Still alive!

No, the cats have not eaten me! I am still alive :) Been busy preparing for the upcoming trip to Krakow and work. Things should be back to sorta normal soon :D

Halloween Pics!

Evil Eyed Oliver!

Poppy by candlelight

Well I hope a fun and safe Halloween was had by all. We had a nice quite evening, tucked up by candle light eating too many sweets and watching some classic Horror flicks!

We also celebrated Poppy's 1st birthday :) As she was found as a tiny stray kitten, her exact date of birth is unknown, the fact that she is a real little demon, I think Halloween is an appropriate date for her to celebrate her birthday on, hehehe! So our baby is growing up *blinks away a tear*!!

Here are some pics I took of the two beauties on Halloween.

Scary Cat!

Halloween

It's getting to that time of year again, the clocks have gone back, there's no escaping Winter now and in a couple of days it will be Halloween, or Oíche Shamhna as it is in Irish. Halloweens roots stretch back long and far in Irish culture, Samhain (which is where Oíche Shamhna comes from) was a festival celebrated by the Celts before the Christianity took hold. It was a festival to mark the end of Summer, the saving of the harvest. It was believed to be a time also when the dead revisited the world of the living and large bonfires were lit to ward off evil spirits.

It is still a very big celebration here today, as it is in many places around the world. Children dressing up and going out trick-or-treating, bonfires and fireworks have all become common place (if not always legal!).

It has also become a time to worry about our pets, especially cats and dogs. Every year I hear horrific stories about cats that have been thrown in to bonfires, dogs with fireworks tied to their tails and other things too horrible to even imagine. I remember seeing an Irish animal rescue programme on TV early this year, where rescue workers were called out to deal with a little terrier who had chased after a firework and grabbed it in his mouth to bring it back. When the firework went off it totally destroyed the poor dogs lower jaw. All that could be done was put the suffering creature to sleep for good.

Stories like these distress me no end, but I think it is very important that pet owners be aware of how cruel and horrible things can happen, especially at this time of year. I think it is advisable to keep animals in around Halloween, particularly on the night itself. For more safety tips check out this site http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?&acatid=207&aid=1152.

An other thing to take in to consideration is the loud noise from bangers and fireworks, fortunately I live in an area where not many fireworks etc are set off and if they are it's at a distance so Oliver and Poppy are not that put out by them! As they are indoor cats anyway they are safe.

Of course Halloween is a time to have fun too and I'm sure poppy will have lots of fun tearing down any decorations I put up! Neither of my two are that receptive to wearing any type of costumes, plus I don't think I could put them through the indignation even if they were! If anyone would like to share pics of their cats in costume, please feel free though :)

Hope you all have a Happy (and safe) Halloween!

Cattery...check!

Oliver & Poppy are very excited! There hotel is booked for their hols :)!! Well it's a cat hotel, OK it's a cattery but it looks really, really nice :) Hope the place I've booked for ourselves is as comfy! I went with Abbeyfeale Boarding Kennels & Cattery http://www.abbeyfealeboardingkennels.com/, it looks perfect and I've been in touch with the people who run it and they seem perfectly lovely. I feel so much better about leaving them (especially Poppy) knowing they will be well taken care of.


Carole, the lovely lady I have been emailing at the cattery, sent me this pic of some kittens they had earlier this year, which have now been re homed.

Could they be any cuter?! I have to admit if I saw them I would find it very hard not to want one, I'm such a softy when it comes to little tabby's :) These three are BSH Silver Spotted Tabby's.

Well that's it, holiday countdown has officially begun, yippeee!!

Pretty Posers

Oliver snoozing!
Sleepyhead!
Poppy in one of her favourite places..a paper bag :)
Cat in a bag !

Limerick Animal Welfare Blog

Limerick Animal welfare have started a blog page. It's a lovely way to keep up with the on going work of these wonderful people. Check it out here http://www.limerickanimalwelfare.blogspot.com/

If you are looking to re home an animal, want to give a donation or provide foster care head to their website which is listed on this page.

Remember that cute little ginger kitten in my last post came from Limerick Animal Welfare (he's such a cutie!), so support them in any way you can :)

Ginger Kitty...He's soooo cute!

A friend of ours recently re homed a little ginger kitten from Limerick Animal Welfare. On their way back from picking him up they stopped off at our place to introduce the little fellow. He is so cute! Made me broody, seeing his tiny little pink paws, hearing his cute baby kitten meow, and he was SO SMALL! But this family has a two cat max for now. Some day when we own our huge mansion with the jungle like (but very secure & safe) back garden, then maybe more fur babies may arrive! For now I'll have to content myself with the pics I took of the little guy :)

'It's All Fun & Games Until Someone Loses an Eye!'

I haven't been on much lately for a couple of reasons. One in particular being a rather sore eye!! All thanks to Oliver!

Well it was actually mostly my own fault. Oliver was batting my hair with his paw (this is where a sensible adult should have stopped things!) when some of it fell in front of my eye and in his enthusiasm to grab it, he stuck his claw in my eyeball! Ouch ;p

It was only a little scratch really and he missed my pupil by loads, so no real harm was done, except it stung like crazy and I had to go to the doctor for a tetanus shot :( The jab and the €50 bill hurt more than Oliver's claw in my eye!

It's fine now though. I've never really understood that saying 'It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye!' until now, hehehehehe!

Flights? Check! Accommodation? Check! Cattery? Umm...

Oliver & Poppy will be heading off on their holidays too!

Last December myself and my hubby and a few more headed off to Krakow, Poland for three days. It was beautiful, we all had a great time and had some powerful experiences including a very moving visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camps. It was agreed by all that more time would be needed to give this lovely city and country the attention it deserves, that we would return and soon. Today I booked our flights and accommodation! We're heading off the end of November, this time for a week and I can't wait.

We didn't get that chance to go anywhere this summer (if that's what you'd call it!), so I'm looking forward to the break big time. The only worry is that this time as we're going for the week, I'll have to put the two babies in the cattery. Oliver as I mentioned in the past, has been to a cattery before, but it will be Poppy's first holiday away from home! She's a real Mammy's girl and I hope she'll be OK. I'm going to look around online for a place that I'm really happy with and hope to get it booked sometime next week.

I'm taking solace in the fact that at least they will be together and hopefully they'll keep each other company :D

UPDATE:
Came across this site http://www.abbeyfealeboardingkennels.com/ . Looks nice, cosy. I'm going to send them and email and find out some more.

Oliver taking some quiet time away from 'talker' Poppy!

What makes some cats more vocal than others? Our eldest Oliver, has never been a big talker, he has always been the strong silent type. Except for the little chirrup in the morning to say hello, or gentle meow when he wants my husband to rub his head.

Ever since Poppy was a tiny kitten she had the lungs of an opera singer! If she was locked out of a room, she would Meow, Meow, Meow! If she was chasing something or saw something she wanted but couldn't get at, she would do this little bark type noise, that always made me laugh!

She'll be a year next month and she hasn't changed. Instead she has developed quite a selection of noises, all for different occasions! When I come home from being out, they both run over to say 'hi' Oliver will usually stay quiet, giving me leg rubs and head bumps, Poppy gives her high short meow and tries to stick to my leg so that it's hard to walk in without tripping over!!

They have equally different styles to get attention if they happen to be locked out of the bedroom. Oliver stands on his hind legs and jingles the keys that are in the door until it wakes me and I let him in. Poppy has a more direct approach! She simply sits outside and Meow's at the top of her lungs, getting increasingly more impatient sounding until I open the door! I have on occasion ignored this in an attempt to break the habit, and she will stop eventually, the purchase of a set of ear plugs has helped greatly!

Mostly I like that she is a talker though, and I love the little noises Oliver makes when he does have something to say. He would probably say more but Poppy makes it hard to get a word in edge ways! You know us females, we do like to talk, hehehehe!!

Sandpaper Kisses

I had to work away from home for the past few days and I have to say it gets tougher and tougher to leave my two babies (and husband, of course!). I'm sure I looked every inch a lunatic sitting out in the Cork countryside talking on my mobile to Poppy, listening to her purr her replies!! Oliver isn't much of a talker on the phone, typical male really!

When I returned home last night, the welcome I got made it worthwhile. They looked so happy to see me, I was rushed at the door as I came in, there was a lot of meowing and purring and tangling up of legs and cats! Almost caused me an injury in their delight to have me home. I'm sure some of that delight was due to the fact that they do not receive the same level of attention and spoiling from my hubby as they do from me :) If I could speak cat, their meows were probably saying 'Yay! Mammy's back! Treats, Cat milk, No more dry food!!'

They made sure I wasn't going anywhere without them knowing about it for the rest of the night, I felt as if I had two bodyguards glued to my legs, following me everywhere (including the loo!). Both of them joined me as I relaxed in a bubble bath, Poppy perched on the side of the bath near my head and Oliver keeping watch from the bathroom windowsill.

I don't think there are many things as pleasant as a welcome home from animals who love you, especially cats. Hearing them purr, getting licks from their grainy tongues (sandpaper kisses!) and having them curl up with you as you enjoy being home. I came across this poem and I think it describes this side of living with a cat beautifully :)

Cats are Wonderful Friends
Gentle eyes that see so much,paws that have the quiet touch

Purrs to signal "all is well"and show more love than words could tell

Graceful movements touched with pride,a calming presence by our side

A friendship that takes time to grow

Small wonder why we love them so.

Author Unknown

Poppy & Oliver enjoying the Sun!

Our two babies sitting pretty :)

Fron Shredding to Scratching!

Our cats have always been extremely well behaved when it comes to scratching furniture. They have always preferred to sharpen their claws on their scratching post, rather than on the legs of our chairs!

However lately, Poppy has taken to dragging herself along the bottom of our leather sofa. She reminds me of something out of Misson Impossible, half under the sofa using her front paws to drag herself along!! The poor old couch is looking a bit worse for wear as a result. It's funny because it's not as if she is sharpening her claws or marking her territory, it's just that she seems to think it's great fun!

There's a bit of a demon in that cat I think, she has such a mischievous nature, hehehe. Poor Oliver, he is so reserved in comparison. He often sits on the armchair opposite the sofa calmly watching her as she does this. I'd say he thinks she's a bit daft sometimes, 'as mad as a bag of cats' as they say!

I've considered trying something to deter her from this, but at the end of the day, it's not that expensive a sofa, so I don't really mind. Maybe she'll grow out of it, if not we'll just add it to her list of eccrentric behaviour!

If you have a scratch happy kitty these are some suggestions I've come across to improve the situation :) But bear in mind Mark Twain's advice, which applies universally: Never try to teach a pig to sing; it frustrates you and annoys the pig. Translate this bit of wisdom to your dealings with cats and you'll avoid a good deal of futility and frustration.

Introduction
Cats scratch to mark their territory, sharpen their claws and stretch their muscles. Here's how to help your cat curb the urge (or at least redirect it away from the sofa).

Instructions

Steps
1
Step One
Provide scratching posts and place them in locations where your cat likes to linger - by a sunny window, for instance.
2
Step Two
Experiment with different types of posts to find the best ones for your cat.
3
Step Three
Keep in mind that different cats like different surface textures (cardboard, wood or rugs) and post orientations (horizontal or vertical).
4
Step Four
Encourage kittens to use posts, and reward them with food and praise.
5
Step Five
Consider giving your cat extra attention when he stirs from a nap, and then placing him near the scratching post, since many cats scratch when waking up.
6
Step Six
Avoid punishing your cat if she scratches an inappropriate area - punishment teaches the cat to not scratch in your presence, but it won't deter a cat from scratching when you're not around.
7
Step Seven
Avoid letting your cat scratch an old couch, even if you plan to get rid of it soon - this will only encourage your cat to scratch the new couch.
8
Step Eight
Consult your veterinarian about alternative treatment options before you give up. Destructive behavior is a leading reason why people surrender their cats to animal shelters.
Tips & Warnings
Aversive-tasting substances will not help, since scratching does not involve the taste buds.
Yelling and loud noises may cause anxiety and encourage destructive behavior.
Scratching is a natural behavior, so blocking the cat's access to one area will simply encourage him to scratch elsewhere.

Tami~shredding machine

Paper Shredder Poppy!

I did a little shopping today, nothing too exciting, new track bottoms for the gym and so on, and when I got home I went through the same routine as usual with Poppy! As soon as I enter the door and she hears the rustle of a paper bag she's all over it like a rash!! She can't wait to jump on it. And not just to hide in it like a normal cat, no she has to shred the bag to pieces! Which means every time I bring a paper bag home I have to wrestle it away from here before she's done too much damage and try and get it in the bin without her noticing!

Paper bags are her favourite, but she's not that fussy, she'll shred receipts, paperwork, bills, you name it she's tried it :D I've got so many notes for work that have little cat teeth puncture marks in them, it's mad! I'm always worried she'll find something to shred/chew/bite when I'm not there and ingest some of it, I don't want her to get ill. I'm only waiting for the day she eats a €50 note and then I'll be ill..hehehe! Not that i have €50 notes left scattered around willynilly ;p

Yesterday I heard someone talking about their cat making bits of the toilet roll! So at least I know Poppy's not the only mental moggy around! I've been researching this paper obsession a bit on the net and came across this reply to a question from someone whose cat was a paper shredder like Poppy..

Many times cats like the noise of the paper--they will play with it when it is crumbled and when batting it around, bite it. When my cats were kittens they loved to eat toilet paper and to this day, they will chew on tissue paper if it is laying around or the newspaper when I am trying to read it. My one cat also has a tendency to lick plastic...I chalk it up to a bit of obsessive compulsive disorder. Your cat may be bored and if has the need to nosh, you could try planting some cat grass. You can also try spraying bitter apple on the paper and boxes to discourage her. Also try getting her some cloth sacks of catnip to play and chew on and actively play with her for at least 15 minutes a day using pole toys or a laser pointer. But if it is only paper, I would not worry. If she takes a liking to ribbon, string, twist-ties or rubber bands, these things can cause intestinal blockages if ingested.

So I guess it's just a case of making sure she doesn't develop a taste for anything more exotic like elastic bands and keeping all the cash in the Piggy Bank..hehehe I found a video of another paper eating cat on You Tube. Very similar technique to Poppy, but not as enthusiastic, the rate she rips the paper to bits she could get a job working for a confetti making company ;p!!

Cats in Art

First of all my apologise for not posting all week. I've been very busy at work and just didn't get the time :( But I'm back now and rearing to go :)

A good friend of mine gave me a really lovely book recently. It's called 'Cat...Wild cats and Pampered Pets' by Andrew Edney. It was a perfect gift as it combines two of my great loves, cats and art. The book contains beautiful images of cats represented in art works down through the ages, mixed with quotes from literature.

I thought it would be nice to include excerpts from the book from time to time. A sort of 'Cats in Arts' section! The funny thing is, despite the fact I am a painter I have never painted our two lovelies! I've painted cats but never ours, something I plan to remedy soon. When I do I'll post the finished product here :)

Anyway, the first painting I've selected from the book is 'The New Arrival' by Horatio Henry Couldery

The New Arrival

I like this painting because it shows the little ginger kitten bristling and facing off against the much larger tabby. It reminds me of Poppy when she gets a fright from Oliver, puffed up to twice her size and hopping along sideways!! Always makes me laugh.

Couldrey was one of the best known Victorian painters of animals and especially for his very detailed paintings of cats. You can check out more about the artist here http://www.burlington.co.uk/picture/cm/content/1516.

This is another painting by Couldrey, not in the book, but it's so sweet I had to include it.

The Unexpected Guest

Photographing Cats

'I'm ready for my close-up'!

I love taking photos of our two cats. They have to be two of the most photographed felines in existence! I always have the digital camera handy and ready to go in case a photo opportunity presents itself :)

I'm not showing favouritism here, but Poppy happens to be particularly photogenic! She loves the camera and it loves her!! She enjoys posing I think. Oliver on the other hand, has been there done that and has the t-shirt with his photo printed on it!! So he is not as enthusiastic a model. More often than not he tends to glare at me when I try to photograph him.

I recently bought a new digital camera with loads of nice little settings to play with so I've been having fun with that. The two photos in my previous post were taken with the new camera.
I am sure every other cat owner out there also loves to take kitty pics, so I've compiled a list of tips and tricks to capture the purrfect pose!

*When taking a photo of your cat, always do so in good light. Try and avoid using a flash if possible. If you have to use a flash take the photo from a slight angle, to avoid the flash going off directly in the cats eye.
Also taking photos in bright light means the cats irises will contract and you will capture more of the cats eye colour.

*Take the photo while holding the camera at the cats eye level, being careful not to cut off ears, legs or tail.

*Having some kind of back drop makes the photo look more professional. Throwing a piece of coloured fabric over the sofa works well, pick a colour that contrasts with your cats colouring.

*Clear clutter out of shot. If indoors, a nice photo could be spoiled by the sight of mugs and plates on the dinner table in the background! Same goes for photos taken outside. Try and take from an angle that does not include anything too distracting.

*Use something like a toy to get the cats attention. I usually dangle one of their toy mice neat the camera to make them look my way. Taking photos of the cat looking away is nice too.

*Get in close and fill as much of the frame as you can with the cat. This can make for great photos.

*Take lots and lots of photographs! Professional photographers often take a hundred shots to get one great photo.

*Always have the camera nearby. It's often when you are not planning to photograph your cat that they pose best! Be ready to capture the moment!

Here are some lovely photos I found online to inspire you :)

Duvet Day !

Poppy Undercover!

The Look of Love!

Sleeping Beauties!

I don't want to get overly excited here, but last night was an historic night in our household! Poppy slept the whole night (well the whole night except for the 40mins she got locked out for hopping around on my legs non stop) in our bed :)

That's a breakthrough! As I've mentioned in the past, she is a wild one at night. Hopping, walking across your head, scratching at toes under the duvet! Not last night. Last night I headed to bed and read for a little bit. Oliver curled up on the end of the bed as usual and Poppy joined us, snuggling in a little further up.

After about 30mins she decided under the covers would be cosier and so she wriggled her way from the top down to my feet! There she stayed for most of the night (except for aforementioned hopping relapse). I woke up with aches everywhere though as all night I was afraid to move around too much lest I disturb the two sleeping beauties (Oliver spent most of the night in the crook behind my knees!)

After this momentous occasion I was browsing some articles this morning on sharing ones bed with your pet and I came across this great article on a website. It made me laugh out loud several times, which is just what I needed to sooth my sleep deprived aching body, hehehe!

Sleeping With the Enemy

Written by Stacy Mantle

The Mayo Clinic just released a new statement that states sleeping with your pets could, and I quote, "Make You Dog Tired."
My initial question is: "How long did it take these geniuses to come up with this theory”, and “How much did it cost us, as consumers, for them to complete a study that really could have been accomplished by just contacting me?" As the owner of fourteen cats, three dogs (one of which is half-coyote) and a plethora of other little creatures that may or may not be visiting at any certain time, I can attest to the fact that, of course sleeping with your pets will make you tired.

For instance, just last night in the hot deserts of Arizona, we had a huge lightening storm. Actually, it was the first of its kind since we (we meaning "desert dwellers who are actually forced to reside in Arizona due to lack of finances, and pay extraordinary electric bills as a reward") officially entered the "monsoon season" in early July. Under normal circumstances, the most catastrophic event that occurred for most people during said storm was a temporary loss of power. Not true for our household. In our household, the most catastrophic event that occurred was being bombarded by fourteen half-wild cats as they scrambled under the bed covers, three paranoid dogs as they struggled to climb up on the (thankfully) large bed, and a slightly irate husband. Obviously, this proved to be a serious disruption to an otherwise restful night of sleep.

The study continued on to say that, "...when a dog was permitted to sleep in the bedroom, it has only a 57% chance of being allowed to sleep on the bed." I find this interesting mainly because they neglected to mention the number of cats who shared their bed. This is primarily due to the humiliation of cat owners in admitting that they have no choice in the matter. If these cat owners' homes are anything like mine, they don't have, nor will they ever have, a choice on where the cat sleeps. Cats are notorious for simply sleeping where they choose, and God help the person who tries to move them. Therefore, I'm assuming that roughly 100% of the cats slept on the bed in contrast to the 57% of dogs.

But that's not all! In addition to this already disturbing trend, was reported in 21% of dogs and 7% of cats." (Again, this is more than likely due to the cat owners' reluctance to admit that they have no control over their snoring felines and where they choose to do the aforementioned snoring).

This Mayo clinic study was not complete, however, and it went on to state that, "...nearly 60 percent of their patients with pets, slept with their pets in the bedroom."
I've done the numbers, my friends, and that is a lot of pets who are disrupting the sleep of otherwise normal human beings. The Census bureau claims that there are currently 106,566,000 households in the U.S. (a figure that I can't help but think is seriously understated. But, we'll give them the benefit of the doubt). In addition to this large number of people, there are 60 million dogs, and 70 million cats that currently claim "pet" status. Now, if every household in the US has one cat and one dog who own them, then that, in essence, means that 82% of the residents in our beautiful country are being deprived of sleep each and every night. I find this interesting, as the article goes on to say that more deaths occur from falling asleep while driving than from drinking and driving.

While this study does in actuality, exist, it is obvious that they have forgotten several important points.
First, there is little hope of successfully sharing a bed with your pets, unless of course, you are like my husband, who could sleep through a nuclear attack, without any of the following events occurring:
Heat exhaustion from the body heat of all the animals accompanied by the average 110-degree desert heat.
Noise pollution from the hissing, barking, growling, and general irritation resulting from cats and dogs sharing a bed together, not to mention the snoring.
Bodily injury from the occasional night stalker cat that chooses to use your naked back as a scratching post.

But there is good news among these disturbing figures. First, the Mayo Clinic also did a study some time ago discussing the positive effects that pets have on people. These consist of lowered heart rates, a sense of calmness resulting from petting your animal, and an overall decrease in disease amongst pet owners.

So, while we may run the risk of dying in a car accident from sleep exhaustion, the good news is that you will have a much lower level of stress during the accident.
Ultimately, the risk falls to you. And I, for one, am willing to accept the potentially deadly car accident over not sleeping with my sleep depriving pets. In all, it is just a part of learning to live amongst animals without becoming one – a task unto itself.

Plants, Flowers & Other Pretty (Dangerous) Things...

Cats are like children in so many ways, both cats and children bring joy to their parents, both make you smile at their antics and both eat things they shouldn't!


I received a lovely bunch of flowers today and my first though after how lovely they were was 'I hope they aren't poisonous to cats!' Call this paranoia on my part, I accept that I am an over anxious cat parent. But prevention is better that cure :) I am also aware of how nosey my two are and knew the second they were placed in a vase they'd be over for a sniff and a nibble! It's the nibble I worry about and sure enough I've spent most of the day moving the flowers from one out-of-cats-reach spot to another another!


By now though the novelty has worn off and said flowers are pride of place on our dining table :D Oliver and Poppy have moved on to more exciting things, like the spider dangling outside our window!!


For those of you as paranoid as me here's a link to a site with a very comprehensive list of plants that are harmful to cats :) It also give images which is very handy for those of us not well up on our gardening!


http://www.russianblue.us/plants.html

Readers Cats - Part 2

Kirsty sent these lovely photos of her cat Jaina...

Readers Cats -Part 1

I'd like to invite readers of the blog to send me photos of there cats and a little bit of their story, for me to post on the page under 'Readers Cats'.

Our first feature is on Turtle and Mojo, two gorgeous cats belonging to Jenn. Jenn is Canadian but now lives in Holland.

Mojo & Turtle

My first cat is Mojo. She is about 11 now. We got her from the pound. We didn't even have to go in to the area of where all the cats were to know we wanted her. We saw her sitting in the window shaking so badly from being scared. We have had her for 2 years now. She is a big sookie cat. She loves to be patted. She loves watching TV with you. If you lay on the couch with your legs up she is right there all stretched out on them. Man she is a bit heavy too once she is asleep. She hates change. She likes things to stay the way they are. She gets very scared if you go away then come back. At night she likes to sleep on the bed. She has her own spot up by my pillow with her head on it, my arm around her and the blanket a little over her lol. Her favorite food is chicken. When ever we eat that she will be over meowing her head off and acting silly for some. She also likes the cat food that has the blocks and the juice. She will like all the juice from her bowl then move on to turtles. If you don't feed her right away she will harass you for hours lol. She does like to play a little bit but only if she is the only cat in the room. She doesn't really like turtle. They fight quit a bit.

OK on to Turtle...

Turtle likes to hunt bugs. She will meow at them and jump at them and eat them. Turtle always has to be doing some thing. She is always looking at some thing or playing with some thing. She barley sleeps. She has a spot on the top of the third floor where she sleeps and hides out. When you are on your way to bed she will be looking down at you. When she is playing she will run in and out of the room howling this long weird howl. She gets scared of the weirdest things. When it hails she will hide under the keyboard of the computer desk and stays there. When the window washer comes she will look at him and get all bushy and run.She doesn't like the door bell. She doesn't really like to cuddle yet. She is about 2 and a half now. We got her from the pound. When we first got her she had a stomach problem and was sick for a few weeks. She caught some bacteria or some thing from her surgery of getting fixed. She is a sweet cat though. If you aren't paying attention to her she will come over and tap at you till you pat her on the head. She doesn't like it when people come to the door she gets all wild looking and runs and hide. She is the type of cat who likes to explore things so she would love to go outside. However we are afraid she wouldn't come back. When we are eating dinner she will like to sit at one end of the table and watch. At the end of course. She is always wanting to see what we are doing. She doesn't really sit down and cuddle. and if she does decide to come over to you and lay with you it is only for a short period of time.