Catnap

Accepted wisdom is that cats sleep approximately fifteen hours a day. No wonder I have an affinity for them. Lazy day fantasies aside, I notice my girls indulge in three different kinds of sleep.

The first is a really deep sleep, when they're obviously out to it. In the curled up position, they often cover their eyes, and when woken, are clearly coming to consciousness. Just like us, they can be seen twitching and moving, as if dreaming...or at least there's something going on in there.

The second is what I call light snoozing, kind of like napping would be for us. Their body position is less protective, and can often be fully stretched out. Eyes closed, relaxed, slow breathing, they have the lot. But it takes less to wake them, and they're not as startled if I do wake them accidentally.

The third is almost not sleeping at all, more like a dozy wakefulness. Although they can be in almost any position for this, they're often in the cat-loaf mode, with all the legs tucked neatly away. If need be, they can spring to action quickly, if, for example, they smell food. It's almost like they're meditating. Who knows, perhaps they are.

Are yours the same?

Here are some more catnap facts.

Edit: And for good measure, a cat in deep sleep.

Cats and Vitamin D

An old saw has it that "cats lick the sunshine from their coats." Apparently that isn't so, and they mostly receive their Vitamin D from their food. The vets here tell us that cats are poor at converting light to vitamin D, unlike their human owners.

Facts over folklore.

Cat ears

When I was taught to draw a cat (at age 5) there were four components to remember. The body, the head, the tail and the ears. Sure it's only a silhouette, but nonetheless recognizeably a cat, mostly because of those triangles at the top.

It's obvious they're great for hearing mice rustling in the hay. Like so much about cats, their hearing and processing is utterly tuned to keep them alive and in food. Talk about a perfectly designed killing machine!

I love watching an alert cat rotate those things around so they catch the minutest (mouse-ee-est?) wee noise. You just know they are interpreting what each sound means, whether it's a threat or lunch. Luckily for me, my two are indoor cats, and there are precious few mice around for them to kill and show me.

In any case, when they're in the mood, they both love having their ears scruffed and rubbed, just like some people.

Whiskers

Years of observing cats makes one aware of their subtle ways. The whiskers don't tell you much about what you're cat is thinking, but they're interesting nonetheless. I have noticed that a happy or confident cat will push the whisker pads forward, which positions the whiskers more perpendicular to the body.

If scared (or asleep, or eating) they're faired against the cheeks for that streamlined look. Funny how they're integral to the cat "look", and so easy to overlook. This link will tell you all about the whiskers.

I guess everyone's aware that the major use of the whiskers is to determine if a space is too small for their body width. Pity it doesn't tell them if they'll have to reverse out. (Smile.) Imagine if we had that system on our cars telling us that the parking spot is a fraction too small.

Hey, that's not a bad idea! Car-skers!

Affection

The cats' ability to absorb affection always amazes me. Let's be clear; cats are wild animals. As all the feral bubbas out there demonstrate, surviving without direct human contact works for them, although their life-span and health suffer. (Word is that the average feral cat only lives three to five years.)

Socialized and cared-for pets like yours and mine are a world apart from that. My two were handled lovingly from the time they came home, and have never been mistreated. So when they have the urge for some affection, they don't hesitate.

Moneypenny in particular can spend an hour at a time being the object of my attention. Her favourite position is when I lie on the bed, and she lies down next to me, back to my side, head at my thigh, hind q's at my ribs. She wraps her body around my arm, so that my hand can rub and scruff around her head and chest, but my forearm has contact with her belly. She rubs her nose and whisker pads, and head and ears on my hands, with true and obvious pleasure.

If we don't do this once a day, she's not happy. Neither am I.

Tortoise love

There are many cat resources on the internet. One I found recently is Tortie Love. The link takes you to some fun tortoiseshell facts.

Miss T-Tail is my first tortoise cat. She's a white tortoise, meaning that she has white belly and paws. It's clear that these cats have a different air about them. Miss T wants to be the boss - she and Moneypenny are at odds over this, but Miss T wins by dint of perseverance.

I'm trying to put my finger on exactly what's different about her. When she was an outside cat, she was always getting into scrapes. As a kitten, she once spent a night atop a palm tree, because she could get up, but not down. She's adventurous and careful, affectionate and aloof, totally mine, and totally her own.

Miss Tortoise-Tail, Miss T-Tail, Miss T. She's my tortie, and she's the best.

Rough tongue pleasure

If you're like me, a cat lover, you will likely be fascinated by this photo. This one, or one similar, ranked highly in a nature photography competition a few years ago. I haven't managed to find the exact photo, nor the photographer, so I'm unable to give proper credit.

Moneypenny, my tabby tiger, uses her tongue to wake me in the morning. She starts at my forehead - or nape of my neck - and I'm usually awake by the third lick. Those tongue-bristles are sharp!

Part of the reason I'm so finicky about keeping my house free of dangerous products is because cats are so clean. It's almost compulsive, their thorough, if random grooming. The point is that the tongue touches every part of the cat.

If there's nasty stuff on their paws, they will ingest it.

If something toxic spilled on their coat, they'll lick it.

If they walk on a floor that's been cleaned with bleach, they'll get some in their system.

That's just the way it is. It's up to us to keep all that stuff away from them.

If my day didn't start with Moneypenny's rough tongue, I'd be mighty unhappy.

She sees everything

Cat eyes transfix me. When Moneypenny - shown here with her bag packed for spring break - looks at me with those big golden-green peepers, it's all I can do to not stare back.

But, as I discovered years ago, not looking into a cat's eyes is a good thing. Apparently they interpret returned stares as aggression, or at least as confrontational. I'm imagining now, but that would likely give rise to confusion in the cat's head.

As her owner, I try to look after her by showing every sign of wanting to be close and friendly. And yet if I stare without looking away, I am giving her a nasty look that she thinks means "Hey, I might want to fight you!"

As in any relationship, mixed messages aren't good. So I look away from those eyes, in the interests of domestic cat-harmony.

Age shall not weary them

Moneypenny and Miss T0rtoise-Tail are both approaching twelve years old this year. Various sources say that indoor cats generally live somewhere between twelve and sixteen years, although it is possible for them to reach much higher: some have been known to reach into their thirties. (Uncorroborated.)

To my mind, there is a difference between living and just surviving. Staying healthy in those senior years is really important, just as it will be for me. To help, every little thing we do now, for ourselves and our cats, will make a difference. I call them the "one percenters". For me, it's walking a little extra each day, or resisting that muffin. For my girls, it's giving them the best quality food, and keeping their environment as safe as possible.

That's why I'm so keen on getting the junk out of my home, knowing every little thing adds up.