The Meerkat, or Suricate, is really a mongoose, not a cat as its name may suggest. The name Meerkat is an English loan word from Afrikaans, which itself was borrowed from Dutch. In Afrikaans, it means “lake cat” because it is often found near water, but in Dutch, Meerkat, as Meerkatze in German, means “long-tailed monkey”, in reference to the guenon, a species of monkey. The Dutch settlers incorrectly gave the name to the Meerkat. It is actually called Stokstaartje, or “little stick-tail”, in Dutch.
Along with being spoiled and many other things cats have a real sense of humour. However, they may be the only ones that fully understand it. Nevertheless, in time, you may begin to. This article is put together after dealing with some very amusing cats.
Do you find yourself sitting in the middle of the sofa while one of your cats is laying in your favourite place to sit? If so chances are your cat is spoiled, especially if you try to reclaim your spot and he or she isn’t moving. Instead, they fuss at you for the annoying idea of moving them. If you look over and your cat has a very pleased look on its face, well that’s the cat’s sense of humour showing. What you need is an extra sofa or sweet talk the cat into moving.
Do you find yourself feeding the cat before eating yourself? And yet when you sit down to eat they are right there checking out your dinner plate? However, when they see that you do NOT plan to share your meal they’ll eat their cat food. Nevertheless, they are not very happy about it, nor with you. Their sense of humour, suddenly, took a “nose dive”, so to speak. Well just continue to enjoy your meal. They’ll get over it, or get you back.
Do you ever try to read the newspaper or a magazine and your cat comes over and lies down on top of it? The cat wants you to stop what you are doing and pet them. And you oblige – figuring you’ll read the article later. The trouble with that idea is that they just cat nap and then are back up for more petting. So by the time that you get to read the newspaper, it is old news and the magazine is a back issue. You can always go to the park or a restaurant to catch up on your reading.
Have you ever bought your spouse a greeting card or a balloon and your cat ends up puncturing the balloon with their claws or teeth, or tears up the card? Cats get jealous too and it might be a good idea to get it a little something as well.
Have you ever been sitting on the couch, holding hands with your mate, and the cat comes over and sits smack dab in the middle of you two? They haven’t heard that three’s a crowd. So pick back up later during their catnap. Cats do the funniest things, but sometimes not so humourous at the time.
Do you ever go into the bathroom and leave a small crack in the door and suddenly hear a creak? It is the cat coming to join you. Who needs privacy anyway? But sometimes their timing can be a bit off especially on wanting to be petted or on being cute. Also if your cat can easily get to the tank of the toilet you could end up with a cat standing on your shoulders. Close that door all the way. You should pay no mind to that little paw poking under the door… even if you hear a soft “miaow”. Some things do call for a certain amount of privacy.
Do you ever try to walk and your cat keeps getting under your feet while herding you towards their cat food? Well, the only thing that you can do is take precautions and do not trip. Then go ahead and feed them. If you should trip don’t be amazed if the cat finds it humourous.
Be careful getting on phones that aren’t cordless, especially while handling business calls. Have you ever been talking on the phone and had to switch to the cordless? You leave the one that you were on off the hook, start talking on the other, and suddenly hear “miaow, miaow”. You then have to excuse yourself and go hang up the other phone ruining the cat’s curiosity and fun. It is a good thing that cats can’t easily dial numbers, especially long-distance.
Your cat or cats might be spoiled; plus their humour and your humour may differ. However are they helpful around the house? A good cat can help keep the lawn down low while rolling around, waiting for a belly rub. Don’t forget to rub your kitty’s belly – after all your cat took time out just for you. The cat may have already finished sliding around on the kitchen floor giving it a freshly polished look.
If you notice that your clean clothes basket is filled to the brim, not to worry – if you have a cat, they’ll be more than glad to flatten things out for you. Then you’ll have lots of space left in the basket, with just a little fur on the clothes. Cats do tend to look for soft cosy places to sleep. It might pay to buy them a cat bed. However, it may not, for cats tend to pick their own chosen spots to cat nap – like the clothes basket. You may want to put an old towel on top of the clean clothes.
You may have noticed tiny pieces of cat food in your cat’s water bowl. Well, watch them to see if they are dipping their dry cat food in the water bowl. The cat may be trying to give you a hint that they prefer softer food. If your cat is getting old, his or her teeth may be going bad. It isn’t necessary to buy all canned cat food, just add water to the dry food. You’ll find that it will be less work on you because you won’t always need to clean their water bowl of food scraps.
Let’s say you’re using a spray bottle to train your cat. In some cases, the cat may act as though it’s bathtime and will jump in your lap to be dried off. That’s just part of their sense of humour.
Cats are very clean animals and might sometimes dip one paw into their water bowl and wipe their faces and heads. Therefore, it is important to always make sure that they have plenty of clean water… they do totally depend on us for their care.
Cats do love to rearrange your closet, so be sure to keep your closet door closed and latched if possible. Before leaving the house, always check to see if there is any chance at all that your cat has gotten past you and inside your closet. Think how dangerous it would be for them to be locked up in a closet all day without water.
The American Curl has strange ears that curl back away from the face, giving it a unique look. It occurs with either long or short hair and with any coloured fur. They are very affectionate and love people, some say as much as dogs love their masters. American Curls are very playful. Compared to other purebred cats, it is quite healthy and free of many genetic defects that affect others.
Unlike other breeds of cats that have three layers of fur, the Cornish Rex only has the shortest: the downy undercoat – and because of this doesn’t shed like other cats. They are excellent indoor pets and will often find the warmest places to lie near. A genetic mutation, the breed originated in the UK in the 1950s on a farm in Cornwall.
Resembles the Persian breed, except that it has short hair. It is a cross between the American Shorthair and the Persian and was first bred in 1960s USA. The Persian breed is the most popular in the world, but often with the busy lifestyles most people live today it is difficult if not impossible to keep the beautiful coat of a Persian in good order. Thus the Exotic.
Strange in that its ears have a natural bend in them that make the ears fold forward. Subsequent selective breeding has increased the folds in the ears, making them lie completely flat against the head. The breed is known for sleeping on its back. They are actually born with straight ears and the ears fold or not when the kitten reaches the age of twelve weeks.
A breed itself, the Sphynx is the only cat to have no whiskers as well as almost no fur, except, occasionally, for very short hair. Their skin is the colouring, down to the pattern, that the fur would have been. Sphynx are very social and affectionate. They should be kept warm. Hairless cats have always been born, but the current breed naturally mutated in Canada in the 1960s.