Keeping Outside Cats Warm: Hot Water Bottles

We discovered hot water bottles when an electric light for warming caused a fire up the street. Bolthouse fruit smoothie bottles are great- some leak or come open. Inside a box with old coats thrown over it, it might last a good 6 hours.

Old coats are good for over cat houses- our feral ones do not use litter boxes, so they sit in disposable cardboard. This year I collected fall Maple leaves, and use these for bedding- I also have some straw growing in the field I’ll cut for when its dry in January.

Lately, I’m trying to use the 35 pound plastic litter cans as a cleanable and reusable cat house- we ran out of cardboard food boxes.

Garage Kitty really likes the fall leaves, and wishes to endorse these for all her fellow ferals.

Cats have GRATITUDE. She purs and sets her head in my hand if I do well at cleaning her house.

I am very tired of WordPress products doing things I did not tell them to do.

Cat Rescue Climbers

Why These Brothers Rescue Cats From Trees https://youtube.com/watch?v=AZ4Humpx7_Y&feature=share via @YouTube

Iris #’s 1- 8

   This series is especially stunning with the photos. It shows the purpose of abstract art, as it shows not only the sight seen, but the soul seeing the sight- as with Van Gogh and Picaso’s Guernica.

Lisa RWillowfish

@lisa63artist

Lisa RWillowfish

@lisa63artist

Lisa RWillowfish

@lisa63artist

Lisa RWillowfish

@lisa63artist

Lisa RWillowfish

@lisa63artist

Lisa RWillowfish

@lisa63artist

Lisa RWillowfish

@lisa63artist

St. Helena and the Cats of Cyprus

Wikipedia:

According to tradition, Helena is responsible for the large population of cats in Cyprus. Local tradition holds that she imported hundreds of cats from Egypt or Palestine in the fourth century to rid a monastery of snakes. The monastery is today known as “St. Nicholas of the Cats” (Greek Άγιος Νικόλαος των Γατών) and is located near Limassol.^[24]

Scottish Wildcats

In honor of Nemo Tiger, who looked just like a Scotish Wildcat, and always assumed she was a different species, and would not associate with other cats. We’d say she thought she was a human, and one that did not like cats! She died recently of skin cancer type stuff- Aloe helps cat skin a lot, but this was beyond topical. Nimo selected us, was dumped, had her old lady die or her kid go off to college, we figured.

   Most interesting is the evolutionary note. The Middle Eastern wildcat was domesticated when man began to store grain, as at Jericho, about 7-9000 B.C. Dogs are much older, domesticated in hunting and guarding by the pre-agriculture peoples. But cats and wildcats, wolves and dogs, can still interbreed producing fertile offspring, which means they are different breeds of the same species still! Horses and Donkeys diverged by contrast millions of years ago, or about a million, and so the offspring, mules, are infertile. Darwin learned this on Galapagos with the finch, and so wrote The Origin of Species.

The following is pasted from the Highlands Wildlife Park:

In The Wild

At first glance, Scottish wildcats (Felis silvestris) may look similar to a pet cat, but on closer inspection there are differences. The wide, flat head, ears pointing more sideways, a bushy blunt-ended tail encircled with dark rings, and a distinctly striped coat all distinguish the true wildcat from feral cats. Research has also revealed differences in their genetic make-up, gut length and skull features.

Unlike the domestic cat, the wildcat is a seasonal breeder. The ancestors of our domestic pet cat were the Middle Eastern wildcat. After centuries of evolution and human selection, the domestic cat today is considered a separate species, Felis catus. In Britain, the pet cat arrived with the Romans or the Phoenicians. Today, there are many domestic cats that have ‘gone wild’. These feral cats can interbreed with the Scottish wildcat, and produce fertile hybrid cats. Such cross breeding is the primary risk to the future survival of the Scottish wildcat at risk.

The Latin name for the wildcat, Felis silvestris means ‘forest cat’. Since forests first covered the land, the wildcat has lived in Britain, however human persecution and habitat destruction led to its extinction in England, Wales and southern Scotland by 1880. The remote Highlands provided a last refuge for this threatened cat.

The Scottish wildcat is now fully protected by law and is generally recognised as a separate subspecies, Felis silvestris grampia, confined to the Central and Northern Highlands of mainland Scotland. Their preferred habitat is upland forest with young trees, moorland, scrub and hill ground where they can lie up during the day in a den among rocky cairns, old fox earths, badger setts, or among tree roots. The wildcat is a useful predator of pests such as rabbits and rodents and will also eat birds, reptiles, amphibians and insects and may scavenge fresh road casualties.

Relatively solitary and territorial, the wildcat is active at night particularly around dawn and dusk. Territory is marked out by urine and droppings, and by scratches on tree trunks. The male’s home range overlaps that of the female and young males may be nomadic until they establish their own territories. Mating occurs during February and 2-6 kittens are born approximately 68 days later. The family breaks up after about 5 months, when the young leave to establish their own home range.

Scottish Wildcats at the Park

Can you help save the Scottish wildcat?

Most of us yearn to catch a glimpse of the glorious Scottish wildcat, yet never do. If we don’t act immediately, we never will. The wildcat is teetering on the edge.

Though revered, wildcats in Scotland have been persecuted for centuries.

Add to that habitat fragmentation, and interbreeding with domestic cats, and it is doubtful that their numbers in the wild now reach three figures.

The wildcat’s survival now hangs tenuously on a dramatic plan to create a National Wildlife Reintroductions Centre, in the Cairngorms National Park. This state-of-the-art breeding facility will bring together wildcat experts, a dedicated veterinary unit, and a specialised pre-release training programme, focusing initially on wildcats, yet with the flexibility to help other priority species in the future.

We need your help to secure a future for this beautiful Highland tiger.

Cat Sith: Scottish Cat Myths

From “Scottish Clans”

 

The Cat Sìth in Celtic Mythology

Posted on August 15, 2018 by Rowan Moffet in Uncategorized with 4 Comments

The Celtic people used to believe in this cat called The Cat Sìth which translates into The Fairy Cat. The cat took the shape of a black cat that was the size of a dog with a white spot on their chest. In most of the stories, they were almost feared by the people but there were some stories where they brought good fortune to the people. Here are just some of the stories about these Fairy Cats.

The Farmer’s Cat

A farmer was returning home from working the field one night when he was met by a very unusual funeral procession. There were eight cats carrying a coffin draped in the royal shield, and they were followed by a parade of cats chanting about how the King Of Cats was dead. The farmer saw this and rather than being scared he was simply intrigued and he carried on his way home and told his wife what he saw on the road. He told her about the cats holding the coffin and how they were chanting that the king was dead, and at that their house cat sat up and spoke, ”Old Tom in dead, Then I must be king” and with that, he walked out of the house and the farmer and his wife never saw their cat again.

 Witches and Cait Sidhe

The fairy cats could take the shape of a witch with the ability to transform back into a cat and witches with this ability were only able to transform from a human to cat eight times and on the ninth time of changing into a cat, they would be unable to change back to a human ever again. It was this legend that gave us the saying that cats have nine lives.

There were many cultural events that were tied to the cats and the main one was funerals. It is believed that the cats would steal the souls of the people who died before the Gods could take it so the people who were there would do everything to make sure that the cat was kept busy so they didn’t pass over the body of the dead before the burial. Both day and night the body was guarded during a Feille Fadalach or “late wake” and many of these distractions played to its cat-like nature.

They would play games to distract the cat because they believed that the cat would want to watch the games or join in. They would light the fireplace in every room other than the one where the body was in so that the cat would want to lay next to the fires for warmth. Catnip was another method used and they would spread it in the rooms away from the body and music called coronach (“laments”) was played to the cat would dance and enjoy the music and not go to the body. Finally, riddles would be asked but never answered so that the cat would ponder over the answer and not think about the soul it came for.

Halloween or as they called it Samhain, everyone would leave a saucer of milk out for the Cait Sidhe so that when the Cait Sidhe.came past they would leave a treat on you for leaving milk, or a trick in the form as a curse on your cows for not giving him milk.

There was also a practice called Taghaim where they believed that the demonic Cait Sidhe called Big Ears would appear and grant any wish to those who took part in the ceremony. The ceremony required you to over the course of four days and nights that you burn the bodies of cats.

The possible origin for this cat might be from a species of Scottish Wildcat known as the Kellas Cat. The Scottish Wildcat is thought to be the result of a wild cat and a domestic cat mating. When most wild cats have an almost tabby cat like fur the Scottish wild cat is all black. So it is quite easy to tell why the people began to tell stories around this cat.

 

Mr. Black and Mr. Grey Fishing in the Pond with Their Tails

   My last fond memory of Mr. Black, “the very jaguar cat for blackness in the nightime,” will be his sitting on the wall of the old pond with M. Grey, both in the same pose, fishing with their tales. They figured out it would attract the seven goldfish. I wish I’d taken a picture. Mr Black died today, of something like poisoning or Kidney failure or Friskies disease, at about the ripe age of six. He’d spent the last few nights outside, and days in the garden chair with his friend Grey. He caught the best time of the summer, before the bugs came out much or things got any rougher for us, as will surely happen. He had been weak, then thin, and became noticeably sick Monday morning. He disappeared yesterday, till he stumbled up the sidewalk crying. I looked for him all morning, but he must have been paralyzed or in a coma in the yard somewhere.  He had a rough way down, but not nearly as bad as old Sophia.

   “Mr. Black is my best animal,” I would say, and tell Nemo Tiger when she was hissey, “She does not know that Mr. Black is a gentleman.” I’d praise his whiskers and his sharp sharp claws. “He is a better cat than Jack Ratchett is a dog.”

   When Mr. Grey was missing for two weeks last year, Mr. Black was “inconsolable.” Grey does not yet realize what has occurred-he is a bit slow. Mr. Black learned a great deal at the funeral of the local Tom cat from across the street, and would teach things to Mr. Grey, like fishing and “Do not go by the road.” But I don’t know yet whether Mr. Grey will see the funeral and burial. Calley Monster, the oldest, is already quite sad, crying last night before he was even gone.

Mr. Grey and the Salamander

   At sunrise, Mr. Grey was apprehended torturing, or preparing to torture, a salamander, right in the walkway by the garage. I thought I noticed a tooth hole already in his head, and a hack in his tail, though these might have been from earlier in its life. He is a black salamander with yellow spots. I rescued him, of course, and set him in a coffee can with a bit of water while I considered what might be best to do with him. Two years ago, after I returned from a working vacation just north, a huge salamander of the same sort appeared right there by the garage. That one was a foot long, much lager than the ones we used to find eating the tomatoes we grew here on the small farm when i was about eleven. Whenever I play with critters, I become again eleven, a boy scout mentality, learning the species and the things suited to that age. We used to hunt snakes just to capture, and explore all ponds and wildlife in detail.

   Unlike the huge salamander, I decided, since Mr. Grey was not looking, to put this one back where I found him. He had a shallow hole right in the path, beneath some small weeds, so I let him finish crawling back into the hole, picking up where he left off. Later, when I was delivering a beautiful imported strawberry to make the salamander feel better, I noticed that the small hole in the path was connected to a system running into the flower bed, so he is quite safe. Salamanders are even worse than frogs for breathing through their skin, and so being canaries in our coal mine. We stopped using any chemicals here over thirty years ago, but up stream, there is not a single thing living.

   To give a Salamander a strawberry is an example of how things small for humans can be huge for the animal friends. With the shake of our wealthy scepter, we can bring great joy and assist survival for squirrels, cats, dogs, rabbits and such, though sometimes we spend a great deal of effort to do more harm than good. Compassion and true beneficence in politics too is like that- often a thing small for one, say the rich, can save the life of the poor, yet sometimes we can spend a great deal of effort to do more harm than good. But the truly great things, such as the reading of the great books, can be promoted and cultivated with a relatively small effort, and make all the difference for the one. In Israel, Torah scholars are granted minimal survival stipends, as Socrates thought he deserved his meals free in the Prytanium like an Olympic victor. Perhaps if he were not otherwise occupied, he would also have written for us. One change in the smallest place invites the Messiah. And I do hope squirrels do not eat salamanders.

   Salamanders are quite like the first creatures to crawl out of the water, closer to fish than even frogs or tadpoles. They are the ancestors of the mammals, including the little rat-like creature from whom all mammals evolved, after the comet that hit Mexico 165 million years ago killed off the dinosaurs. Notice, the primitive things like alligators that survived are mostly those that hang out below ground and in the mud.

My Cat’s Fish are Quite Intelligent

   People underestimate the intelligence of animals. My cats have fish to watch in the winter. The other day, in the pond in the picture, for summer, I see all this splashing, unusual, and I watch so the Blue Heron and the cats do not get the fish. One fish got itself stuck on a brick in some of the plastic liner, and two other fish were very upset, quite as if they were trying desperately to free him before the cats came by, as he was in grave danger. Then I freed him, and I was again the hero, they were all so happy, and swam by in flirtation with my hand in the water, etc, as fish do when they are happy. Good thing they do not know that just before the blue heron killed and ate 5 of 6 adults, the church guy, a prophet, warned me about blue herons. Lucky the filter was broke, so there were exactly five babies, the the seventh came from a  cousin’s boy’s fish, making seven. The one the Heron did not eat has a bad skin disorder, so I guess that is why he lived.

   Sometimes animals seem smarter than people. My fish knew enough to be worried and to help their guy stuck on the brick when he was in trouble.

Friskies Monopoly on Both Ends of the Cat!

   Cleaning litter boxes today, it strikes me that Friskies has us on both ends of the cat system, the food and the cat litter. There is nothing like that clumping cat litter, what a great invention, seriously! We do wonder about what happens when one breathes the dust, and have tried dust masks, but were stretched beyond practicality. But since Congress will not longer see to it that commerce is regulated so that businesses make money by producing value, would it not profit Friskies- now that they have a-do you call it vertical monopoly?- to, in addition to adding MSG to make an extra 35 cents, add something to the food to make the cats use more litter? Look under that rock, you may just find another snake!

   And I guess, since most cats do not usually walk upright, it is a horizontal monopoly! Now we just have to connect them with the vet system and then the lung specialists, use the Russian hacking of the medical computers, and we can take over the whole country! Add Facebook and neurology with MRI’s of the cat’s brains through little MRI spy-marketing crystals added to the cat litter to tell if they are really in love and what they truly think of their owners, and everyone is sure to be most happy in the New Age.