Not every time. Some times I ignore you.

Sgt Stripes: I really wanted to be able to roam the whole house. But it’s really not working out the way I thought it would. I thought it was going to be great with all the extra space.

Snoops: It is kind of weird how it’s working out. Only three of us are even moving between the upstairs and downstairs.

Gypsy: I really like it upstairs. It’s more space than I’ve ever had. I don’t see any reason to go exploring. I have everything I need up there.

Angel: And I feel the same way about being downstairs. Everything I might need is on one floor.

Onyx: You guys should really move around more. I love being able to sleep on one of the beds upstairs and then go downstairs and roam around. There are a lot of places to jump.

Sgt Stripes: Onyx is right. The really good jumping opportunities are downstairs.

Gypsy: I have plenty of spots to jump onto upstairs. I feel much more secure staying upstairs right now. Maybe I’ll go downstairs at some point, but I’m happy with the way things are.

Snoops: The part that really bugs me is how messed up the feeding schedule is. I know that Mom still serves the wet food before she goes to work, but sometimes I’m still in the basement because there’s a crowd.

Angel: She’s right. That big tabby cat is always lying in the kitchen.

Snoops: And he doesn’t even like wet food.

Sgt Stripes: I want to make sure I don’t miss out on anything. The kitchen is the center of everything that happens in the morning.

Snoops: Our household is not that exciting. What do you think you might miss?

Sgt Stripes: I don’t know, but something good might happen. And I want to be in the center of all the good stuff.

Snoops: Treats have gotten really messed up. It used to be that Sarge and I both got treats in the morning.

Sgt Stripes: Yeah, but those Belleville cats want treats all the time. Onyx even knows how to open all of the containers.

Onyx: I always share the bounty with you.

Sgt Stripes: That’s true. I can’t complain about that. But I wish you liked other flavors. Creamy dairy is getting old.

Gypsy: You shouldn’t complain. Since you’re getting your treats downstairs, the humans forget about me sometimes.

Angel: That’s terrible! Maybe Onyx can teach you how to get your own..

Gypsy: Ooh. That’s a good idea!

Sgt Stripes: Sometimes I get double treats. One time with Snoops and one time with Onyx.

Onyx: Yeah. Mom isn’t very good about keeping track of when we get treats. We can usually get them twice a day if she’s really busy.

Snoops: That reminds me. Mom is pretty upset that no one is sleeping with her now that we can go wherever we want. She says she’s getting lonely.

Sgt Stripes: Why don’t you sleep with her?

Snoops: I don’t really go upstairs in the hot weather. What about you?

Sgt Stripes: I prefer to watch out the window. I want to keep everyone safe.

Angel: We’re all getting used to the new set-up. I bet Mom will have company when it gets colder.

The cats all nod and decide that life is pretty good.

Sgt Stipes: Time for a kibble break.

Snoops and Angel: Peace in Our Time

June 22, 2024 | cat9984

Angel Katt here. I wanted to tell you some very exciting news. Cat and Blondie decided that it was time to let me out of the Sun Room to explore the rest of the first floor. (Actually I can go in the basement too, but it has some kind of leak so no one wants to go down there until that is fixed.) And you know what that means: I’m sharing space with Snoops, head cat around here.

Snoops: Yes, it’s true. I’m sharing the blog with Sgt Stripes, but I’m sharing the first floor with Angel. And I have been very gracious, if I do say so myself.

Angel: I’ve really wanted to get out for a while, but I was a little nervous. Every time Sgt Stripes tries to come downstairs, Snoops hisses at him and chases him away.

Snoops: He made a huge mistake when he first got here. He chased Kommando Kitty and scared her half to death. I had to jump on him to let her escape. I raised Kommando from a tiny kitten. That will not be forgotten.

Angel: They finally let me out two weeks ago. It happened over the weekend. Mom wanted to make sure Snoops wasn’t going to try to eat me or anything.

Snoops: Eat you? You are a LOT bigger than me. They were probably afraid you were going to sit on me. Everyone in the house knows that the reason Gypsy got to stay upstairs was because you were starving her.

Angel: I was not starving her. I can’t help it that I ate faster than her.

Snoops: You ate her food after you finished your own. You were intimidating her so you could eat her food.

Angel: I wasn’t intimidating her. I was just watching her food carefully so it didn’t go to waste. Anyway, that’s beside the point. She’s upstairs and happy. And I’m downstairs and happy.

Snoops: You’ll notice that Mom is making sure you don’t try to steal my food. Not that I couldn’t take care of you myself.

Angel: No one is trying to eat your food. Sometimes, Blondie forgot to feed us. It’s no wonder it turned into cat-eat-cat in the sunroom.

Snoops (appalled): You tried to eat her? That’s horrible!

Angel: It’s just a figure of speech. I wouldn’t have eaten her. She got too bony. And it’s against house rules.

Snoops is not amused.

Snoops: Anyway, once they let her out, I was very gracious to her. I didn’t hiss or growl. At least until she tried to take my favorite sun puddle.

Angel: How was I supposed to know it was taken?

Snoops: I was lying in it!

Angel: Okay. You’re right. But we’re getting along pretty well.

Snoops: Much better than expected. We haven’t fought at all. And we hang out together in the dining room at the same time.

Angel: Yeah. It’s just a matter of time before we start cuddling.

Snoops: Don’t push your luck. I am tolerating you.

Angel: What’s up with that anyway? How come you haven’t been territorial with me?

Snoops: I’m not really sure. I think it has something to do with you crying in the sunroom before they let you out. I kinda felt sorry for you. And when you got out, you pretty much ignored me. I like that in a housemate. I’m still kinda lonely without Kommando.

Angel: You didn’t really take it seriously when I hissed at you a couple of times.

Snoops: I figured you wouldn’t be dumb enough to attack me in front of the humans. I’ve got seniority.

Angel: Yeah. You even ignored me when I batted your tail.

Snoops: I am the empress around here. It works best when I ignore small things.

Angel: But I’m allowed to stay, right?

Snoops: I suppose.

Don’t forget to vote November 7th

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Catbook Marketplace: Where Smart Cats Shop

April 27, 2024 | cat9984

Greetings Fellow Felines! We don’t know about you, but we get really frustrated trying to shop in human stores. They really don’t carry the stuff that we’re looking for. Then we found Cat book Marketplace. It’s run by cats, for cats. Below is a sample on what you can find at the Marketplace.

Chonky Cat: Consider Your Cat's Health - The Tiniest Tiger

Plush Blanket

You won’t be able to tell where your fur ends and the blanket begins! It’s soft and warm and oh-so-comfy. You’ll be ordering all your meals in bed with this extremely plush blanket. Comes in a variety of colors. Get one to match your fur or collect the whole set. Orders shipped by Royal Cat.

Your Daily Cute: Two Cats Tuesday: Vote on Pimp & Moo's Halloween Costumes!

Alligator Halloween Costume

Must sell immediately. Thought my boyfriend would be adorbs, but he hated it. Must be out of the house by Monday. Will accept best offer. Contact Lydia at Catbook mail Princes$$ Lydia.

6 Cool Catsicle Recipes for Your Feline Friend – Neater Pets

Catsicles

Delicious frozen cat treats in a variety of flavors. Choose from Tuna Surprise, Poultry Delight, Mice Medley, and Beef Supreme. Buy one flavor or get a variety. We only use the finest ingredients. All orders are made to order so you know your treat is fresh. Guaranteed delicious. Order from Cats’ Pleasure.

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Cat TV Receiver

Beautiful window-mounted structure is guaranteed to give you hours of enjoyment watching cat TV. All you need to do is fill the side compartments with bird seed. Then sit back and wait for the birds to find it. Once they find the food, it will be a never-ending show. Get one for every room in the house. Bird seed sold separately. Sold by Birds-R-Us.

Premium Photo | Cute ginger cat listening to music with headphones on bed at home

Music for Cats

Tired of being forced to listen to human music? We have just the thing for you. We’ve compiled recordings that appeal specifically to cats. Selections include Music to Hunt By, Purred Poetry, Midnight Yowls, and Duets for You and Your Human. You can find our full selection at Kitty Mews.

Read a Book to Benefit Yourself and a Furry Friend! | ASPCA

The Truth about Tom and Jerry and Other Hollywood Tales

Does it annoy that the stupid mouse always seems to get the better of the poor cat? Do you ever wonder if Puss in Boots was really that lucky? Or why Tweety Bird was able to outsmart Sylvester every time? Find out the truth about them and many of your other favorite Hollywood cats. The Truth About Tom and Jerry was written by a rat named Simon who witnessed it all and is sharing it this fascinating book. Available through Kitty Mews.

My cat just noticed the fish tank. We like to watch the fish together now :) : r/Aquariums l

Fish Tank

It’s the perfect way to keep the kittens entertained. Our fish tank will be the centerpiece of any room it’s in. You’ll be amazed at how relaxing it can be to watch fish. Be sure that all the fish you put in it are safe for cats. (You never know when someone might get a little too excited.) Fish and accessories sold separately. All products are sold by Aquatics Limited.

Pictures courtesy of Google Images.

Sgt Stripes and the Great Vole Hunt

March 16, 2024 | cat9984

Sgt Stripes here. I love being an indoor kitty. I have humans to take care of me and lots of windows to look out. I have plenty of toys and can pretty much get tummy rubs on demand. I even have an electric tummy warmer. (Mom calls it a bed warmer.) But there’s one thing that has taken a little getting used to: the food.

Back when I lived outside, I had to hunt for food. We live in a pretty open area. Mom has two acres and there’s forty acres on the lot next door. I didn’t have much trouble getting what I needed. (Don’t tell Mom, but I got a few treats from the neighbors too.) I was attracted to Mom and my human brother because they put kibble out regularly. It was a nice contrast to my diet of field mice and voles.

When I came inside, they tried to feed me kibble and wet food. I love the kibble, but the wet food tasted really weird. I didn’t like it. I kept trying to tell them that I really wanted a vole, but they never seemed to understand. I asked Mr Google to find me some vole-flavored food, but I didn’t have any luck. All I could find was ways to get rid of voles. I don’t want to poison them. If I poison them, I can’t eat them.

Right now, I’m eating mainly kibble. Occasionally, I’ll have some chicken and tuna stew and some treats, It’s not that I don’t like my kibble, but it gets a little boring. I’d really like something fresh. My human brother gave me goose one time. That was pretty tasty, but I really don’t like human food (except ice cream).

I talked to Snoops about it. She lived outside for a while before she ended up at the shelter. She understood what I meant. She says that’s the main reason she occasionally eats the mice she catches. It’s a flavor that none of the canned foods can match. We don’t really understand why there are vegetables in some cat food, but no mice or voles.

I tried eating a couple of the mice I found upstairs. (It’s one of the advantages of living in an old farmhouse. It’s easy for mice to get in.) They were pretty tasty, but they really didn’t taste like the ones I had outside. Snoops says it’s because of what they eat. Apparently the humans aren’t really good about keeping all the food in the pantry locked in airtight containers. It has come to their attention that mice love sweets. On occasion, they’ve eaten large (for a mouse) quantities of chocolate chips and baking chocolate.

I guess I prefer grass-fed mice and voles. There have been a few mice since I came inside, but no voles. I saw that one of the pet stores around here has voles. I tried to talk Mom into buying a couple, but she wouldn’t do it. She won’t buy any of the fun animals: no mice, no voles, no gerbils, no hamsters. So I’m kind of stuck.

I think Mom feels bad because I don’t like wet food. I think she’s tried every flavor they make. I don’t want to make her feel bad; it’s not her fault that cat food doesn’t come in the really good flavors. Maybe I could write a letter to the cat-food companies and suggest they try something different.

In the meantime, I’m going keep living the good life and eating kibble.

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.