Smuggle is such a funny boy. Every time I go to pet him, I can tell he enjoys it. He rolls over on his back, puts his paws straight in the air and begs for more. But he also swats because human touch is so alien to him. After our morning ritual of petting him and Secret, I will be walking out of the room when BAM out from under the bed, comes two mackeral tabby paws and they nail my ankles! This is a new behavior for him and I see his head poking out from under the bed looking quite pleased with himself.
I now have to give a wide berth around the edge of the bed (makes it exciting to make the bed in the morning) or he nails me. His body language shows me he isn’t angry- this is just a one-up-manship on his part. You dare to touch me- you pay woman! LOL
I just finished a book due to be released in October on National Feral Cat Day. It is called taming me- memoirs of a clever island cat by Cathy Unruh. I cannot recommend it highly enough- it is told through the eyes of kitten on the island and there is a cat hater, cat rescuers, cat saviors all rolled into the pages. It is compelling, sad, funny and highly rewarding to read. I will be putting a full book review on www.felinexpress.com in a few days. I just hope anyone reading this post will take the time to read this book.It gives you a realistic view of what outside kitties left alone and abandoned have to deal with.
I am looking forward to your review — it is already evident that you love it!
I wish I knew how cats think. I’ve watched that cat “psychologist”/kind of weird guy on Animal Planet and I can identify with some of his observations, but I don’t buy into all of it. I do try to give my cats nutritious food, play with them (particularly the inside cats) to keep them active, get them the vet care they need/deserve, give them affection, try to protect them from anything harmful. I spend my days focused on cats most of the time — BUT I have yet to figure them out. Just when I do think I know what they are thinking or how they will react to something, they do the exact opposite!
However, maybe that is one of the reasons that I love them so. Each one has their own character and they interact with each other in unpredictable ways, partly dependent upon their status or mood at the moment. At least they’re honest about their feelings, as opposed to people who may try to fool us, cats react immediately and fully.
I’m glad you’ve had a little “you” time to kick back and relax with a book. You’ve had a lot of stressful events these past few months and you’ve needed a good break — is the book available on Amazon?
Best wishes,
Teresa
I had a friend call me the other day and say she is going to tell animal planet about me. I begged her NOT to. I don’t need the pressure, I couldn’t do the traveling and stick a camera in my face, I get all tongue-tied. I have met Jackson in real life and give him props. He started volunteering at shelters to socialize cats in cages so they can get adopted and just by spending time with them, he was able to figure most of their body language out. Most of what he says on his program is just common sense- but not everyone understands cats and use common sense when they need to.
People call me an “expert” a lot but I don’t consider myself one. I am just a woman who loves cats and loves to spend time with them and write about them.
On the book front, it won’t be available until October- released on Feral Cat Day- but yes, it is well worth reading- just have Kleenex close!
It sounds like Smuggle has a fun side to him. The swatting during the petting may be due to a subtle difference in what he likes and doesn’t like. A couple of my cats love having their chests rubbed but if I venture too far away from the centre of the chest, they let me know they don’t care for it. In any case, this shows your boy is a lively one.
Maybe you should start wearing boots when you play with Smuggle.