Cookie & I have been mates and roommates for over 4 years now. Do you remember when he was just a little fluffy nothing? And look it him now! What a majestic lion he's become! The little bugger has taught me a lesson or two throughout the years. Especially about cats. I never used to like cats, you know. Until one day I spontaneously decided that my life's not complete without some fluff, stinky poo & holes in all my jumpers. And then Pippin moved in with us. Oh the joy!
So what 7 things has my cat taught me?
🐱 Cats don't care, they sleep anywhere
Absolutely not true. Cookie will only sleep in his reserved-for-his-majesty spot on the top of the stairs, on his throne or occasionally on top of me when he's had a bad day and is trying to stop my heart from beating with his full body weight.🐱 They don't care about you though, like really
Cookie doesn't care about snuggles, toys, me. Unless it's on his own terms. He most definitely cares about his favourite Mr Foxie toy more than he cares about me to be fair. He likes falling asleep next to him and he likes snuggling him on his beloved Eames chair (he won't ever sleep on an IKEA chair, that's not posh enough for his fluffy butty). Where I am is above and beyond Cookie's interests. Does Pippin care, I hear you ask. No. Pippin does not care. Unless it's 4am & she wants to play 'how far up this human's nose can my paw go' or 'let's try an ear wax removal with this especially long sharp claw'.🐱 Cat food matters
Did you know that;"Eighty million species on earth thrive on raw food. Only humans and domesticated pets consume a cooked processed diet filled with unhealthy ingredients, chemicals and preservatives."
Jody Freeland, American College of Applied Science, 2012
I've always known that the food I've been giving Cookie is not the best. I first realised this when he had a UTI from eating too much dry food - that's when I started reading about what dreadful things cat food contains and how harmful it can be. I've never been able to gather enough information to make a decision what food would be the best though. We had a few trials but most of them ended in errors (don't ever believe that Eva Longoria actually feeds that to her cat, naaaah). Last week Jenny from the CatPacks shared her book with me - Cats off the Carbs: A Guide to Proper Cat Food (you can grab a copy here, it's only £3.25 but the information in it is priceless!). It's only a few pages long but that's all you need - it explains everything from how harmful carbohydrates can be to cats and what health issues can dry food cause to how to read cat food labels. Everything. All my questions answered. No wonder Cookie has been particularly keen on Applaws (he always gets a big pack for his Birthday & Christmas) and the recently discovered Almo Nature (both Cookie & Pipps go absolutely mental for these!). We are now on the road to discovery of the right food for my little pooches and I will keep you updated on how we're getting on.
🐱 Cats puke. A lot.
You just have to stop worrying when a cat pukes. Although you do have to take notice what kind of sick it is (you will have a closer look when you're on all fours scrubbing the carpet, don't worry). It's usually going to be a ball of fluff covered in slime (those ones are okay). Sometimes it can be just a bit of food when the cat's gobbled it down too quickly (Cookie is usually pretty pleased with himself when that happens and you can tell he genuinely doesn't feel ill at all). If the puke is larger than the size of your cat (I've seen that, and once you see that all you wish for is to unsee it) or never-ending call the vet. Like right now.🐱 Find a damn good cattery or a pet sitter
It's imperative to find a cattery or a pet sitter that your cats will love. We've tried a few and none of them were terrible (you do get a good idea once you pop in to check it out before actually booking a pen). They were not excellent either though and Cookie wasn't particularly happy there. I don't expect a cat to be ecstatic in a cattery but you want them to be at least content. That's when we realised that Cookie is just not a cattery cat. Instead we found a really lovely reputable pet sitter in our local area who pops in at least twice a day when we're not here to check on the kittsters, give them food, water and spend some time playing with them. Again - it's important to do a background check on the pet sitter. Pick someone with a proper website, with fantastic reviews and ideally someone who has done pet sitting for someone you know - be it a family, friend or a neighbour.🐱 Get a decent pet insurance
I go on and on and on about this in every cat post I've ever written. And people still don't listen. Get a bloomin' good cat insurance so next time your beloved fluff ball is shivering in the corner covered in cold sweat and stinky poo you don't have to even question whether you can afford that £150 emergency call out. Of course you can! I'm paying about a tenner for Cookie every month and when he recently got poorly it cost me £20 instead of £150. I just wish I had it when I spent about £1k on his X-rays and all when we thought he had a broken leg (it was a pulled butt muscle, yerrrr).🐱 Assess the cat-friendliness of your house plants
Again, something that I've learnt the hard way. Cats eat grass. FACT. It helps them with digestion and to throw up fluff balls. If you have an indoor cat I can guarantee you that the time will come, there will be no cat grass in the house and they'll try to eat your cactus. Pippin regularly de-pots my cacti terrarium - she's a keen gardener (read a very naughty kitten). If you're a jungle blogger or just someone who enjoys an excessive amount of greenery at home I urge you to check whether your plants are safe for cats! And don't think that the one toxic plant will be safe on the very top of your fridge. It won't. You can find a good guide here.
What have your pets taught you so far?
💭 Totally not sponsored - Jenny was kind enough to share her book Cats off Carbs with me (thank you!) however all the sassy cat attitude, naughty feline behaviour and stinky toots are our own.
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